- oshug - lists.oshug.org

e-petition on programming in schools
by Jeremy Bennett 18 Nov '11

18 Nov '11

This e-petition to HMG asks to have programming taught in schools It is only tangentially related to the interests of OSHUG. However in general if you learn programming it will bring you into a range of tools and application that are open source. The understanding it brings also helps awareness of open source. And of course one of the best ways of learning real programming is with Arduino. https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/15081 If it reaches 100,000 signatures, then it may be considered by parliament. Given the number of programmers in the UK that should be achievable. I believe that any member of the public can sign e-petitions, not just adult voters. In particular if you have children who care about this issue (mine do), then they can sign as well. Jeremy -- Tel: +44 (1590) 610184 Cell: +44 (7970) 676050 SkypeID: jeremybennett Email: jeremy.bennett(a)embecosm.com Web: www.embecosm.com

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Hacker Day @ Oxford Instruments - 3rd December
by Paul Downey 10 Nov '11

10 Nov '11

Forwarded from the Oxford Geeks mailing list .. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jason Field <jason(a)jasonfield.com> Date: Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 3:18 PM Subject: [oxfordgeeks] Hacker Day @ Oxford Instruments - 3rd December To: list(a)oxfordhackspace.org.uk, oxfordgeeks(a)googlegroups.com Hi all, My quest to open up Oxford Instrument's doors to the local hacking community has succeeded, and we're planning to hold an event on the 3rd of December for all who are interested! The theme for the first event will be 3D printing since it brings together a lot of different aspects of the open source hardware movement, but we'll be happy to welcome anyone who has a project they'd like to work on. On site we have; * Scopes/DVMs * Professional soldering stations * General tools * Miscellaneous electronic bits 'n bobs (SMD resistors & caps, wire etc.) * Space * Refreshments & lunch * First-class bodging skills See the attached flyer for address details. If you're interested in coming along then please let me know (either email or @iamjasonfield) so we have a rough idea of numbers. Thanks, Jason PS. Apologies for the cross-posting, and date conflict with the excellent-looking Random Hacks of Kindness. Maybe we can look at some random hardware hacks of kindness at OI? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Oxford Geeks" group. To post to this group, send email to oxfordgeeks(a)googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to oxfordgeeks+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/oxfordgeeks?hl=en. -- Paul (psd) http://blog.whatfettle.com

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OSHUG #14 — Open for Change Part 2 (Hexayurt, O + S, Onawi), Thursday 24th November.
by Andrew Back 08 Nov '11

08 Nov '11

Hello, Details are now online and registration is open for the November meeting. Cheers, Andrew --- OSHUG #14 — Open for Change Pt.2 (Hexayurt, O + S Project, Onawi) 24th November 2011, 18:00 - 20:00 at Centre for Creative Collaboration, 16 Acton Street, London, WC1X 9NG (51.529049, -0.116436) Registration: http://oshug.org/event/14 Back in May at OSHUG #10 we heard about three projects concerned with effecting positive change. At the thirteenth meeting we'll be continuing with this theme, and hearing about the Hexayurt disaster relief shelter, documenting Appropriate Technology for the needs of others, and open renewables. - Free and Open Source Housing The Hexayurt is an award-winning replacement for the disaster relief tent which provides shelter at 20% the cost of a tent. It is designed to be manufactured anywhere in the world at any scale, from local materials, as Free hardware, to house humans in need. The Hexayurt Project maintains the designs and makes them freely available. An estimated $250,000 worth of Hexayurts were built at Burning Man this year. Vinay Gupta is one the world’s leading thinkers on infrastructure theory, state failure solutions, and managing global system risks including poverty/development and the environmental crisis. He works at both the theoretical level, building models and mapping tools and at the practical level, as the designer of the Hexayurt, he helped start the US National Defense University STAR-TIDES program on humanitarian assistance, consulted on urban resilience for Arup, and is an associate fellow of the UCL Institute for Security and Resilience Studies. - The Needs of Others One of the areas seeing heavy influence from the Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) movement is Appropriate Technology, and the O+S Project is working from the perspective of its documentation. It is investigating the difficulty in translating from F/OSS to Appropriate Technology at both a practices and principles level, and how we must go further to meet the goals with the world’s poorest people. Al Razi Masri is a recent Manufacturing Engineering graduate and founder of the O+S Project. In addition to which he is working on documentation for the Hexayurt Project and instructional documents for other Appropriate Technology. - Open Hardware and Renewable Energy Onawi is a non-profit organisation promoting open hardware for the development of non-domestic wind energy systems. Open hardware is becoming increasingly popular, as we can see in the recent initiative by Facebook to open up the technology behind their data-centres. However, most open hardware projects are targeted at hobbyists or those looking for custom do-it-yourself alternatives to mass market products. While this is a very positive aspect, at Onawi we believe that open licensing and collaborative development could have a far reaching impact on industrial production. In particular, Open Hardware could provide the horizontal technology transfer of renewables required to fight climate change in developing countries. Javier Ruiz is a UK based digital activist and social entrepreneur promoting open data, open standards and open licensing as the basis for a better future based on transparency, participation and collaboration. His practical work cuts across various spheres ranging from citizen journalism, archives to renewable energy. His background is in anthropology and technology management, and you can normally find him at the Open Rights Group. Note: Please aim to arrive for 18:00 - 18:20 as the talks will start at 18:30 prompt. Registration: http://oshug.org/event/14

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Open Source Hardware Camp, Thursday 27th October.
by Andrew Back 01 Nov '11

01 Nov '11

Hello, Registration is now open for the inaugural Open Source Hardware Camp which will take place on Thursday 27th October. Further details should be added to the event page in due course. Cheers, Andrew -- Open Source Hardware Camp 27th October 2011, 09:30 - 18:00 at Centre for Creative Collaboration, 16 Acton Street, London, WC1X 9NG, (51.529049, -0.116436) http://oshug.org/event/oshcamp Join us at the inaugural Open Source Hardware Camp for a hands-on day of three parallel workshops, with short plenary sessions in the morning and afternoon. - Practical 3D Printing A hands-on session in which we will use OpenSCAD (an open-source, code-based, 3D parametric CAD software system to design simple 3-dimensional objects), and other freely available tools, to turn the resulting designs into files that can be used to drive a RepRap 3D printer, or similar rapid prototyping device. Further details TBD. Graham Klyne has been a software developer since the late 1970s, during that time having been involved in projects and products ranging from industrial process control, 3-D motion capture, network infrastructure, home automation, semantic web technologies and research data curation. He has also been involved in the development of IETF and Web standards. More recently, he has been pursuing a personal interest in 3D printing - which neatly complements his earlier work in motion capture - and has constructed a RepRap machine (which he hopes to use for making specialist parts for model aircraft) and has been learning a little about 3-D parametric CAD. As a member of the pif3D project, David Flanders helps coordinate the parts, materials, tools and skill required for people to build their own 3D printers. This is all done for free, so long as you promise to help someone else build their own printer as well! David enjoys hacking code in his spare time and working on designing new 3D models, currently he is working on prototype 3D models for: a rollerblade frame (for off road inline skating), a flowerpot that has a water reservoir (so it doesn't dry out when you are on holiday or forget to water it) and lighting fixtures (including translucent lamp shades, candelabras and chandeliers). David's day job is working with technology innovation projects in Universities throughout the UK. - Building the Internet of Things with Nanode and Pachube In this workshop we will be given an introduction to Nanode, the low cost open source Arduino-like board that has built in web connectivity, and Pachube, the web-based service "built to manage the World's real-time data". Following which the workshop will split into two groups and build a real world IoT application for the Centre for Creative Collaboration. With one group focusing on Nanode development and the other using Pachube to develop the online part of the application. Ken Boak joined BBC Research Department after graduating and worked on digital picture processing of HDTV images, and coding algorithms for video distribution around studios. Since then, Ken has worked in laboratory instrumentation, telecommunications, low power wireless and consumer electronics produced in the Far East. With an interest in renewables, Ken now develops laboratory instruments to teach undergraduates the principles of photovoltaic and wind power. Outside of work, Ken is interested in smart wireless sensors, open source hardware and low cost solutions for the Internet of Things. Paul Tanner is a consultant, developer and maker in wood, metal, plastic, electronics and software. His day job is IT-based business improvement for SMEs. By night he turns energy nut, creating tools to optimise energy use. Paul graduated in electronics and was responsible for hardware and software product development and customer services in several product and service start-ups, switching to consulting in 2000. - Collaboration in Open Source Hardware Whilst the development practices associated with open source software are now reasonably mature and understood by many, the same cannot be said of open source hardware and with it come specific challenges. For example, in terms of collaboration across design tools, managing contributions, licensing and project presentation. In this workshop we will be given an introduction to Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools and the process of documenting a project, licensing and other challenges, before looking at the current options available for presentation and collaboration. Further details TBD. Paul Downey is a doodler, a maker and a veteran communications software developer. He has been hacking embedded systems since the late 1970s. Formerly BT's Chief Web Services Architect, and lead W3C representative, he was until recently a member of Osmosoft — a small team building open source Web collaboration systems. Paul is co-founder of SolderPad, a place to share, discover and collaborate on electronic projects. Andrew Back is an artist, electronics hacker and open source advocate. He acted as BT's Open Source Strategist, establishing company-wide open source policy and process and representing them at a number of bodies including The Linux Foundation and ATIS. Andrew co-founded the Electron Club in 2006 — one of the UK's first hackerspaces, and is co-founder of SolderPad, a place to share, discover and collaborate on electronic projects. Note: * Please aim to arrive for 09:30-09:45 as the event will start at 10:00 prompt. * A light lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please ensure that you make any dietary requirements clear when registering. // With thanks to sponsor DesignSpark — http://www.designspark.com //

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Talk on OpenRISC at the BCS OSSG
by Jeremy Bennett 12 Oct '11

12 Oct '11

You will recall that I gave a short talk on OpenCores and OpenRISC 1000 to OSHUG earlier this year. I will be giving a fuller version of that talk, including a hands-on demonstration at the BCS Open Source Specialist Group in London on Monday 17 October. We'll have real hardware there, plus anyone with a Linux laptop will be able to join in using the OpenRISC architectural simulator. http://ossg.bcs.org/2011/10/ Although run by the BCS, the meeting is open to all. Just email Mark Elkins (mark_elkins(a)bcs.org) if you would like attend. Jeremy Bennett -- Tel: +44 (1590) 610184 Cell: +44 (7970) 676050 SkypeID: jeremybennett Email: jeremy.bennett(a)embecosm.com Web: www.embecosm.com

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Re: [oshug] Talks for November OSHUG.
by Paul Tanner 12 Oct '11

12 Oct '11

Hi all. I think this would be a good topic. Maybe several people who've done different things with Jeenodes and home-made ones and a discussion of protocols used or desired. I would appreciate discussion of Zigbee too but that might be too much for one session (or cut into drinking time). Regards, Paul At 09:54 PM 10/10/2011, you wrote: >There has been suggestion of "wireless" as a theme for the OSHUG >meeting on Thursday 24th November. So, this could be licence free >short-range/low power, e.g. 433 MHz and 868MHz and wireless sensor >nodes etc. Perhaps someone has done something interesting with >JeeNodes or EZ430/OpenChronos. Or perhaps something on the radio >amateur side... Any offers of wireless talks? Or failing that, another >theme or general suggestions? Paul Tanner - Virtual Technologies - http://www.virtual-techno.com Tel: +44 1494 581979 Mob: +44 7973 223239 mailto:paul@virtual-techno.com

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Talks for November OSHUG.
by Andrew Back 10 Oct '11

10 Oct '11

Hello, There has been suggestion of "wireless" as a theme for the OSHUG meeting on Thursday 24th November. So, this could be licence free short-range/low power, e.g. 433 MHz and 868MHz and wireless sensor nodes etc. Perhaps someone has done something interesting with JeeNodes or EZ430/OpenChronos. Or perhaps something on the radio amateur side... Any offers of wireless talks? Or failing that, another theme or general suggestions? Cheers, Andrew

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Open Source at Embedded Masterclass, 5 October
by Jeremy Bennett 04 Oct '11

04 Oct '11

I shall be running a session on "Open Source in Embedded System Development" (3:45-4:30) at this year's Embedded Masterclass in Cambridge tomorrow. I should be delighted to meet any OSHUG members who are attending. More details at http://www.embedded-masterclass.com/. Registration for the exhibition and presentations is free. Best wishes, Jeremy -- Tel: +44 (1590) 610184 Cell: +44 (7970) 676050 SkypeID: jeremybennett Email: jeremy.bennett(a)embecosm.com Web: www.embecosm.com

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Re: [oshug] [OH Updates] the issue of patents
by Bryan Bishop 03 Oct '11

03 Oct '11

On Mon, Oct 3, 2011 at 3:23 PM, Mike Hord <mike.hord(a)gmail.com> wrote: > A patent is really (AIUI) just a license to sue an infringing party. A > patent won't be > granted if prior art on the matter exists; OSHW is, by it's very nature, > prior art. > That means Mega-corp, LLC, can't file a patent on a design released by > SparkFun > and then sue SparkFun, since SparkFun's release of the design into the OSHW > community is pretty solid prior art. > Not precisely. It's my understanding that the litigation can still occur even in situations of prior art. There's also a process to invalidate a patent by submitting prior art (I think), but then again some people choose to invalidate patents through the defense litigation process or something? It's more complicated than just "yo dude, prior art" because- even if there is prior art- the patent is still in effect, even if some of the claims might seem invalid, etc. IANAL. - Bryan http://heybryan.org/ 1 512 203 0507

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Thursday reminder.
by Andrew Back 27 Sep '11

27 Sep '11

Hello, Just a reminder that OSHUG #12 will be taking place in a couple of days time. If you plan to attend but haven't registered already: http://oshug.org/event/12 Cheers, Andrew -- Andrew Back mailto:arback@computer.org

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Fwd: Official Google Blog - ANdroid in Spaaace
by Paul Tanner 02 Sep '11

02 Sep '11

Sorry, Dave, we can't let you do that. As it suggests, next is Arduino in space. >Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:20:17 +0000 >Subject: Official Google Blog >From: The Official Google Blog <FeedTrack(a)gmail.com> > > > ><http://googleblog.blogspot.com/>Official Google Blog ><http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.co…> >[] ><http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.co…> > > > > > >---------- >Android in spaaaace! (Part 2) > >Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:16 AM PDT >Back in December, ><http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/12/android-in-spaaaace.html>Android >ventured into near space, thanks to a weekend of >DIY work, a couple of Nexus S phones, some >weather balloons and the help of ><http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSoPJevJyeE&feature=player_embedded>this >little guy. After this first adventure, we knew >it was only a matter of time before Android went further into space. > >On the last manned space shuttle, Atlantis, NASA >sent two Nexus S phones along for the ride as >part of the STS-135 mission. The goal is to use >Nexus S on the International Space Station to >explore how robots can help humans experiment >and live in space more efficiently. > > > >NASA is using Nexus S phones to upgrade a trio >of volleyball-sized SPHERES (Synchronized >Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental >Satellites), originally developed by MIT. The >phones help the robotic satellites perform tasks >the astronauts used to do, like recording sensor >data and capturing video footage. In the future, >the phones will control and maneuver the SPHERES >using the IOIO board and possibly the ><http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2011/05/bright-idea-android-open-acc…>Android >Open Accessory Development Kit (ADK). > >A couple of our engineers built an open source >sensor logging app that NASA decided was perfect >for running diagnostics with the SPHERES. You >can download the same app yourself from ><https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cellbots.logger>Android >Market. NASA was interested in Android because >itâs an open source platform, which makes it >easy to customize the software on the phone to >meet the specifications required to fly in space >and work with the SPHERES. Nexus S was also a >good fit because of its various sensors and >low-powered, but high-performing, processor. > >You can learn more about the project ><http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/spheres_smartphone.html>on >NASAâs website. We loved being a part of the >final Space Shuttle mission and working to bring >the power of the Android platform to space exploration. > >Posted by Thor Lewis, Creative Lead, and Charles Chen, Software Engineer ><http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/MKuf?a=Q3Dhf4ts15I:FfFfDDuSDRc:yIl…> >[] > ><http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/MKuf?a=Q3Dhf4ts15I:FfFfDDuSDRc:-BT…> >[] > ><http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/MKuf?a=Q3Dhf4ts15I:FfFfDDuSDRc:V_s…> >[] > >You are subscribed to email updates from ><http://googleblog.blogspot.com/>The Official Google Blog >To stop receiving these emails, you may ><http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailunsubscribe?k=4Pjffpq9l2gMyxNvv4bju0W…>unsubscribe >now. Email delivery powered by Google >Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 Paul Tanner - Virtual Technologies - http://www.virtual-techno.com Tel: +44 1494 581979 Mob: +44 7973 223239 mailto:paul@virtual-techno.com

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Android Accessory Development Kit (ADK - Arduino-based)
by Paul Tanner 02 Sep '11

02 Sep '11

Hi, http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/usb/adk.html This was announced some months ago but few people seem to have engaged with it. Some of us want to get started and we thought that it might be good to identify a few people who would like to come on this journey. Please reply if you have begun any ADK development or plan to do so in the near future. If there are a few of us it might make sense to have a short meetup to share some of what we know. Thx. Regards, Paul Paul Tanner - Virtual Technologies - http://www.virtual-techno.com Tel: +44 1494 581979 Mob: +44 7973 223239 mailto:paul@virtual-techno.com

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Re: [oshug] A fine example
by Paul Tanner 20 Aug '11

20 Aug '11

Thx for this post. Anyone have a link for the electric-motor-assisted open source trail bike I heard mention of? Or was that in my dreams? A page with links like this would come in handy. Maybe there is one already? Paul At 08:02 AM 8/20/2011, you wrote: >Of OSHW in action: > >http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkg/quadshot-an-aerobatic-blend-of-rc-h… > >Awesome... > >Chris > >-- >@putt1ck >putt1ck.blogspot.com >skype: putt1ck > >Opinions in this email are my own and may not reflect that of my >clients, past employers, associates, friends, family, pets etc.. > >Documents attached to this email may be in ISO 26300 format: >http://iso26300.info > >_______________________________________________ >oshug mailing list >oshug(a)oshug.org >http://oshug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oshug Paul Tanner - Virtual Technologies - http://www.virtual-techno.com Tel: +44 1494 581979 Mob: +44 7973 223239 mailto:paul@virtual-techno.com

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A fine example
by Chris Puttick 20 Aug '11

20 Aug '11

Of OSHW in action: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jkg/quadshot-an-aerobatic-blend-of-rc-h… Awesome... Chris -- @putt1ck putt1ck.blogspot.com skype: putt1ck Opinions in this email are my own and may not reflect that of my clients, past employers, associates, friends, family, pets etc.. Documents attached to this email may be in ISO 26300 format: http://iso26300.info

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Re: [oshug] Open (Source?) Hardware.
by Andrew Katz 19 Aug '11

19 Aug '11

I definitely prefer Open Source Hardware On 19 Aug 2011, at 08:58, Paul Tanner wrote: > I don't think I know what "Open Hardware" is so I'm definitely for OSH. Paul FWIW, I consider Open Source Hardware to be hardware which comes with the recipe/blueprints/source code whatever so that you can reproduce it yourself, and Open Hardware to be hardware that comes with complete specifications so that you can interface to it without any nasty surprises and without necessarily knowing what goes on inside. Open Source is better, but open is definitely a step in the right direction. Open Source hardware almost inevitably relies on open hardware: for example, you can have all the specs to a 555 timer, but you don't need to have the information necessary to build one. Or for even harder hardware, you may have the specs of a bolt (thread pitch, length, tensile strength, general resistance to corrosion etc) but you're unlikely to know the exact makeup of the alloy used to make it, or how it was tempered etc. So most simple electronic components will be open hardware. The only thing you have to be a bit careful about when talking about open source hardware is that it's more difficult to draw the boundary between source and object than it is with software. For example, I'd say an open source car is still an open source car if the complete design docs are available, even if the motors are individual proprietary units and you don't have the source for them, so long as the specification of the motors is sufficient for you to do what you want with them and they do what they are expected to do with no nasty surprises. If you take a maximalist approach, and want instructions sufficient to enable you to synthesise a car from a bunch of atoms, then you will spend most of your life sadly disappointed. It's lucky there is no one like this in the open source software (sorry, free software) world :) Best Andrew

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Open (Source?) Hardware.
by Andrew Back 19 Aug '11

19 Aug '11

Hello, Some of you may also have been following the debate regarding open hardware vs. open source hardware on the Open Hardware Summit lists and/or various others. The OHS updates list archives are, for some reason, private, but Bryan Bishop has kindly been forwarding to Open Manufacturing. See: http://groups.google.com/group/openmanufacturing/msg/c9e1cd72d153a88e?hl=en& I have personally had some trouble with this debate in the past, and whilst we ended up being OSHUG and not OHUG, I don't find the argument that Open Hardware is, e.g. just a device with documented registers, entirely convincing. Inasmuch as it may have once meant this, but it has now come to be generally accepted that it is quite something else. I do agree with a lot of what Bruce Perens has to say... This is not to say that I think we should drop the "S". I've not completely made my mind up, and with regards to what we are called I don't think it matters _that_ much. Bruce does make a good case, though, and I'm definitely with him on this being a movement and the importance of it being " a lot of folks going in approximately the same direction". Which is to say that we don't all have to agree on everything. It would be a shame if this ended up being another Free Software vs. Open Source type split, though. I'm in interested as to what other folks think... Cheers, Andrew

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Re: [oshug] Open (Source?) Hardware.
by Paul Tanner 19 Aug '11

19 Aug '11

I don't think I know what "Open Hardware" is so I'm definitely for OSH. Paul PS. Could it be a piece of hardware with the lid open? At 07:35 AM 8/19/2011, Andrew Back wrote: >Hello, > >Some of you may also have been following the debate regarding open >hardware vs. open source hardware on the Open Hardware Summit lists >and/or various others. The OHS updates list archives are, for some >reason, private, but Bryan Bishop has kindly been forwarding to Open >Manufacturing. See: > >http://groups.google.com/group/openmanufacturing/msg/c9e1cd72d153a88e?hl=en& > >I have personally had some trouble with this debate in the past, and >whilst we ended up being OSHUG and not OHUG, I don't find the argument >that Open Hardware is, e.g. just a device with documented registers, >entirely convincing. Inasmuch as it may have once meant this, but it >has now come to be generally accepted that it is quite something else. > >I do agree with a lot of what Bruce Perens has to say... This is not >to say that I think we should drop the "S". I've not completely made >my mind up, and with regards to what we are called I don't think it >matters _that_ much. Bruce does make a good case, though, and I'm >definitely with him on this being a movement and the importance of it >being " a lot of folks going in approximately the same direction". >Which is to say that we don't all have to agree on everything. It >would be a shame if this ended up being another Free Software vs. Open >Source type split, though. > >I'm in interested as to what other folks think... > >Cheers, > >Andrew > >_______________________________________________ >oshug mailing list >oshug(a)oshug.org >http://oshug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oshug Paul Tanner - Virtual Technologies - http://www.virtual-techno.com Tel: +44 1494 581979 Mob: +44 7973 223239 mailto:paul@virtual-techno.com

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TI Chronos eZ430.
by Andrew Back 18 Aug '11

18 Aug '11

Hello, Whilst not exactly OSHW, thought it worth pointing out that TI currently have a deal on the Chronos eZ430 wireless watch: http://tideals.com/ If you order from their eStore it works out at about £15 with shipping included. Just chatting with Ken Boak now about how easy it would be to drive one from a Nanode. Anyone on the list have experience with one? Cheers, Andrew

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Re: [oshug] TI Chronos eZ430.
by Andrew Back 18 Aug '11

18 Aug '11

On 18 August 2011 08:30, Paul Tanner <paul(a)virtual-techno.com> wrote: > Not OSHW but IoT nevertheless. > Is that price for the whole dev kit or just the watch? The watch and dongle AFAIK. > Anyone know if software can be developed and loaded from a Mac OS/X - the > links say PC? Not sure about OS X, but would suspect that this is unlikely using the official SDK. I also gather that it uses some proprietary IDE/compiler and that unless you pay for it you at most get access to a crippled (e.g. limited to certain object code size) version. Anyway, there should be details on the TI site somewhere... There is a community effort to develop an open source SDK which uses a compiler without such restrictions, but I'd imagine that it might not be as fully featured. Looks as though there is currently no solution to drive one with an RFM12B module via FSK, but have seen mention of the possibility of using OOK (ASK). Cheers, Andrew

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Re: [oshug] TI Chronos eZ430.
by Paul Tanner 18 Aug '11

18 Aug '11

Not OSHW but IoT nevertheless. Is that price for the whole dev kit or just the watch? Anyone know if software can be developed and loaded from a Mac OS/X - the links say PC? Paul At 08:04 AM 8/18/2011, you wrote: >Hello, > >Whilst not exactly OSHW, thought it worth pointing out that TI >currently have a deal on the Chronos eZ430 wireless watch: > >http://tideals.com/ > >If you order from their eStore it works out at >about £15 with shipping included. > >Just chatting with Ken Boak now about how easy it would be to drive >one from a Nanode. Anyone on the list have experience with one? > >Cheers, > >Andrew > >_______________________________________________ >oshug mailing list >oshug(a)oshug.org >http://oshug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oshug Paul Tanner - Virtual Technologies - http://www.virtual-techno.com Tel: +44 1494 581979 Mob: +44 7973 223239 mailto:paul@virtual-techno.com

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retrobsd - 2.11BSD for embedded systems
by Sevan / Venture37 10 Aug '11

10 Aug '11

Hiya, Saw this posted on twitter yesterday, a port of 2.11BSD for Microchip PIC32 microcontroller. http://code.google.com/p/retrobsd/ Sevan

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OSHUG #12 — Practical Approaches, Thursday 29th September.
by Andrew Back 28 Jul '11

28 Jul '11

Hello, Firstly, a date for the diary: on Thursday 27th October we will be hosting our first OSHcamp — a one day (likely 10:00 - 18:00, then pub) event to be held at the Centre for Creative Collaboration in Kings Cross. We're still working on the details but there will be four parallel workshops: building the Internet of Things using OSHW, practical 3D printing, electronics primer/documenting OSHW projects and prototyping accessories with the Google ADK. And before then, in September, it will be OSHUG #12: -- Practical Approaches (Double-sided PCB Design, Controlling Power, 3W RGB LED Controller) On the 29th September 2011, 18:00 - 20:00 at Centre for Creative Collaboration, 16 Acton Street, London, WC1X 9NG (51.529049, -0.116436) Registration: http://oshug.org/event/12 Developing a solution to a problem is not simply a matter of whether it is technically possible, but can involve all manner of challenging constraints. This is particularly the case in DIY and small-scale manufacture contexts, as there may be limited access to tools, test equipment and costly fabrication processes. At the twelfth OSHUG meeting we'll be hearing about practical approaches that were developed in tackling three different problems. One is concerned with designing a double-sided PCB to accommodate 0.5mm pitch surface mount devices, that can be reliably built using low cost DIY methods. Another with safely controlling mains powered devices from the Internet, and the third with building a 3W RGB LED controller using all open source design and development tools. - DIY Double-sided PCB Design and Development for embedded ARM Inspired by the success of the Arduino platform and driven by a recognition that to go from raw materials to a working system is both exciting and empowering, a project was born to develop a powerful microcontroller board that can be built from scratch. With this came the challenge of designing a double-sided PCB that will accommodate a 64-pin LQFP package on 0.5mm pitch, and that can be built using low cost DIY techniques. In this talk we will learn about the rules which needed to be applied in order to ensure that construction of such a PCB is practical, and discoveries that were made in its development. Garry Bulmer gained his degree in Computer Science in the early 1980s and developed software for companies including ICL, before going on to teach Computer Science and Software Engineering at degree level and beyond. During the 1990s he was a co-founder of Parallax Solutions, a software services company with customers that included Rover Group and Rolls Royce, and that partnered with Sun Microsystems and delivered their Enterprise Architecture Blueprints. He's since held the position of Chief Architect at Keane, Aspen Technology and Caritor. More recently he has become involved in education, running Arduino workshops for local schools and at events including Howduino, DEV8D and fizzPop. - A Simple Approach to Controlling Power from Internet Apps Working with mains power can be a daunting prospect and requires due care and attention. In this presentation we will hear about a simple and safe way to control mains-powered appliances from the Internet using cheap wireless links. This will include a live demo based on MBED and an explanation of this approach, and there will be opportunity to discuss its pros and cons. Paul Tanner is a consultant, developer and maker in wood, metal, plastic, electronics and software. His day job is IT-based business improvement for SMEs. By night he turns energy nut, creating tools to optimise energy use. Paul graduated in electronics and was responsible for hardware and software product development and customer services in several product and service start-ups, switching to consulting in 2000. - Using Open Source tools to design and build a 3W RGB LED Controller in a month of Sundays There are many Open Source and freely available hardware designs but almost all of them are currently hosted by proprietary tool chains. Whether it's the EDA suite used to design the boards, the compilers used to build the firmware or the dongles used to flash the firmware, the chances are that at least one, if not all, are under a non-free license of some kind. In this talk we will hear about the experience of using an entirely open toolchain to develop a 3W RGB LED controller. Specifically, the the trials and tribulations in using Kicad: the GPL PCB Suite; AVR-GCC: the GNU Compiler Collection build that targets the Atmel AVR line of microcontrollers and a parallel port programmer that can be built in 5 minutes with minimal components. Andy Bennett is an Engineer that likes to inhabit the void between hardware and the software that runs on it. After graduating from Imperial College with a degree in Electronic & Electrical Engineering he joined Access Devices Digital Limited where he designed software and FPGA cores for the UK's first Dual Tuner Personal Video Recorders. He continued working on Advanced Product Development at Pace Micro Technology before leaving to become employee number 2 at GenieDB where he applies his finely honed ability to produce software on a shoestring. In his spare time he likes to design ambitious projects from scratch. In between prototyping designs for his own PDA, digital watch and bluetooth headset, he's currently building a two wheeled, actively balanced, robot. Note: Please aim to arrive for 18:00 - 18:20 as the event will start at 18:30 prompt. -- Cheers, Andrew

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CERN Open hardware repository
by Al Wood 08 Jul '11

08 Jul '11

Just in Via Adafruit CERN has an opensource hardware effort http://www.ohwr.org/ It has its own Open hardware license, manifesto and project management portal as well as project repositories. Very interesting, check it out.. -- http://www.folknology.com

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Re: [oshug] sourcing ADK boards
by Dan Williams 02 Jul '11

02 Jul '11

On 25 Jun 2011, at 08:57, Paul Tanner <paul(a)virtual-techno.com> wrote: > I am thinking that a whole OSHUG session is needed for this, including input from someone who's created a ADK setup with alternative hardware at a reasonable cost. Do we know anyone? I know someone who experimented with putting android phones into USB host mode pre-ADK. He was using it for external keyboards with the intent to plug in USB sensor boards or arduinos. Not sure how far he got or how relevant that is now we have ADK Dan

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AlienCortex AV
by Eddie Chan 29 Jun '11

29 Jun '11

hi all, Following from last FPGA talk; I just want to bring to the attention that there a new Kickstarter project called "AlienCortex AV" which support the Open Core standards. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/794668827/aliencortex-av eddie

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