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* The ], an open source ] project * The ], an open source ] project
* The ] and open source camera with open source logic and hardware circuits made by Stanford University. * The ] and open source camera with open source logic and hardware circuits made by Stanford University.
* The ] Project, an Open Source, Flexible Manufacturing System * The ] Project, an Open Source, Flexible Manufacturing System


== Renewable energy == == Renewable energy ==

Revision as of 00:36, 10 January 2010

It has been suggested that this article be merged with Open design. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2009.
This article is in list format but may read better as prose. You can help by converting this article, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (November 2008)
RepRap general-purpose 3D printer that not only could be used to make structures and functional components for open design projects but is an open-source project itself. RepRap is also being designed with the ability to make copies of itself.
The Aurora 224: a 2 channel open source DJ mixer featuring 24 analog potentiometers, three linear sliders, and 8 buttons with LED feedback.
Uzebox is an open design video game console
Bug Labs open source hardware
The Arduino Diecimila
Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) with two RFX900 daughter-boards and ClockTamer installed (all open-source).

Open source hardware is hardware that is designed and offered in the same manner as free and open source software (FOSS). Open source hardware is part of the open source culture and applies the open source concept to hardware. The term usually means that information about the hardware is open to all. This would include the hardware design (i.e.schematics, bill of materials and PCB layout data), as well as a FOSS approach to the software that drives the hardware.

Since the rise of reconfigurable programmable logic devices, sharing of logic designs has been a form of open source hardware. Instead of sharing the schematics, (as in hardware description language), (HDL) code is shared. HDL descriptions are commonly used to set up system-on-a-chip systems either in field-programmable gate arrays or directly in application-specific integrated circuit designs. HDL modules, when distributed, are called semiconductor intellectual property cores, or IP cores.

Licenses

Rather than creating a new license, some open source hardware projects simply use existing, open source software licenses.

Addition, several new licenses have been proposed; these licenses are designed to address issues specific to hardware designs. In these licenses, many of the fundamental principles expressed in open source software (OSS) licenses have been "ported" to their counterpart hardware projects. Organizations tend to rally around a shared license. For example, Opencores prefers the LGPL; FreeCores insists on the GPL; Open Hardware Foundation promote "'copyleft' or other permissive licenses"; and the Balloon Project wrote their own license . New hardware licenses are often explained as the "hardware equivalent" of a well-known OSS license, such as the GPL, LGPL, or BSD license.

Despite superficial similarities to software licenses, most hardware licenses are fundamentally different: by nature, they rely on patent law, rather than copyright law. Whereas a copyright license may control the distribution of the source code or design documents, a patent license may control the use and manufacturing of the physical device built from the design documents. This distinction is explicitly mentioned in the preamble of the TAPR Open Hardware License.

Noteworthy licenses

Development

Extensive discussion has taken place on ways to make open source hardware as accessible as open source software. Discussions focus on multiple areas, such as the level at which open source hardware is defined, ways to collaborate in hardware development, as well as a model for sustainable development.

One of the major differences between developing open source software and developing open source hardware is that hardware results in tangible outputs, which cost money to prototype and manufacture. As a result, the phrase "free as in speech, not as in beer", more formally known as Gratis versus Libre, distinguishes between the idea of zero cost and the freedom to use and modify information. While open source hardware faces challenges in minimizing cost and reducing financial risks for individual project developers, some community members have proposed models to address these needs. Given this, there are initiatives to develop sustainable community funding mechanisms, such as the Open Source Hardware Central Bank, as well as tools like KiCAD to make schematic development more accessible to more users.

Computer systems

Cameras

  • Elphel, Inc. - cameras based on free software and hardware designs.

Peripherals

Amateur radio

Computer components

CPU

There are several "open source hardware" CPUs, typically implemented as a soft microprocessor.

  • OpenSPARC is an open-source processor project to which Sun Microsystems have contributed the UltraSPARC T1 and UltraSPARC T2 multicore processor designs.
  • OpenRISC is a group of developers working to produce a very high performance open source RISC CPU.
  • LEON is an open source 32-bit SPARC-like CPU created by the ESA. It's the standard CPU for the European Space Industry.
  • OpenCores is a foundation that attempts to form a community of designers to support open-source cores (logic designs) for CPUs, peripherals and other devices. OpenCores maintains an open-source on-chip interconnection bus specification called Wishbone.

Several designs include a CPU:

  • Arduino, an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple I/O board and a development environment that implements the open source Processing / Wiring language. Also clones of this platform including Freeduino.
  • Ethernut - open-source electronics prototyping platform for building tiny Embedded Ethernet Devices.
  • PLAICE - The PLAICE is an open source hardware and software project developing a powerful in-circuit development tool that combines in one device the features of a FLASH Programmer, Memory Emulator, and High Speed Multi-Channel Logic Analyzer. It runs uClinux.
  • Maple - open-source Arduino-compatible development hardware based on an ARM Cortex-M3 microprocessor designed by LeafLabs, a company focused on open-source hardware.
  • Pinguino - open-source electronics prototyping platform based on PIC (Microchip).

Graphics cards

Wireless hardware

  • OpenPattern
  • RedBee open source/hardware 802.15.4 development system based on the Freescale MC13224V ARM7 radio.
  • Sun SPOT is an open source hardware and software platform for sensor networks and battery powered, wireless, embedded development.

Laptop case

Audio electronics

  • MIDIbox The MIDIbox project is an open source modular DIY hardware and software platform for MIDI devices like controllers, synthesizers, sequencers
  • Monome 40h - A reconfigurable grid of sixty-four backlit buttons, used via USB. A limited batch of 500 monome 40h has been produced. All the design process, design specifications, firmware and PCB schematics are available online

Other

Telephony

Machines and tools

Renewable energy

  • SHPEGS: A system that uses a combination of direct and indirect solar collection to generate electricity and store thermal energy in an economical, environmentally friendly, scalable, reliable, efficient and location independent manner using common construction materials
  • Small wind turbines: To assist people in the developing countries, and hobbyists alike, several projects have been open-sourced, e.g. the Jua Kali wind turbine, Hugh Piggot's wind turbine, ForceField Wind Turbine, et cetera

Robotics

Further information: Open-source robotics

Home automation

A range of open design hardware can be used in home automation.

  • DIY Magic Mirror - An Arduino, open source based interactive Magic Mirror with home automation and Halloween features.

Other projects

See also

References

  1. http://belogic.com/uzebox/
  2. http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009340.html
  3. http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/01/first-pics-of-bug-labs-open-source-hardware/
  4. From OpenCollector's "License Zone": GPL used by Free Model Foundry and ESA Sparc; other licenses used by Free-IP Project, LART (defunct), GNUBook (defunct).
  5. For a nearly-comprehensive list of licenses, see OpenCollector's "license zone"
  6. Item #2.4 "Who owns opencores?", from Opencores.org FAQ, retrieved 25 November 2008
  7. FreeCores Main Page, retrieved 25 November 2008
  8. Open Hardware Foundation, main page, retrieved 25 November 2008
  9. Balloon License, from balloonboard.org
  10. TAPR Open Hardware License website; see also the license text itself, both retrieved 25 November 2008
  11. transcript of all comments, hosted on technocrat.net
  12. See "Are we going to get the 'source' for what is on the FPGA also?" in the Open Graphics Project FAQ, retrieved 25 November 2008
  13. , Writings on Open Source Hardware
  14. MAKE: Blog: Open source hardware, what is it? Here's a start...
  15. , Halfbakery: Open Source Hardware Initiative
  16. "Free, as in Beer", by Lawrence Lessig, Wired
  17. , Business Models for Open Source Hardware Design
  18. Open source router challenges proprietary networking market
  19. Halfbakery: Open Source Hardware Initiative<
  20. MC1322X Project
  21. RedBee, from the Redwire store
  22. Open domotics
  23. Open design domotics

External links

Articles

Communities

Projects

(non-Android) Linux-powered devices
Computers,
components
Nettops
Netbooks
Tablets
Networking
Storage
Other
Accessories
Multimedia
Handhelds
Phones
Consoles
Handheld consoles
Historic
Excluding Android devices.
Intellectual property activism
Issues
Concepts
Movements
Organizations
Pro-copyright
Pro-copyleft
People
Documentaries
Categories: