Automatic Badminton Racquet Stringer

Racquet sports are enjoyed by a vast number of people, using strategy and movements that can be employed from a very basic level to one that is much more advanced. A strategy element that is generally not fully considered by new or casual players is the racquet's string tension.

If you want to get into this world, manual stringing machines are available. This athletic hacker, however, took things a few steps further and turned a hammer-style stringing machine into a Raspberry Pi Pico-based auto-stringer for badminton racquets.

This auto-stringer started off as a simple manual stringing device, made out of 2020 aluminum extrusions and brackets. This machine was modified for added strength and to accommodate the new electronics, including a stepper-powered ball screw and driver that takes care of putting tension on the strings.

A Raspberry Pi Pico is implemented as the device’s main controller, and user interface is provided via a small LCD and a directional input pad. Three LEDs along with a small buzzer provide further notifications, and the electronics are housed nicely on a stacked PCB setup. Tension feedback is provided by a load cell, along with an HX711 amplifier, ensuring that the badminton racquet is strung to user specifications.

This stringer mod is based on the PicoBETH (Raspberry Pico Badminton Electronic Tension head) project, shown stringing away in the video. Both use largely the same electronics setup, applied to different mechanical bases. Either or both could be great inspiration for further racquet stringing projects, whether for badminton or tennis racquets, though you’ll need to look elsewhere to enhance your pickleball game.