Simulate an Ion Engine's Plasma Discharge with the Arduino Mega Thruster Kit

Every part needed, pre-tested for compatibility, with an AI build companion trained on this exact project. Shipped from Bengaluru in 3-5 days.

Recreate the pulsed discharge of an ion engine on your workbench. This advanced kit challenges you to assemble a multi-stage Marx generator that mimics the plasma formation and electrode erosion inside a gridded thruster. The MQ-136 ozone sensor lets you quantify reactive oxygen species generated during spark breakdown — a direct proxy for ionization efficiency used in propulsion research. Whether you are validating concepts for a satellite propulsion module or preparing a technical demo, every component is sized and tested for this exact high‑voltage physics simulation.

What You'll Build

You construct a triggerable Marx generator driven by Arduino Mega, with adjustable spark gaps that generate repetitive high‑voltage pulses. The 2.4in TFT displays real‑time current waveforms from the INA219 sensor, discharge counts, and ozone concentration in parts per billion. A microSD module logs each event with an RTC timestamp, giving you a complete dataset to model ion current densities and thruster wear over hours of operation.

What You'll Learn

• Multi‑stage Marx generator topology and trigger‑timing control for plasma pulse formation
• Interfacing the INA219 high‑side current sensor with Arduino to capture sub‑millisecond discharge waveforms
• Calibration and interpretation of electrochemical ozone sensors (MQ‑136) for breakdown by‑product monitoring
• Real‑time data visualization on ILI9341 TFT and structured logging to microSD with DS3231 timestamping

Kit Contents

Why Buy This Kit Instead of Sourcing Parts Separately

Who This Kit Is For

Engineered for B.Tech ECE/EEE final‑year students pursuing plasma propulsion projects, aerospace hobbyists building for Smart India Hackathon, and researchers at IITs, NITs, and IISc who need a documented high‑voltage testbed. It assumes prior soldering experience and familiarity with Arduino programming. If you've already built basic sensor projects and are ready to safely handle kilovolt‑level pulses, this kit bridges the gap between theory and a working ion engine simulator.

Built and Backed by Compoden

Every Compoden kit ships with an AI build companion trained on this exact project — accessible via a QR code on the box, with WhatsApp and email backup. We've spent 10 years building projects for makers, schools, and institutions across India. If a part fails because of a manufacturing defect, replace it free within 7 days.

Choose your assembly option:

• Soldering Kit — 25W soldering iron, 60/40 solder wire, flux, and small perfboard for permanent assembly.
• Breadboard Combo — 800-point full-size breadboard with 65-piece jumper wire pack for solderless prototyping.