explaingit

nawfalmotii79/plfm_radar

📈 Trending20,300PLSQLAudience · researcherComplexity · 5/5ActiveLicenseSetup · hard

TLDR

Open-source 10.5 GHz phased array radar system with complete hardware designs and Python software for building working radar from scratch.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((AERIS-10))
    What it does
      Phased array radar
      Electronic beam steering
      360 degree rotation
      Target detection
    Hardware
      FPGA signal processor
      Antenna arrays
      Power amplifiers
      Frequency synthesizer
    Versions
      AERIS-10N 3km range
      AERIS-10E 20km range
    Software
      Python GUI interface
      Firmware code
      Signal processing
    Use cases
      University research
      Drone detection
      Electronics projects

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Build a working radar system for university research or drone detection experiments.

USE CASE 2

Study phased array radar design and signal processing with complete open-source reference implementation.

USE CASE 3

Develop custom radar applications by modifying the FPGA firmware and Python interface for specific detection scenarios.

Tech stack

PLSQLPythonFPGASTM32CGaN amplifiers

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires custom hardware assembly (FPGA, STM32, GaN amplifiers) and specialized RF/radar knowledge; software alone cannot demonstrate functionality.

Software is MIT licensed (use freely for any purpose including commercial); hardware is under CERN Open Hardware License (open-source hardware with attribution required).

In plain English

AERIS-10 is a fully open-source radar system operating at 10.5 GHz, a microwave frequency commonly used in radar applications. The project provides complete hardware designs (circuit schematics, PCB layouts, antenna designs) and software (firmware, signal processing code, and a Python graphical interface) for building a working phased array radar from scratch. A phased array radar works by using many antenna elements together, electronically steering the direction the radar "looks" without moving any physical parts. AERIS-10 steers electronically up to 45 degrees in both horizontal and vertical directions, and also rotates 360 degrees mechanically via a stepper motor. The project comes in two versions: AERIS-10N (Nexus), a 3-kilometer range system with an 8×16 patch antenna array; and AERIS-10E (Extended), a 20-kilometer range system with a much larger 32×16 slotted waveguide antenna array and higher-power GaN amplifiers. The hardware architecture includes a frequency synthesizer board, a main signal processing board with an FPGA (a programmable chip that handles real-time radar processing like pulse compression, Doppler analysis, and target detection), an STM32 microcontroller for system management and peripheral control, power amplifier boards for the extended-range version, GPS and IMU sensors for position correction, and a Python-based graphical user interface that displays targets on a map. This project is aimed at university researchers, drone developers, and advanced electronics enthusiasts who want to study or experiment with radar technology. It is currently in alpha status. The software is MIT licensed and the hardware is under the CERN Open Hardware License.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I set up the AERIS-10 radar system and configure the Python GUI to display detected targets on a map?
Prompt 2
Explain how the phased array antenna steering works in AERIS-10 and how the FPGA handles pulse compression and Doppler analysis.
Prompt 3
What are the differences between AERIS-10N and AERIS-10E, and which version should I build for a 10-kilometer detection range?
Prompt 4
How do I modify the AERIS-10 firmware to add custom signal processing or integrate GPS/IMU data for improved target tracking?
Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.