Open source hardware and the web

Open Source Hardware
...and the web
Deﬁnitions, licensing, challenges, debates and
how the web is used to “make things”...

Limor Fried & Phillip Torrone

I see no social imperative for free
hardware designs like the
imperative for free software.
Freedom to copy software is an
important right because it is easy
now--any computer user can do it.
Freedom to copy hardware is not as
important, because copying
hardware is hard to do.

On "Free Hardware"
Richard Stallman - Linux Today, 1999

There are a few definitions, some of which come from "open
source software," which is usually considered software's "source
code under a license (or arrangement such as the public
domain) that permits users to study, change, and improve the
software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form."

So how does this translate to hardware?

Electronic hardware can be divided up into layers, each of which
could have different document types and licensing concerns.

It’s a “6” layer burrito

Hardware / Mechanical Diagrams

Dimensions for enclosures,
mechanical subsystems, etc.

For 2D models, preferred
document type is vector
graphics ﬁle, with dimension
prints, DXF, or AI, etc.

Materials.
RepRap - motor drive screw block, open source 3D printer.

Schematics & Circuit Diagrams
Symbolic diagrams of
electronic circuitry, includes
parts list (sometimes
inclusively).

Preferred document type is
any sort of image (PDF,
BMP, GIF, PNG, etc).

Often paired with matching
layout diagram. Chumby - Power supply, open source beanbag computer.

Parts List (BOM)
What parts are used, where to get
them, part numbers, etc.

Ideally - have data sheets, generic,
easy to get, notes and
speciﬁcations. No fucking NDAs
please.

Standard format is a text ﬁle, BOM
(bill of materials).

Often included with or part of the Parts list from the open source Roland 303 MIDI synth
schematic. clone, the x0xb0x.

Parts lists from the open source embedded Asterisk IP PBX
http://www.rowetel.com/ucasterisk/hardware.html

http://svn.astﬁn.org/hardware/ip04/trunk/ip04_bom.xls

Layout Diagrams
Diagrams of the physical layout
of electronic circuitry, including
the placement of parts, the
PCB copper prints, and a drill
ﬁle. This is often paired with a
schematic. Preferred
distribution is Gerber RS274x
and Excellon (for drills).

These are like PostScript for
printers but the primitives aren't
text and arcs, they're lines of
solder and components. Make: Daisy - Open source MP3 player.

Core/Firmware
The source code runs on a
microcontroller/microprocessor often
in C, Assembly. In some cases, the
code may be the design of the chip
hardware itself (in VHDL/Verilog/RTL,
etc...).

Preferred distribution: text ﬁle with
source code in it, as well as compiled
'binary' for the chip.

Language and architecture is
irrelevant.
Open core 8080 compatible CPU code snippet from
executing the 8080 instruction set.

Software/API

The source code that
communicates or is used with the
electronics from a computer (if
applicable).

Any drivers necessary for the
chipset.

Preferred format is source code
and binaries.

We don’t think tools count.
Arduino IDE

Licensing
Because hardware is mostly based on patents,
not copyright, different licenses may be better.

Creative Commons, GPL / LGPL, BSD, MIT

Chumby HDK License (3/07)

The TAPR Open Hardware License (2/07, not used?)

Adafruit uses...

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Evil Mad Scientists uses...

Copyright...

Attribution-Share Alike 3.0:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

GPL:
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html

GNU Free Documentation License
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
GNU_Free_Documentation_License

Circuit board was design - in gEDA PCB:
http://www.gpleda.org/

Arduino... CC’ed with trademarked name
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/FAQ

Is Arduino open-source?
Yes. The source code for the Java environment is released under the
GPL, the C/C++ microcontroller libraries under the LGPL, and the
schematics and CAD files under Creative Commons Attribution Share-
Alike licenses.

I want to design my own board; what should I do?
The reference designs for the Arduino boards are available from the
hardware page. They're licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution Share-Alike license, so you are free to use and adapt them
for your own needs without asking permission or paying a fee. If
you're looking to make something of interest to the community, we'd
encourage you to discuss your ideas on the hardware development
forum so that potential users can offer suggestions.

What should I call my boards?
If you're making your own board, come up with your own name! This
will allow people identify you with your products and help you to build
a brand. Be creative: try to suggest what people might use the board
for, or emphasize the form factor, or just pick a random word that
sounds cool. "Arduino" is a trademark of Arduino team and should not
be used for unofficial variants. If you're interested in having your
design included in the official Arduino product line, please see the So
you want to make an Arduino document and contact the Arduino
team. Note that while we don't attempt to restrict uses of the "duino"
suffix, its use causes the Italians on the team to cringe (apparently it
sounds terrible); you might want to avoid it.

DIY Drones
http://diydrones.com/

Code License:
Apache License 2.0
Content License:
Creative Commons 3.0 BY-SA

ArduPilot is a full-featured autopilot based on the
Arduino open-source hardware platform. It uses
infrared (thermopile) sensors for stabilization and GPS
for navigation.

The hardware is available from Sparkfun for $24.95.

The software comes in two varieties: 1.0 (navigation-
only, requires a third-party stabilization system) and
2.0 (navigation and stabilization integrated into one).

Both require the free Arduino IDE to edit and upload
the code to the Ardupilot board.

TAPR Open Hardware License ("OHL")
http://www.tapr.org/ohl.html

“The TAPR Open Hardware License ("OHL") provides a framework
for hardware projects that is similar to the one used for Open Source
software. This isn't as straight-forward as it seems because legal
concepts that work well for software (such as copyright and copyleft)
don't neatly ﬁt when dealing with hardware products and the
documentation used to create them”.

TAPR = “Tucson Amateur Packet Radio” - they no longer has any direct connections with Tuscon, Arizona.

Does anyone use TAPR?
We’re not sure... But we get asked a lot...

In a recent email with TAPR - John w9DDD
wrote...
“All TAPR projects were pretty much designed prior to
the writing of the OHL document. HPSDR projects
which TAPR supports by making them available as kits
or A&T units were done originally under the NCL (non-
commercial). Recently the [discontinued] Penelope
project was released to OHL.”

Chumby HDK License Agreement
http://www.chumby.com/developers/agreement

"Chumby HDK" means the schematics, mask works, flat
patterns, and specifications for the Chumby Device provided
by Chumby under this Agreement.

Chumby grants you a license to use the Chumby HDK to hack
your Chumby Device. In return, we ask that you: keep the
Chumby Service on an even playing field with any other
service you want to point your Chumby Device to; grant us a
license related to your modifications and derivatives, when and
if you make them available to others; and agree to the other
terms...

3.2 License to Modified Devices. You retain your ownership
rights in your innovations. If you publish, distribute, or
otherwise make available any Modified Device or any related
descriptions or specifications, you hereby automatically grant
to Chumby a non-exclusive, transferable, perpetual,
irrevocable, royalty-free, and worldwide right and license under
all Intellectual Property Rights to use, reproduce, modify,
create derivative works of, and distribute and to make, have
made, use, import, offer to sell and sell, and otherwise exploit
such Modified Devices and any modifications, improvements,
or enhancements they embody.

(Some) Business models
Arduino - Assembled dev boards (100k units), resellers / direct

Chumby - Direct to customer (VC funded)

BugLabs - Direct to customer (VC funded)

BeagleBoard - DigiKey & TI sponsored (one to watch)

Makerbot / RepRap / Fab@Home - 3rd party sells kits (VC funded)

Rowetel - 3rd party manufacturing

DIY Drones - 3rd party manufacturing

Adafruit - kits, direct to customer/wholesale/rev share

Evil Mad Scientist laboratories - kits, direct to customer/wholesale

MAKE - Halo / reselling kits, some dev funding...

SparkFun - Halo / Ecosystem + rev share

http://www.adafruit.com/ Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP

http://www.servint.net/ - VPS ($80 plan)

http://www.zen-cart.com/ & http://www.oscommerce.com/

https://www.google.com/analytics/

http://www.ﬂickr.com/adafruit

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/adafruit

http://www.twitter.com/adafruit

http://www.twitter.com/tweetawatt

Sample CPM for online videos (MAKE) - 30 days...

blip.tv:
$268 (1,579,108 views) = $0.16 cpm

YouTube:
$327.88 (488,020 views) = $0.67 cpm

Metacafe:
$122.04 (24,407 views) = $4.99 cpm

Revver:
$566.35 (91,108 views) = $6.21 cpm

Selling the SIM card reader kit:
200 kits @ $17 = $3,400
(33,000 views ﬁrst week) = $103.03 cpm

Currently 148K views...

http://www.ladyada.net/wiki/ / http://www.dokuwiki.org/dokuwiki

http://www.google.com/merchants/merchantdashboard

http://www.ups.com / http://www.usps.com (free stuff + pick ups) http://www.endicia.com

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