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This is the first hands-on guide to the entire process of designing and manufacturing open source hardware. Drawing on extensive personal experience with DIY, maker, and hardware hacking projects, industry-leading contributors share proven approaches to design, remixing, fabrication, manufacturing, troubleshooting, licensing, documentation, and running an open source hardware business.
Part I covers the emergence and evolution of open source hardware, what open source hardware licenses mean, and the growing role of standards in making hardware more open. Part II offers contributors’ expert advice on key tasks, ranging from creating derivatives to using source files. Part III turns to production, showing how to manufacture at multiple scales–from personal to commercial.
Appendixes provide valuable checklists for design, manufacture, security, and documentation. And to foster even more hands-on learning and experimentation, the low-cost Blinky Buildings open source hardware kit is used as an example throughout.
Learn how to
Introduction xiii
Acknowledgments xxiii
About the Authors xxv
Part I: Open Source Hardware Theory 1
Chapter 1: History of the Open Hardware Movement 3
The First Programs, Organizations, and Definitions 4
TAPR OHL 6
OHANDA 6
OSHW Definition, Summit, and Logo 7
CERN OHL 8
Forking of Open Hardware and Open Source Hardware 9
Creation of OSHWA 9
References 11
Chapter 2: OSHW Definition and Best Practices 13
Open Source Hardware Definition 13
Best Practices 16
Summary 30
Chapter 3: Licensing Open Source Hardware 31
Licensing 31
Open Licenses in the Context of OSHW 32
Copyright, Patent, and Trademark: Rights That You Might Be Able to License 33
Actually Licensing a Copyright, Patent, or Trademark 36
What to Do Now 39
Summary 40
Resources 41
Chapter 4: Standardization of Open Source Hardware 43
Firming up the Soft Parts: Making Software Firmer 44
Softening up the Hard Parts: Making Hardware More Flexible 47
Other Standardization and Regulation 49
Summary 51
Part II: Hands On! 53
Chapter 5: The Design Process: How to Get from Nothing to Something 55
The Phase of Projects 56
Iterative Design and Concept Refinement 58
Setting up Your Workflow 60
Managing Constant Iteration 61
Every Master Plan Has an Exit Strategy 61
Preparing for Manufacturing 62
Summary 63
Resources 63
Chapter 6: Making a Derivative 65
Derivatives and Open Source Hardware 65
Blinky Buildings Project 69
Summary 81
Chapter 7: Modifying the Shape of an Arduino 83
Shapes of an Arduino Derivative 83
Before You Begin 84
Determining Your Board Outline 87
Lay Out Your Arduino Derivative in Eagle 89
Manufacturing Your Board 91
Summary 93
Resources 94
Chapter 8: Remix a 3D Print(er) 95
Dawn of the Desktop 3D Printer 95
Open Hardware Design for 3D Printing 98
Next Steps 107
Summary 108
Resources 109
Chapter 9: Wearables 111
History of Wearables 111
Conductive Textiles 117
Sewable Microcontrollers and Components 118
EL Wire/Tape/Panel 119
Tools and Techniques 120
Managing Expectations 125
Future of Wearables 126
Summary 127
Resources 127
Chapter 10: Physical Materials 129
Centralized Online Hub for Information Sharing 129
Benefits for the Designers and Customers 130
Flexing the Open Source Hardware Definition to Fit Other Physical Objects and Products That Require Multiple Types of Manufacturing 130
A Range of Products and Industries 134
Summary 150
Part III: Production Bits 151
Chapter 11: Personal Manufacturing in the Digital Age 153
Personal Fabrication, Processes, Parts, and Materials 154
Case Studies 157
Questions for the Future 165
Summary 166
Chapter 12: Accelerate from Making to Manufacturing 167
Manufacturing Partner Decision 168
How SparkFun Electronics Grew to Scale 170
Kitting 174
Design for Manufacturability 174
Equipment Selection and Implementation 177
Supply Chain/Purchasing 182
Resource Planning and Scheduling 184
Testing and Quality Control 185
Future of Open Source, Small-Scale Manufacturing 189
Summary 194
Chapter 13: Troubleshooting from Your Design to Your Manufacturer 197
Manufacturable Designs 198
Selecting Manufacturers 205
The Manufacturing Handoff 206
What Could Really Go Wrong? 209
Quality Control 212
Creative Fixes 213
Summary 216
Chapter 14: Taxonomy of Hardware Documentation 219
README.txt 220
Product Webpage 221
Hardware Source Files 223
Making the Pieces Visible: Bill of Materials 225
Tutorials 226
Creating Community 229
Summary 230
Resources 231
Chapter 15: Business 233
A Natural Business Model 233
The Brand 234
The Open Source Hardware and Open Design Business Model Matrix 235
Summary 251
Chapter 16: Building Open Source Hardware in Academia 253
Life in the Ivory Tower: An Overview 254
Benefits of OSHW for the Academic 255
Increased Visibility, Citations, and Public Relations 263
Increased Funding Opportunities and Student Recruitment 264
Virtuous Cycle 265
OSHW Teaching and Service 268
Summary 275
References 275
Conclusion 279
Changing Incentives 279
Maturity of the Open Source Hardware Movement 280
Looking to the Future 281
Appendix A: Open Source Hardware Checklist 283
OSHW Musts and Mays 284
Appendix B: Open Source Hardware Security Do’s and Don’ts 285
Resources 286
Appendix C: Design Process Checklist 289
Concept Refinement 289
Managing Iteration 289
Preparing to Manufacture 290
Appendix D: Design for Manufacture Checklists 291
Finding the Right Contract Manufacturer 291
SparkFun’s Core Design for Manufacturability Standards 292
SparkFun’s Ancillary Design for Manufacturability Standards 293
Troubleshooting 294
Appendix E: Mach 30’s Documentation Ground Rules 297
Appendix F: Blinky Buildings Source Files 301
README 301
About This Kit 301
Materials and Tools 301
Attribution 302
Licensing 302
Source Files 302
Glossary 311
Index 317