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Open Source Hardware Camp (3rd & 4th Sep) call for participation.
by Andrew Back 12 May '16

12 May '16

Hello, This year Open Source Hardware Camp will take place over the weekend of 3rd & 4th September, once again being hosted as part of the Wuthering Bytes festival in Hebden Bridge, which in 2016 will take place over the course of 10 days. This time round we are returning to the venue where we hosted the first ever OSHCamp held in Hebden Bridge — back in 2012 — The Birchcliffe Centre. Which since then has been refurbished and benefits from much improved facilities, while also retaining its charm and the convenience of adjoining accommodation. Proposals for talks and workshops for OSHCamp 2016 are invited! There is no theme and topics may include, for example: * Open source hardware projects * Open development practices and principles * Novel/interesting/fun projects built using open source hardware * Tools (hardware and software) * Skills and techniques, e.g. PCB fab, DIY SMT assembly * Relevant technologies, e.g. SPI/I2C bus programming * ...something else relevant to the community! If you would like to give a talk on the Saturday and/or run a workshop on the Sunday please contact me off-list. **** Note that the deadline for submitting titles and abstracts is Monday 23rd May. If you would like to discuss ideas etc. please get in touch sooner, rather than later. **** Other events running as part of Wuthering Bytes and which may be of interest: * Friday 2nd Sept: Wuthering Bytes Festival Day * Monday 5th Sept: Open for Business * Thursday 8th Sept: LLVM Cauldron * Friday 9th - Sunday 11th Sept: GNU Tools Cauldron Cheers, Andrew PS. As mentioned previously, if you are planning on coming along and thinking of staying at the adjoining hosted, it is worth noting that this can book up quickly. http://www.hebdenbridgehostel.co.uk/

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NMI Open Source Conference, Tuesday 10th May.
by Andrew Back 05 May '16

05 May '16

Hello, Details below of a one day conference that the NMI (http://nmi.org.uk/) are hosting in partnership with OSHUG and the BCS, on Tuesday 10th May. Note that there are also opportunities for providers of open source solutions and services to give a 2 minute pitch during in the morning! Cheers, Andrew ** // NMI Open Source Conference // 10 May 2016, 09:30 - 17:00 at BCS London, 1st Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London, WC2E 7HA. Registration: http://oshug.org/event/nmiopen In partnership with the NMI and BCS, this conference explores the increasingly vital role of open source as an enabler in the world of electronic systems. It will provide attendees with an informative view of: * The benefits and challenges of using open source * Leading electronic systems organisation using open source today sharing their experience * The breadth of opportunities presented by open source, from application software down to silicon IP * Open source capabilities from a range of leading suppliers — Meet the Supplier Pitches Provider of open source solutions or services? Give a 2 minute pitch! — Session 1: Challenges & Opportunities - Open Source: The Enabler for IoT Greatness (and Mediocrity) Strip the layers of marketing fluff on the shiny new Internet of Things devices and you will find, in almost all cases, a slew of great Open Source projects powering these little gadgets, to perform their intended duties. Go up a layer and guess what — the cloud is full of Open Source too! This talks uses IoT as a case study in explaining how Open-Source makes rapid iterations and complex interconnected things happen very quickly. While this all sounds great, we will also look at how certain approaches in "openness" actually cause more problems than they solve especially when it comes to interoperability between ecosystems. Omer Kilic is an Embedded Systems Engineer who enjoys working with small computers of all shapes and sizes. He works at the various intersections of hardware and software engineering practices, product development and manufacturing. He is the Chief Hacker at Den Automation, an Internet of Things hardware startup in London. - Sailing the open seas Deciding to operate a business with an 'open source' mindset, and looking beyond "why would you give everything away for free?", there are interesting business models to be had. Those invariably come with challenges, but also have the benefits that are derived from maintaining a culture of openness. Boldport is a small business that open sourced their primary internal software tool, PCBmodE, and who releases all their hardware designs as 'open source hardware'. We'll discuss where 'openness' is challenging and where it has created opportunities, all with a hardware perspective. Saar Drimer combines his obsessive doodling, love for circuit design, programming, and problem solving into Boldport’s products and services. As an engineer he’s learned to appreciate the value of adopting industrial design thinking and making it an integral part of his design process. He studied electrical engineering at UC Santa Cruz, and researched the topic of hardware security for his PhD at the Computer Lab, University of Cambridge. — Session 2: Practical Solutions - Red, Amber, Green: Free and Open-Source Software in the Supply Chain – When to Avoid, Tread Carefully and Embrace Almost all software projects have an aspect of open source: and for very good reason. With reference to client case studies, Andrew considers how to maximise the utility of open source code, both in terms of the code itself, and engaging with the communities around it, and mitigating risk throughout the supply chain. Andrew Katz is a UK-based lawyer specialising in FOSS and open content. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Andrew Katz was a developer and has released software under the GPL. He advises individuals, corporations, foundations and public sector organisations on FOSS law issues, and is a visiting researcher at the University of Skövde, Sweden, and visiting lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London. He is a founder editor of the Free and Open Source Software Law Review. - Open Source Tools for the Electronics Systems Industry This talk will explore the huge range of open source tools that are available to electronics systems engineers; EDA tools such such as Icarus Verilog, GHDL, Verilator and SystemC, along with embedded software development tools such as GCC, LLVM, SDCC and Eclipse. We will consider their status, robustness as products and how to ensure they are supported for business critical use. We'll also look at the some of the important legal implications of adopting open source tools in your work flow, particularly when such tools are also supplied to customers. For example, does the source code of an open source compiler expose important information about your processor architecture that you would rather keep secret. The talk will conclude by looking at some of the open source tools projects under development, which while not ready for production use today, may bring about radical changes in the future. Dr Jeremy Bennett is founder and Chief Executive of Embecosm, which develops free and open source compilers and silicon chip models for companies around the world. Contact him at jeremy.bennett(a)embecosm.com. - Details of third talk in this session TBC — Session 3: First Hand Experiences and the Future - Establishing a Corporate Open Source Group: Journey and Lessons Learned Creating a dedicated Open Source Group within a large consumer focused company such as Samsung is both challenging and rewarding. This talk recaps a 3-years journey, lessons learned and highlights some of the significant challenges still remaining. The talk is particularly relevant to any organization that is relatively new to Open Source and uncertain about the practicalities of engaging in it. During this talk Gurj Bahia will cover various topics from process changes for open source contributions, legal aspects such as licenses and IP, cultural changes to learn why and how to deal with the open source community to technical changes to allow a smooth way of communicating and collaborating between your internal team and the external community. Gurj Bahia leads the European office of Samsung’s Open Source Group. He is helping to accelerate the use of and collaboration with open source software. With more the 20 years industry experience helping a number of companies to deliver mobile technology to market and working as a hands-on software architect and technical manager, Gurj is able to bridge the gap between traditionally closed downstream ways of working (most of his career) and the more modern open, collaborative methods (recent experiences). - Open Source Field Programmable RF Technology Driving Innovation in Wireless Networks The widespread use of programmable digital technology has enabled a vast array of new wireless applications to be created. In fact, much of the innovation in wireless networks that has supported such a growth in recent years could be attributed to ever increasing levels of functionality within the digital chipsets. On the other hand, RF technology has been providing fixed function for a given design with very little in the way of programmability and flexibility. As we move from one generation of wireless technology to another, this issue has become more prevalent to the extent that today’s RF technology has become a bottleneck, hampering innovation in the design and implementation of future networks.This talk presents the concept of Field programmable RF technology where flexibility is extended from digital to RF domain. Use cases and application areas where such technology is making a significant impact is also presented where the Open Source community are getting behind the technology and driving a Significant level of innovation in the field. Dr Ebrahim Bushehri is the founder and CEO of the field-programmable RF chip company Lime Micro. He is also the founder of the non-profit initiative MyriadRF which seeks to bring open source RF hardware to a wider audience through the development of low-cost, professional-grade hardware. Ebrahim’s experience spans over 25 years in directing and managing of design teams for the implementation of high performance ICs within the wireless communication market. He has worked with organizations such as Nokia, Qinetiq (formerly Defence Evaluation Research Agency) and Fraunhofer IAF. Ebrahim is a member of Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE). - lowRISC – an Open-Source System-on-Chip Design lowRISC is a not-for-profit project aiming to produce the 'Linux of the hardware world', providing an open-source System-on-Chip design for industry, academia, and the wider open source community to build upon. This talk will update on lowRISC's current status and explore the challenges facing open source hardware projects along with the potential benefits of a more open hardware ecosystem. It will also briefly cover tagged memory and minion cores, both novel features which demonstrate the lowRISC approach to creating a secure, flexible, and extensible SoC architecture. Alex Bradbury is a researcher at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory where he co-founded the not-for-profit lowRISC project to produce a fully open-sourced, Linux-capable, RISC-V based SoC design. He has a particular interest in compilers, doing substantial work with LLVM over the past 5 years as part of his research in to novel many-core architectures and also authors the popular LLVM Weekly newsletter. Alex was one of the key volunteers for the Raspberry Pi project, where he previously had the role of Lead Linux Developer, as well as co-authoring the book Learning Python with Raspberry Pi. — Panel Discussion Whilst this event provides a focal-point, the real opportunity lies in identifying actions that advance the capabilities of the electronic systems community in utilising the opportunities provided by open source software. The panel discussion will focus on the identification of some areas for further work. Note: Please aim to arrive by 09:15 as the event will start at 09:30 prompt.

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100kHz-3.8GHz 2x2 MIMO USB 3.0 SDR board for $199.
by Andrew Back 01 May '16

01 May '16

500 available at that price and going fast it seems: https://www.crowdsupply.com/lime-micro/limesdr ** DISCLOSURE: I'm involved with this project! ** Cheers, Andrew

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OSHCamp and Wuthering Bytes 2016.
by Andrew Back 14 Apr '16

14 Apr '16

Hi All, I think I previously mentioned that Open Source Hardware Camp will this year take place over the weekend of 3rd and 5th September. Preceded on the Friday by Wuthering Bytes "Festival Day" and followed by the BCS Open Source Specialist Group event, Open for Business. More info at: http://wutheringbytes.com/news/2016/2016-programme-and-cfp Just a heads-up that, if you're thinking of heading along and would like to stay at the hostel — which is adjoined to this year's venue — it's worth booking sooner rather than later. OSHCamp CFP to follow soon. Cheers, Andrew

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Talk for "chip design" themed meeting, Thurs 19th May.
by Andrew Back 30 Mar '16

30 Mar '16

Hi All, The theme for the meeting on the evening of Thursday 19th May will be chip/digital design/FPGA. We already have two talks confirmed and are looking for a third. Perhaps someone: * could give a talk on MyHDL or one of the other gentler on-ramps? * has some experiences to share with respect to learning a HDL and/or using a FPGAs in projects? * has designed their own CPU from scratch, implemented in FPGA or discrete logic? * wrote a simulator for a classic CPU architecture? Talk proposals and suggestions for speakers would be most helpful! Cheers, Andrew

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Genuino/Arduino Day at South London Makerspace 2nd April - call for participants
by Dermot Jones 27 Mar '16

27 Mar '16

Hi All, We're opening our doors for World Genuino Day on Saturday, we'll be doing a few 'Arduino for Beginners' workshops, and a range of members projects on display, but are looking to spice it up with more 'show & tell' projects, and potentially a talk or two. https://discourse.southlondonmakerspace.org/t/genuino-day-arduino-day-2nd-a… It's pretty informal: everyone is welcome to just turn up and get stuck in, but if you'd like some table space pre-booked to demo a great project or want to give a talk or present a workshop then get in contact. Best, Dermot

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OSHUG #47 — Open Source Where You Least Expect It, Thursday 21st April.
by Andrew Back 22 Mar '16

22 Mar '16

Hello, Registration is now open for the April meeting, details of which can be found below. Cheers, Andrew // Event #47 — Open Source Where You Least Expect It On the 21 April 2016, 18:00 - 20:00 at BCS London, 1st Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London, WC2E 7HA. Registration: http://oshug.org/event/47 At the forty-seventh meeting we will take a look at the use of open source hardware and software in less obvious places. — Ownership and Gift; Open Source and God; How a Vicar values Open Source Do we really own anything, or is it a gift? When we try to claim ownership how does that affect our attitude and our freedom? Does my choice of software really have a spiritual dimension? How can I give something back? These are all questions which arise for an ex-compiler-writing Vicar who wants software which does the job at hand but also wants to live with integrity and Christian values. In his talk Rev Peter Salisbury explores these questions through examples of the way his church uses Open Source software and hardware. Peter Salisbury was an electronics geek in his teens just as logic chips first hit the Maplin catalogue. From building computers in a cupboard he went to study Computation at UMIST, graduating in 1980. He worked in system tools with Burroughs Machines, then moved to language design and compiler writing for a Project Management company. In 1989 he moved to Salisbury to study theology in preparation for becoming a vicar. He was ordained in 1992 and is currently Vicar of Lymington on the south coast near Southampton. He has never really forgotten he's a geek. — Open hardware for open science Is science open source and should it be? This talk will look at the current state of open software and hardware in scientific practice. Example open hardware projects from the worlds of biology, astronomy and computer science will be presented. Sarah Mount is a Research Associate on the Efficient Editing of Homogeneous Programs (Editors4) project. Previously, she was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton, and before that she held a number of positions at Coventry University. — Hacking the atmosphere The AirPi is an open source board he designed for measuring and recording air pollution and weather information. Despite its innocuous goal, that board has ended up in some fairly weird situations — come along to find out where! Tom Hartley is a student at Imperial College, currently sitting on the fence between software and hardware. Prompted by a mysterious fascination with the Raspberry Pi that lives on to this day, he developed the AirPi 2 years ago as part of a competition and went on to sell over 1,000 kits to people who care about the air they breathe. A devotee of open source, the code he writes and the boards he designs are all available freely online. Note: Please aim to arrive by 18:15 as the event will start at 18:30 prompt. //

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OSHWA certification mark: call for ideas
by Graham Whaley 20 Mar '16

20 Mar '16

I'm guessing many of you on this list have already seen this, but just in case you've not I thought it might be of interest: http://www.oshwa.org/2016/03/17/open-hardware-certification-mark-call-for-i… Graham

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Boldport Club, PCBmodE, and OSHW
by Saar Drimer 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Hello OSHUG friends, Recently I've launched a new service that I'm really excited about. It's called the Boldport Club. When you become a member you get a monthly delivery of 'electronics goodness' projects that we designed https://boldport.cratejoy.com Most of you know that I specialise in circuits that emphasize usability and that have unique visuals. I do this with PCBmodE, an open source software that I've written specifically for this purpose http://pcbmode.com Unless a client is unwilling, all of the boards that I design are also open source. This means that by signing up to the Boldport Club, you're not only getting unique items, you are also supporting the further development of PCBmodE. If Jeremy hasn't already shown it to you (HA!), this is a board that he commissioned from Boldport last year through Embecosm http://boldport.com/seahorse Another project I'm quite proud of is Haute Circuits, which appeared in the December issue of Marie Claire magazine US http://boldport.com/hautecircuits If you sign up to the Boldport Club or don't, please provide me with feedback so that I can learn how to go about it better. Many thanks and have a great week ahead, Saar. Dr Saar Drimer Electronics craftsman and founder at Boldport +44(0)7779606045 http://bolsport.com

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OSHUG #46 — Embedded Platforms, Thursday 17th March.
by Andrew Back 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Hello, Registration is now open for the March meeting, details of which can be found below. Cheers, Andrew // Event #46 — Embedded Platforms (BSD, OpenWRT, Plan 9 & Inferno) On the 17 March 2016, 18:00 - 20:00 at BCS London, 1st Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London, WC2E 7HA. Registration: http://oshug.org/event/46 The forty-sixth OSHUG meeting will take a look at embedded platforms, with talks on the BSD family of operating systems, Linux and OpenWRT, and Plan 9 and Inferno in distributed systems. — The BSD Family of Operating Systems A familiar environment for your VAX, PIC32 or RISC-V ISA and many other platforms. The Berkeley Software Distribution started out as a patch set to AT&T UNIX in the 70's and grew to a complete Operating Systems. Today several projects continue to develop variant operating systems based on the work originally started by the Computer Science Research Group, each with a different area of focus. This presentation will cover some of the benefits these operating systems can offer to aid the workflow of a hardware project. Sevan Janiyan is founder of Venture 37, which provides system administration & consultancy services. As a fan of operating systems and computers with different CPU architectures, in his spare time he maintains builds of open source software on a variety of systems featuring PowerPC, SPARC and armv7l CPUs. He hopes to own a NeXTcube & OMRON LUNA-88K2 one day. — Developing Linux based products in the connected devices ecosystem -- The OpenWRT Approach Linux is accepted as a standard component of the Internet of Things domain. With the abundance of development platforms and the abhorrent state of vendor provided SDKs, getting started with and more importantly the maintenance of Linux powered devices is pretty much a dark art these days. This talk focuses on the mass market hardware platforms of interest to folks building the Next Great IoT ProductTM and how the development could be sped up with OpenWRT. To supplement the topic of product development, a couple of noteworthy System-on-Chip devices and how they could be adopted will also be discussed. Ivan Iacono is an Embedded Systems Engineer interested in the development of Linux based products and the surrounding periphery of embedded devices, cloud and the overall architecture of connected systems. He is the Firmware Wrangler at Den Automation. Omer Kilic is an Embedded Systems Engineer who likes tinkering with small computers of all shapes and sizes. He works at the various intersections of hardware and software engineering practices, product development and manufacturing. He is the Chief Hacker at Den Automation. — Embedded devices are often now part of a distributed system: my Pebble watch is linked to my Nexus phone, which is coupled to Google. Plan 9 and Inferno are two distributed systems originally developed by the Bell Labs research centre that produced Unix. They allow a single large system to be composed from smaller cooperating systems performing specific tasks. (In other areas they illustrate an alternative time line that diverged from strict adherence to Unix's details of the 1970's.) Distributed systems infrastructure often focuses on algorithmic aspects, such as Paxos, and the operating system is largely irrelevant when it is not merely obstructive. Plan 9 and Inferno provide structural support for distribution, at the operating system level. Their defining novelty is the representation of all distributable resources as hierarchical name spaces, which can be composed in useful ways, and simplify design, development, testing and integration. This talk will give a brief summary of both systems, then begin to name names, including their use in embedded appliances in distributed systems. Dr Charles Forsyth is a founder and Technical Director of Vita Nuova, which specialises in systems software and distributed systems. He is interested in compilers, operating systems, networking (protocols and services), security, and distributed systems and algorithms. He specialises in the design and implementation of systems software, from low-level drivers through compilers to whole operating systems. He has published papers on operating systems, Ada compilation, worst-case execution analysers for safety-critical applications, “resources as files”, and the development of computational grids. Note: Please aim to arrive by 18:15 as the event will start at 18:30 prompt.

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