About
About OpenPiste
The project
OpenPiste is a complete open source electronics platform for fencing — covering scoring hardware, weapon and wire testing, remote control, piste monitoring, and PCB designs.
It was built around a simple belief: the technology that runs a fencing piste should be affordable, maintainable, and open. Clubs and federations should not be locked into expensive proprietary systems with no ability to repair, extend, or understand what they are running.
Every component of OpenPiste is open source. The hardware designs are open. The firmware is open. The communication protocol is documented and based on open standards.
Who is behind it
OpenPiste is developed by Piet Wauters, based in Hasselt, Belgium.
Piet is a member of the FIE SEMI Commission — the technology commission of the International Fencing Federation — and the EFC SEMI Commission — the technology commission of the European Fencing Confederation. He served as EFC SEMI delegate at the European Fencing Championships in Genova.
All OpenPiste development is done as volunteer open source work, alongside an active role in the international fencing technology community.
Technical background: Embedded systems and IoT, with a focus on C/C++ firmware, mobile applications, and server infrastructure. The OpenPiste platform draws directly on this background — from ESP32 firmware to MQTT broker configuration to Android app development and PCB design.
The Genova connection
The European Championships in Genova were a turning point for the platform. Working as EFC SEMI delegate alongside professional armourers at an international competition gave a level of real-world feedback that no lab environment can replicate.
The Weapon & Wire Tester was substantially revised based on that experience. The improvements — automatic mode switching, reel mode, extra lame mode — came directly from armourers who use testing equipment every day at the highest level of the sport.
That experience shapes how OpenPiste is developed: always with the person actually using the device in mind, not just the person building it.
Contact and community
- GitHub: github.com/pietwauters
- Issues, questions, and contributions are welcome via the GitHub repositories.