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PiTrac
PiTrac

PiTrac

DIY / open-source
Starting at
$300

DIY builders & tinkerers who want an open, low-cost unit

🔬 Verified Research

CameraClub data: NoneSpin: Measured
⛳ THE MSS VERDICT
“Free, open-source DIY monitor for tinkerers with soldering and 3D-printing skills.”
HARDWARE (BEST PRICE)
$300
SOFTWARE
No required subscription
1 plan available
TOTAL 5-YEAR COST
$300
hardware + required software
● Free (Open Source) — Free (required)

👍 Why people buy

✓ Completely free, open-source, zero subscriptions
✓ 3-axis spin without marked-ball stickers
✓ Working GSPro/E6 sim integrations
✓ Fully hackable and customizable

⚠️ Trade-offs

• Early-stage codebase ('a bit dodgy', features barely work)
• DIY build required: soldering, 3D printing, Linux skills
• Ball-only; no club data measured
• No independent accuracy validation published
● Ball tracking
Ball SpeedMeasured
Launch AngleMeasured
Launch DirectionMeasured
Spin RateMeasured
Spin AxisMeasured
● Club tracking
Club SpeedNot possible
Club PathNot possible
Face AngleNot possible
Attack AngleNot possible
From the verified MSS launch-monitor study — measured = read directly by the sensor; calculated = algorithm-derived.
PLACEMENT
Side
Floor-standing unit to golfer's side with stacked vertical cameras in 3D-printed enclosure. Exact room specs unpublished. Indoor-only setup.
ENVIRONMENT
Indoor
BALL REQUIREMENT
Any standard ball (marks optional, may slightly reduce accuracy)
3RD-PARTY SIM
Supported
GSPro (OpenConnect) and E6/TruGolf working but need polish. Network-based via Raspberry Pi.
📋 The fine print
Project explicitly immature: 'really immature...current release is a bit dodgy.' Requires sourcing, soldering, 3D printing, and source build. ~$300–$400 BOM. No retail product; no tagged software releases. Completely free and open-source (GPL-2.0); no subscription or cloud service required. Self-hosted web app on Raspberry Pi; GSPro and E6/TruGolf sim integrations available.

📋 Specifications

Value
Best For
DIY builders & tinkerers who want an open, low-cost unit
Key Tradeoffs
Young / early-stage open-source project, candidly described by maintainers: README says "This is a really immature project right now. The basic features usually work reliably, but the current release is a bit dodgy"; docs say it is "still a young project -- the basic features usually work reliably,
Core Tech
Camera
Sensor Technology
2 (two Raspberry Pi Global Shutter cameras, 1456x1088, stacked vertically in the enclosure and each independently aimable). Note: the recommended COMPUTE path is now a single Raspberry Pi 5 driving both cameras; a second Pi is only a possible future stereoscopic-vision option. cam · 0 — no radar (officially photometric/optical only; "not radar-based").…
Technology
Photometric (camera/optical) — NOT radar; officially "a photometric-based system." Uses two Raspberry Pi Global Shutter cameras (1456x1088) with high-speed infrared (IR) strobe-based image capture. Camera 1 watches the teed ball and triggers on motion (~500 fps); Camera 2 is the
Ball Data
Ball-only: ball speed; launch angles (vertical launch angle and horizontal launch / side angle); spin in 3 axes (spin rate + spin axis). Carry distance is derived/estimated. Viewable in PiTrac's standalone web app and passed to sims. · Optical/photometric spin from sequential…
Club Data
None — ball-only; PiTrac does not measure any club data.
Sim Ready
GSPro and E6/TruGolf interfaces are working (described as functional but needing polish). PiTrac also has its own standalone web-based app for viewing shot data. Internally it uses ActiveMQ messaging to relay shot data to simulators.…
Software
GSPro and E6/TruGolf interfaces are working (described as functional but needing polish). PiTrac also has its own standalone web-based app for viewing shot data. Internally it uses ActiveMQ messaging to relay shot data to simulators.…
Device Reqs
Onboard/self-hosted web app plus PC sim integration. PiTrac's output is a stand-alone web-based GUI (served by Tomcat/TomEE on the 'smaller' Pi), accessed from a browser on the network; it also feeds GSPro and E6/TruGolf running on a sim…
Subscription
None — software is free and open source (no subscription, no required cloud service). GitHub repo licensed GPL-2.0 (confirmed in LICENSE file: "GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE, Version 2, June 1991").
Special Balls
CORRECTED: Marked/registration balls are NOT required. An explicit project goal is to "accurately determine the spin rate of balls in 3 axes without requiring any registration marks or other modifications to the ball." Per the project: the
Placement
Beside golfer
Portable
Semi-portable
Grade
Consumer
Display
Onboard touchscreen

📚 Manuals & Setup

📄 User Manual🔧 Setup / Install Guide
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