Open Source Hardware, For Fun and For Profit

ptorrone writes "Lots of open source hardware articles making the rounds this week, first up — Wired has an excellent piece on the Arduino project, an open source electronics prototyping platform, its founders and business model (they have sold over 50,000 units). And next up MIT's Tech Review has a profile on a few open source hardware businesses including NYC based Adafruit Industries best known for projects like the open source synth (x0x0b0x) and 'fun' projects like the Wave Bubble, the open source cell phone/wifi/GPS/RF jammer."

Comments

Yes 'fun'...

[abigsmurf]

Radio Jammers are most definately not fun. It's bad enough the ones that send out a burst designed to disconnect phonecalls but one that's designed to run for 2-4 hours...

If someone on a cell phone is annoying you, ask them to keep it down or turn it off. Don't potentially block a call that may be to (or from) the emergency services or another life or death communication. There's a reason jammers carry stiff penalties in most Western countries.

Re:Yes 'fun'...

[zacronos]

Don't potentially block a call that may be to (or from) the emergency services or another life or death communication.

It's remarkable that the world managed to function at all before the age of cellular communication.

It's remarkable that the world managed to function at all before the age of modern medicine.

Just because humanity survived through it doesn't mean it is responsible or ethical to strip it away in circumstances when you don't understand the consequences.

The truth is, people before modern medicine might stand a better chance of dealing with a given health issue because they knew folk remedies which may have helped (though they didn't always help, they were rarely harmful). Today, most of us have an almost total lack of ability to deal with major health issues without modern medicine. The same is true with cellular communication -- people were fine without it at the time, but they (we) have grown fairly dependent on it today. Take it away unexpectedly, and they're worse off than when it didn't exist.

Note that I don't say this as if it were a good thing -- I think it's a horrible thing. But that doesn't make it any less true.

Re:Yes 'fun'...

[iamdrscience]

Anytime the Wavebubble comes up, somebody brings out the argument that it could potentially block a call to Emergency services, but really this isn't a very realistic scenario. The Wavebubble really has a pretty limited range, from the project page: Effective range is approximately 20' radius with well-tuned antennas". That's a small enough area that to anybody within range it would just appear like a small dead spot in coverage and just like a regular deadspot, they'd probably walk around a little bit until they got service. It doesn't impede emergency access any more than standing on the wrong side of a building might. Furthermore, a 20 foot radius is small enough that if there is somebody nearby needing emergency services, you can almost certainly see them and help out yourself.

If someone on a cell phone is annoying you, ask them to keep it down or turn it off.

I work in a retail store and people are constantly coming up to the counter talking on their cellphones, oblivious to how rude it is to the people around them and how often it inconveniences other customers (customers talking on their phones generally will not be paying close attention to the transaction or myself, causing the sale to take longer). I can understand and agree with why cell-jammers are illegal, but still, everytime a particularly obnoxious customer comes up to the register on their cellphone, it's hard for me to avoid thinking about building a Wavebubble. What's stopped me thus far is that I really doubt it would do any good -- if I cut off their signal they're just going to try to redial whoever they were talking to, as distracted as ever.

Sweet!

[morgan_greywolf]

Open Source Kelly LeBrock Bot, here I come!

Links

[RAMMS EIN]

I felt these links should be in this thread:

OPENCORES.ORG
Open Hardware
OpenSPARC
The Wikipedia article on Open-Source Hardware, with many more links

One that's been sadly ignored in tech circles

[FridgeFreezer]

For the past 5 years I've been running my cars on open-source engine management hardware, firmware and software.

www.megasquirt.info

Given the potential benefits, financial, technological, and environmental, I'm surprised more people aren't interested in it. The project is actually pushing as close to the edge as some of the high end EMS from big car manufacturers.

Re:One that's been sadly ignored in tech circles

[electrosoccertux]

For the past 5 years I've been running my cars on open-source engine management hardware, firmware and software.

www.megasquirt.info

Given the potential benefits, financial, technological, and environmental, I'm surprised more people aren't interested in it. The project is actually pushing as close to the edge as some of the high end EMS from big car manufacturers.

While I appreciate the offer, I think I will wait until I am not on a work computer to I visit that link of yours. No err, hard feelings.

Don't forget Arduino!

[YA_Python_dev]

Don't forget the Arduino official homepage.

It's simple, very hackable, Mac- and Linux-compatible and it's a true free/open source design, so they don't have a monopoly on it and you can buy compatible boards from other sources or DIY!

Re:Open "source" hardware

[iamdrscience]

Depends on the project. In the case of projects like OpenCores the term "open source hardware" is very apt because the project consists of Verilog and VHDL files which are essentially programming languages (similar in many ways to C and Pascal) which are compiled as hardware designs for chips instead of programs. For other projects, it's a little more abstract, but still fitting, I think. I mean, open source software is software that provides with all the files you need to build a program yourself and allows you to modify them to suit your needs. An open source hardware project would generally provide the same thing, but instead of source code, it's schematics and board layouts.

Re:Handy for terrorism, kidnapping, piracy, etc.

[MrNaz]

I agree. Please run for president and I shall vote for you so you can establish a Ministry of Acceptability that ensures that people only do and say things that are in line with your definition of peace and safety.

Another Link

[DaveAtFraud]

If you want to actually do some good and contribute something constructive, I'd suggest The Open Prosthesis Project. There's an excellent write up on the project in both the treeware and on-line editions of Scientific American.

Cheers,
Dave

Arduino EAGLE/Gerber files and name are NOT free

[SuperBanana]

and it's a true free/open source design, so they don't have a monopoly on it and you can buy compatible boards from other sources or DIY!

Actually, it's not an open-source design; Arduino is an actively protected trademark and they do control who manufactures it, because they won't release the files necessary to manufacture the circuit board. Without them, you cannot (easily) make a compatible board; you have to reverse-engineer it. Which is precisely what some people, fed up with not being able to make their own Arduino boards, went and did.

Freeduino, *is* actually free and open-source (and compatible) and they have specifically said that people are welcome to use the Freeduino name.

All Arduino proves is that people will slap "free" and "open source" on just about anything, and there's no shortage of people who will parrot it.

Also, I'm getting really fucking tired of LadyAda's antisocial, illegal devices. Her "TV-b-gone" redefines arrogance, and the jammers are *completely* illegal (funny how you all will get ripshit about data-over-powerlines interfering with your precious HAM hobby, but this device is completely ok?) Wouldn't be the first time she's gotten in trouble with 'the law'- when she was at MIT, she put a device in a parking garage which MIT campus police (used to dealing with all sorts of weird projects and devices) treated as a bomb, and she was punished by the dean for it.

Re:Arduino EAGLE/Gerber files and name are NOT fre

[ptorrone]

hey superbanana - i'm phil from MAKE i submitted the story and what you're saying is not accurate. i'll do my best to address your comments.

1. Arduinio is open source, anyone can make them and they released all the files. just check the site you'll see all the downloads, if you can't find them email me.

2. the *name* is trademarked, this is likely the confusion. you can make Arduino clones all you want in china, you just can't call them Arduino. just like you can make other versions of Firefox but you can't call yours Firefox.

3. as far as ladyada goes, the art project you're referring to at MIT never got her punished or "in trouble with the law".

4. lastly, the tv-b-gone is also used to turn TVs on, that's how it works.