News

Open Source Hardware User Group meeting #15 will take place on Thursday 26th January 2012.

At the fifteenth OSHUG meeting we’ll be taking a look at wireless technologies. We will hear how you can repurpose low cost commodity equipment, we will be given an introduction to RF basics, and we will learn about the Contiki operating system.

For more information and to register visit the OSHUG event page.

Issue 8 of the RS Components magazine, eTech, features an article I wrote on open source hardware projects concerned with energy-efficient and renewable technologies. The abstract is as follows:

Open source techniques are being employed in the development and provision of access to an increasingly diverse range of technologies. In this article we’ll take a look at two comprehensive open source projects that incorporate elements of mechanical, electrical and software engineering. One that is concerned with building a hydrogen fuel cell electric car, and another with making wind turbine designs freely available to all.

The inaugural Open Source Hardware Camp will take place on Thursday 27th October 2011 at the Centre for Creative Collaboration. There will be 3 parallel hands-on workshops:

Practical 3D Printing

In this workshop we will explore the potential of desktop 3D printing. We will begin with a general overview of and will be working with a hobbyist 3D printer called the RepRap. Providing a landscape of both the tools and communities that you can get involved with, before splitting up into two groups…

Building the Internet of Things with Nanode and Pachube

In this workshop we will be given an introduction to Nanode, the low cost open source Arduino-like board that has built in web connectivity, and Pachube, the web-based service “built to manage the World’s real-time data”. Following which the workshop will split into two groups and build a real world IoT application for the Centre for Creative Collaboration. With one group focusing on Nanode development and the other using Pachube to develop the online part of the application…

Collaboration in Open Source Hardware

Whilst the development practices associated with open source software are now reasonably mature and understood by many, the same cannot be said of open source hardware and with it come specific challenges. For example, those associated with collaboration across design tools, managing contributions, licensing hardware designs and project presentation…

For more information and to register visit the OSHUG event page.

Paul Downey and I will be at this year’s TransferSummit:

Introduction to Open Source Hardware and Why It Matters

The open source paradigm is not confined to software projects and it’s increasingly being used in support of the development and licensing of hardware. Open Source Hardware (OSHW) enjoys close linkage and a symbiotic relationship with open source software, its ecosystem is growing at a significant rate and with some predicting that the market could be worth $1 billion by 2015.

In this session Paul Downey and Andrew Back will provide an introduction to OSHW illustrated using a series of existing projects, from alarm clocks, 3D printers and the Arduino platform, through to cars and laptops. Explaining how open source techniques are being applied to hardware development and using Google’s Accessory Development Kit (ADK) for Android as a case study. Through the combination of OSHW and open source software we will see that the potential for innovation is limited only by resources and expertise.

We’ll also be running the “Open Gadget Playtime” and I’ll be taking along No Numbers and a Nanode.

Open Source Hardware User Group meeting #12 will take place on Thursday 29th September 2011.

Developing a solution to a problem is not simply a matter of whether it is technically possible, but can involve all manner of challenging constraints. This is particularly the case in DIY and small-scale manufacture contexts, as there may be limited access to tools, test equipment and costly fabrication processes.

At the twelfth OSHUG meeting we’ll be hearing about practical approaches that were developed in tackling three different problems. One is concerned with designing a double-sided PCB to accommodate 0.5mm pitch surface mount devices, that can be reliably built using low cost DIY methods. Another with safely controlling mains powered devices from the Internet, and the third with building a 3W RGB LED controller using all open source design and development tools.

For more information and to register visit the OSHUG event page.

The new edition of the RS Components magazine, eTech, will feature an article I wrote. The abstract is as follows:

Developments in recent years suggest that we may be on the cusp of an engineering renaissance. Significant advances are being made in key areas such as tools, technology, principles and methodologies, and at the nexus of which is an ever growing desire and ability to engage in engineering practices.

It should be available from the RS website and via their iPad app later this week. In the meantime it can be found on their community website, DesignSpark.

The Wordpress blog that was here 2007-2011 is no longer and carrierdetect.com is being rebuilt using ikiwiki.

It’s likely that for the next month or so there won’t be much to see here.