Weapon & Wire Tester
Weapon & Wire Tester
The OpenPiste weapon and wire tester is an ESP32-based armourer tool for testing fencing weapons and body wires. It was significantly redesigned after field experience at the European Fencing Championships in Genova, where it was used alongside some of the most experienced armourers in the sport.
GitHub repository: ImprovedTesterAfterGenova
(See also the legacy repository for earlier documentation.)
The Genova story
At the 2024/2025 European Championships in Genova, the OpenPiste tester was used in a real competition environment alongside professional armourers. Their feedback was direct, practical, and invaluable.
The result is a substantially improved device — not redesigned in theory, but redesigned based on what actually matters when you are armouring weapons at an international championship under time pressure.
What changed after Genova
The improvements focus entirely on usability and coverage:
Automatic mode switching has been made more intuitive. The device now switches between test modes with less manual intervention, reducing the chance of operator error and speeding up the testing workflow.
Reel mode has been added. Testing with a body wire reel — a common scenario in competition armoury — is now a dedicated mode, not a workaround.
Extra lame mode has been added based on armourer feedback. Experienced armourers identified a gap in lame testing that the original device did not cover. It does now.
Technical overview
- Microcontroller: ESP32
- Language: C++
- Design goal: Foolproof enough for any armourer, comprehensive enough for international competition
Status
Active development. The post-Genova revision is the current version. The legacy repository is kept for reference documentation.