Although this statement can be considered accurate it could nevertheless be argued that proper documentation for OSS is also a need, especially for large projects. Consequently, unlike OSH, the openness of OSS is implicitly fulfilled just by providing the source code. the product the source for tangible things is not so clearly defined. assert that while software source code unambiguously defines the software, i.e. This last issue unveils one of the main problems for OSH: the deficiency in documentation to consider it truly open. Their analysis reveals a wide range of interpretations of open source hardware, exposing that many projects lack enough documentation to replicate or modify the product. show from their study of several OSH products. Īnd lastly, the source in hardware is not as clearly defined as in software, as Bonvoisin et al. Secondly, hardware designs demand a wider range of expertise because new areas of knowledge are involved, particularly when including mechanics, electronics and software. First, unlike software, most of a hardware project will fall within the scope of patent law rather than copyright law. However, there are some aspects of hardware that differ from software. The Open Source Hardware Definition is based on the Open Source Definition for Open Source software (OSS) and adapted to the realms of tangible things. Ideally, in order to maximize the ability of individuals to use and make the hardware, open source hardware should provide unrestricted content, and use readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure and open-source design tools. Furthermore, it is encouraged that these files are made editable with free and open source software (FOSS). Making OSH is not a matter of just providing an open source license for the hardware in addition, design files, documentation and any source code should be available in the preferred format for making modifications to them and with an acceptable open license. Moreover, it favors the enhancement of experiments by letting others to improve and customize the devices for different purposes.Īs stated in the Open Source Hardware Statement of Principles, open source hardware is hardware for which the design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make, and sell the design or hardware based on that design. Open source scientific hardware not only allows a more affordable laboratory equipment, but also contributes to the development of Open Science by facilitating the replication and comparison of the scientific experiments. Inspired by this movement, an engineering research area has emerged to develop open source scientific hardware and laboratory equipment. As a result to this movement many efforts have been made to define open source hardware and set its best practices. This trend has been empowered by open source hardware projects such as the RepRap 3D printers and the Arduino platform, which have made manufacturing and electronic technology accessible and affordable. Over the last years there have been a movement towards creating and sharing Open Source Hardware (OSH). Thus, making it more appropriate to design open source hardware for scientific equipment. The main benefits are being able to export to standard parametric models using Python language with its libraries and the ability to use and integrate the models in its graphical interface. Our findings show that although Python for FreeCAD is more arduous to learn, its advantages counterbalance the initial difficulties. We have created a parametric open source hardware design to compare these tools. In this work we analyze OpenSCAD and compare it with FreeCAD Python scripts. This is an important deficiency because it is key to share the design in the most accessible formats with no information loss. However, OpenSCAD lacks the ability to export to standard parametric formats thus, the parametric dimensional information of the model is lost. OpenSCAD is the most widely used scripting tool for parametric modeling of open source labware. Parametric design using a solid modeling programming language allows customization and provides a source file for the design. In addition, parametric modeling is encouraged in order to facilitate customization for other experiments. Open source hardware for scientific equipment needs to provide source files and enough documentation to allow the study, replication and modification of the design.
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