PULSE Evolution – Endurance Meets Impact

PULSE Evolution – Endurance Meets Impact

PULSE Evolution is the next step in the development of the PULSE battle top concept, created as part of my entry for the Printables OpenSauce 2026 Battle Top Contest.

The original PULSE was designed around a simple question:

Can controlled impacts outperform chaos?

Instead of maximizing the number of contact points and relying on constant collisions, PULSE explored the idea of preserving rotational energy while transferring it through a small number of carefully placed impulse zones.

The results were promising.

PULSE delivered impressive endurance, excellent stability and unexpectedly strong knock-back during battle testing.

However, the concept still had room to evolve.

The Evolution Philosophy

PULSE Evolution builds upon the same principles that defined the original design:

• controlled energy transfer,

• high rotational stability,

• efficient use of stored energy.

Rather than abandoning the original concept, Evolution refines and expands it.

The redesigned pulse geometry increases the frequency of controlled impacts while maintaining the stability-focused nature of the PULSE platform.

The objective remained unchanged:

Precision over Chaos.

Prototype Testing

Initial PETG prototype testing produced remarkably consistent results.

Spin Tests

Six consecutive launches achieved the following spin times:

• 5:16 min

• 5:03 min

• 5:09 min

• 5:03 min

• 5:04 min

• 5:13 min

Average spin time:

5:08 minutes

Perhaps even more impressive than the average itself was the consistency of the results.

The difference between the shortest and longest run was only 13 seconds, indicating a highly repeatable and stable design.

Battle Testing

Evolution was directly tested against the original PULSE design.

The expectation was that the improved endurance might come at the expense of battle performance.

Instead, the opposite occurred.

During repeated battles, Evolution consistently defeated the original PULSE.

The method of victory was particularly interesting:

• Evolution remained stable during collisions,

• the original PULSE was repeatedly forced into instability,

• PULSE tipped over while Evolution continued spinning,

• Evolution retained approximately 30–60 seconds of spin time after the opponent had stopped.

These observations suggest that Evolution not only improves endurance but may also transfer destabilising forces more efficiently during combat.

Further testing against additional battle tops is currently ongoing.

Design Features

• Refined pulse geometry

• Improved mass distribution

• Focus on rotational efficiency

• Stable behaviour under impact

• Designed for PETG printing

• Optimised for 100% infill construction

PULSE Evolution represents the continued development of a battle top philosophy centred around control rather than aggression alone.

Print Settings

Material

• PETG recommended

Infill

• 100%

Layer Height

• 0.20 mm recommended

Supports

• Depending on your printer setup

OpenSauce 2026

PULSE Evolution is more than a redesign.

It is the continuation of an experiment.

A search for a different approach to battle top performance.

The question remains the same:

Can precision outperform chaos?

Current testing suggests that the answer may be:

Yes.

If you decide to print PULSE Evolution, I would love to hear about your own test results and battle experiences.

Every new print contributes valuable insight into the continued development of the PULSE concept.

PULSE Evolution

Endurance Meets Impact