A Versatile Low-Cost Data Acquisition System for Small Rocket Engine Test Bench

Small sounding rockets often carry scientific instruments to collect data in atmospheric environments. In the context of university-level education and research, their development offers students a hands-on, multidisciplinary platform to study propulsion, aerodynamics, electronic instrumentation, and others. A critical component of sounding rocket experimentation involves engine testing and validation, which typically requires the design and implementation of a dedicated test bench. These test benches are essential for ensuring experimental safety and reliability while enabling the acquisition of accurate performance data.
This work presents the design and implementation of a versatile, low-cost data acquisition (DAQ) system specifically developed for a small rocket engine test bench. The system can measure thrust and pressure by interfacing with load cell sensors and pressure transducers. The approach also prioritizes modularity, allowing future expansion or adaptation to different engine configurations. It also balances affordability and functionality compared to commercial DAQs by leveraging cost-effective hardware and software. Experimental testing has demonstrated the system’s ability to deliver accurate and reliable measurements, with noise levels comparable to those of commercial counterparts. These results indicate the system can enable students and researchers to conduct experiments effectively and ensure safety.

All files required to replicate the proposed data acquisition system are openly available on Mendeley Data under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. Hardware resources include complete Altium Designer project files and BOMs for each PCB, designed according to JLCPCB constraints. The embedded software was developed using STM32CubeIDE and STM32CubeMX (v6.12.1), written with the HAL library and documented with field-tested comments. The user interface was created in LabVIEW Community Edition 2022 Q3. Additionally, experimental datasets—including noise characterization and static engine tests—along with reference data from a commercial system and media from the test bench, are also provided.