Open Source Hardware Changes the Game

By Lynnette Reese, Mouser Electronics

Embedded technology is facilitated by the standardization of operating systems so that applications can run on any platform that supports the standard. Witness the overwhelming success of the open source software (OSS) movement. For software, it means that source code is free to obtain, use, and revise without payment of any kind to the originators. In return it is expected that the user will credit the original source of the code and perhaps contribute code back to the originating community. Cases in point: Linux enabled Google to build dirt-cheap servers; Java, Perl, and Ruby have become the lingua franca for building Web 2.0 applications; and the free Web-server software Apache enables nearly half of all the world’s web sites. OSS can be said to have given birth to the Internet age, making everyone – including those who donated their labor – better off.

Likewise, Open Source Hardware (OSHW) is a potential game changer for the electronics market. Open source hardware (OSHW) is a component or device that has been licensed to allow anyone to examine, duplicate, and modify the hardware. With open source, you can share and adapt the work freely, and if you choose to sell or distribute it, you can do so under the same license.

The main difference between OSHW and OSS is that OSS is completely free if you consider using the internet to transfer source code as "free." OSHW involves cost of the materials. So the real point here is that the hardware IP is what is free. Contributors either make or purchase a platform before they can contribute (Figure 1) Even so, multiple modifications and additions are uploaded by contributors. For commercial ventures it allows for fast prototyping and produces a device that may be iteratively tweaked; the entire design is out in the open. People like to make things and share them in communities because they make friends, earn respect, learn from others, and get feedback on their contributions. There are hundreds of OSHW projects published online today.

As with OSS, sharing with the OSHW community is not only allowed, it's encouraged. One example of OSHW is the Arduino platform where commercial re-use of Arduino designs requires no royalties. Mouser Electronics offers the Arduino line, which supports ARM-based processors, as well as other OSHW lines: the Beagleboard using Texas Instruments' processors, the Pinguino and ChipKit^TM with Microchip processors, and the Freescale Olimex, among others. (Figure 2)

A Comparison of OSHW Boards

Unlike a free reference design, OSHW typically involves a community of developers that contribute their time and expertise with no expectation of payment. Some of the best benefits of open source are that many people with varying experience participate, which creates more robust designs, and offers collective intellectual property for free. Integrity, technological intelligence, and the elegance and cleverness in the execution of a solution are all rewarded. And this easier, faster, and cheaper way to design could fundamentally shift the hardware design and manufacturing paradigm.

In supporting the OSHW community, Mouser stocks and delivers the newest OSHW offerings. A powerful development board that is difficult to keep on the shelf is the Arduino Due. It's based on the Atmel SAM3X8E ARM^® Cortex^™-M3 microcontroller running up to 84MHz, providing flexibility and power. Open source hardware allows people to quickly create products that solve problems or merely entertain. Arduino is just one example.

Mouser also supplies the BeagleBone developed by BeagleBoard.org and manufactured by Circuit Co. The BeagleBone eliminates barriers with simple development based on the ARM^® Cortex™-A8 processor that runs Android 4.0 and Ubuntu software. Open-source Linux developers can easily add peripheral functionality with plug-in boards called "capes", enabling rapid product development.

Another solution Mouser carries is from Microchip Technology as the chipKIT™ UNO32 Arduino-Compatible 32-Bit MCU development platform. The environment is based on the original Arduino IDE, and modified to support PIC32 devices while supporting the Arduino line. This platform allows development of original applications easily and quickly, including motor control, LCD display, wired/wireless communications, sensor networks, and more. Other leading OSHW suppliers include Olimex, Pandaboard.org, and SolderCore, using ARM-based processors from Freescale and Texas Instruments.

New code or hardware is useless and gets ignored if it doesn't play well with other established modules. OSHW is less shareable because it requires physical goods and money as the source, or "tree" to build upon. With OSHW, it either works on the base platform or it doesn't. Arduino has followed the Linux model by establishing proven hardware modules called "shields" that quickly provide technology options, such as Ethernet capability. OSHW and OSS are both governed by technology standards. Technology will not work well if the standards are not followed, whether it is hardware or software.

Meanwhile, OSHW is another way to go green. In "the old days" appliances were kept for years and repaired; most user manuals came with a schematic. Nowadays it is often cheaper to buy a new product than to repair it. OSHW changes the game in that a customer can have access to schematics and help online. As resources become more constrained, repair may be the lower-cost approach again someday. A repaired product does not create waste or require new resources. In the future, perhaps only a significant improvement in energy efficiency could cause a new purchase.

Whether the reason is to jump-start a new product design or investigate a new technology, Mouser.com has everything you need to embark on a voyage of discovery into open source hardware. Since the invention of electricity, DIY hardware projects have been advertised for purchase in the final pages of magazines. Mouser stocks the widest selection of the newest products with same day shipping.

Lynnette Reese is a member of technical staff at Mouser and holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University. Prior to her position at Mouser, she completed a combined 15 years in technical marketing in embedded hardware and software with Texas Instruments, Freescale, and Cypress Semiconductor. She enjoys gadgets of all types and is an aspiring geek goddess.