Sparkfun's Entire Open Hardware Catalog Made Available On Upverter

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Sparkfun's Entire Open Hardware Catalog Made Available On Upverter

Posted by timothy on Thursday September 26, 2013 @07:59AM from the print-'em-out dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Sparkfun has published their entire catalog of over 500 open hardware designs on Upverter. Anyone can now leverage Sparkfun's designs in their own projects by creating forks and customizing to their heart's desire."

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Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 08:04 · Score: -1

Who?
1. Re:Huh? by cpicon92 · 2013-09-26 08:12 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  From Wikipedia
  
  SparkFun Electronics (sometimes known by its abbreviation, SFE) is an electronics retailer in Boulder, Colorado, United States. It manufactures and sells microcontroller development boards and breakout boards.
2. Re:Huh? by Bigbutt · 2013-09-26 08:13 · Score: 0
  
  Fricking dumbasses can't even read the article. Oh yea, I'm on Slashdot. Who RTFA nowadays?
  [John]
  
  --
  Shit better not happen!
3. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 08:41 · Score: 0
  
  The summary should be much more informative - you know like an actual summary insted of some buzz word infested circle jerk.
4. Re:Huh? by Zero__Kelvin · 2013-09-26 08:48 · Score: 1
  
  So you'll be able to comply when people tell you to go fork yourself.
  
  --
  Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
5. Re:Huh? by martinux · 2013-09-26 09:05 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  You're not considering the modular nature of electronics.
  With open hardware designs you can take a circuit schematic and integrate it with another circuit without having to go to all the trouble of generating it from scratch. Instead of dropping single components into a design you can drop a device like an accelerometer and all associated components as a complete circuit and then produce a PCB with everything on one board.
  It's the reason there are so many custom arduino-based variants available - people were able to take the original design then change the form-factor or add something.
6. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 09:07 · Score: 0
  
  Eat open source food?
7. Re:Huh? by ThosLives · 2013-09-26 09:42 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Unless you care about EMC or heat dissipation or something else that depends on the interactions between the components, yes, you can think of electronic circuits that way.
  I suppose for logic-only devices this works, but as soon as you start wanting to do something that requires power, you can't just drop circuits together like that.
  
  --
  "There are a dozen opinions on a matter until you know the truth. Then there is only one." - CS Lewis (paraprhase)
8. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 09:53 · Score: 0
  
  The summary should be much more informative - you know like an actual summary insted of some buzz word infested circle jerk.
  The title looks pretty clear to me. Which ones are the buzzword in that title? It's a cool resource for hobbyists why do you have to be so boring? You got a job at Eagle?
9. Re:Huh? by Crudely_Indecent · 2013-09-26 10:16 · Score: 1
  
  What do I need open source forks for?
  Because commercial fork manufacturers assume that a one-size-fits-all eating utensil is what the world needs. They fail to realize that some people have small mouths, and at the same time others might want to take really big bites. An open source fork allows you to modify the fork to meet your needs.
  Small mouth, compensate for that. Want more tines, adjust the design. Need to accommodate liquids.....crap...I guess you need a spoon for that.....or, maybe a SPORK!
  
  --
  
  "Lame" - Galaxar
10. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 10:21 · Score: 1
  
  all the those are implementation issues (mostly) when doing PCB layout, can save time at the schematic level by putting
  together blocks you know works, tweak the values/package size etc. to your needs
11. Re:Huh? by grouchomarxist · 2013-09-26 19:44 · Score: 1
  
  What you're looking for is here: S.H.O.V.E.L.
  and it is open-source.
12. Re:Huh? by serviscope_minor · 2013-09-26 19:57 · Score: 1
  
  Unless you care about EMC or heat dissipation or something else that depends on the interactions between the components, yes, you can think of electronic circuits that way.
  Mostly that's not a problem. If you're designing something beefy enough for power and EMC to matter then you probably know what you're doing, EMC in particular.
  
  I suppose for logic-only devices this works, but as soon as you start wanting to do something that requires power, you can't just drop circuits together like that.
  There's a whole world between "just logic" and power electronics. There's a whole variety of sensors available which are (very) low power, and whose busses operate at very modest clock frequencies. I'd say analog too, but there seem to be precious few analog based designs floating around. Mostly because many devices are so amazingly integrated it's mostly not needed.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
Cool! by Bigbutt · 2013-09-26 08:12 · Score: 1, Interesting

I was just out there looking to replenish some supplies for a project I'm working on. Cool beans :)
[John]

--
Shit better not happen!
1. Re:Cool! by wonkey_monkey · 2013-09-26 19:22 · Score: 1
  
  a project I'm working on. Cool beans :)
  Someone beat you to it.
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
In related news... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 08:14 · Score: 0

In related news Dinglebert have relased there latest Wizzywig on Abalone Fruit.
Makes about as much sense as TFS.
Upverter is a dead end for your project? by Z-MaxX · 2013-09-26 08:14 · Score: 4, Informative

It looks to me like the Upverter web site stores your design in the cloud, using their own proprietary web based tool, and you can't save or edit it on your own machine. So it Upverter's site goes down, or if they decide to make you pay for it, or they go out of business, or whatever, your design is lost! I would much prefer to use a truly open solution like gEDA or KiCAD. At least with proprietary and limited Eagle, you can save stuff locally and use it forever.

--
Dr Superlove 300ml. I use my powers for awesome
1. Re:Upverter is a dead end for your project? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 08:18 · Score: 0
  
  At least with proprietary and limited Eagle, you can save stuff locally and use it forever.
  But, like, the internet, man. It's gonna be huge.
2. Re:Upverter is a dead end for your project? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 08:33 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Upverter lets you export in Open JSON. There's an open source converter on GitHub. Like whoever said, try using the Internet, you may discover stuff
3. Re:Upverter is a dead end for your project? by Zero__Kelvin · 2013-09-26 08:47 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  According to Bill Gates the Internet is just a fad.
  
  --
  Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
4. Re:Upverter is a dead end for your project? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 09:37 · Score: 0
  
  pretty much all the sparkfun stuff is available as eagle files on the sparkfun site ...
5. Re:Upverter is a dead end for your project? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 10:58 · Score: 0
  
  But like the internet, man. It's gonna be huge.
  I bet you say that to all the ladies.
Advert for Upverter? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 08:18 · Score: 2, Informative

All these designs can be gotten in eagle format or something from sparkfun directly
1. Re:Advert for Upverter? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 09:07 · Score: 0
  
  Indeed, the third advert disguised as "news" today.
2. Re:Advert for Upverter? by citizenr · 2013-09-26 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  and now you can look at pcb/schematic without installing eagle, I say its a win.
  
  --
  Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
3. Re:Advert for Upverter? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 12:37 · Score: 0
  
  The BOMs are next to useless on upverter.
4. Re:Advert for Upverter? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 12:49 · Score: 0
  
  The BOM for the IOIO OTG is completely useless.
what the fuck? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 08:20 · Score: -1

shit man, I don't know what this means.
Huh? by DiamondGeezer · 2013-09-26 08:23 · Score: 2

What do I need open source forks for?

--
Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
Looks friggin awesome by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 09:23 · Score: 0

Ive done lierally tons of eda and sw dev over the last 20 years and i must say i think these upverter guys are onto something!
The BOMs are all fucked up by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 09:23 · Score: 0

Whoever did the import screwed the pooch. There are no real part descriptions, just the symbolic identifiers used by sparkfun. Good luck decoding some of those.
Interview with the Upverter Founders (theamphour) by citizenr · 2013-09-26 09:24 · Score: 3, Informative

Im sure a lot of people boil just thinking about cloud and corporations stealing your ideas (Occupy Thingiverse).
Here is an interview with Upverter guys on theamphour. Dave doesnt take any shit and he hates the cloud so dont expect any PR fluff.
http://www.theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-163-ramiform-reciprocity-raconteurs

--
Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
Do Not Want by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-26 11:26 · Score: 0

I'll keep everything on my machine, on my drives, thanks.
Sparkfun's designs by Osgeld · 2013-09-26 13:25 · Score: 1

I think you mean examples lifted directly from the datasheet, lets not praise them for that
1. Re:Sparkfun's designs by serviscope_minor · 2013-09-26 20:00 · Score: 1
  
  I think you mean examples lifted directly from the datasheet, lets not praise them for that
  Yes, those. Because it takes zero time to read the datasheet, then the application note, then find the other obscure series app note with the land patterns and soldering guides, thenactually make the land pattern, tracks, caps etc, then test it to make sure it works.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
2. Re:Sparkfun's designs by NoMaster · 2013-09-26 21:23 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, I think the parent meant to say 'lifted directly from the CAD, netlist, & SPICE model files supplied along with the datasheet".
  Which I personally suspect is why you see so many open-source 'designs' that are straight copies of LT / Maxim / DS / AD reference designs that appear to have been dropped straight onto an arduino shield or I2C breakout board, relatively few using TI parts, and almost none using parts from the likes of TI, NTE, NXP, etc.
  
  --
  What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?
3. Re:Sparkfun's designs by Applekid · 2013-09-27 03:46 · Score: 1
  
  While Sparkfun does do some circuit design, looking at the comments on their site, it seems the more their "engineers" worked on it, the more complaints they get. Those that are closest to the sample application circuits are the most reliable.
  Also, Sparkfun started a spam campaign a few months ago. Fuck them.
  
  --
  More Twoson than Cupertino
4. Re:Sparkfun's designs by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-27 14:52 · Score: 0
  
  you obviously have no clue what professional electronics is about, all that takes a grand total of an hour or less for 90% of the "designs" for anyone competent