Uncover the mysteries of open source hardware

In the Internet industry, "open source" is not a strange word, recently, "open source hardware" This concept has grown with the development of the industry, for many people, the open sharing of knowledge is the future of innovation breeding soil. However, what is open source hardware is a vague and unfamiliar concept for many non-it people.

The creation community "new Workshop" is also based on the idea of open source hardware. In the view of its founder Li Davi, the seemingly mysterious concept of open source hardware, which originated in China earlier than the West, has always appeared in front of us as a "cottage" face. Li Davi said, whether it is "new workshop" Such a type of space, or Shenzhen Huaqiang (000062, shares bar) north of the mobile phone cottage industry chain, are open source hardware concept in the reality of the graphics. Regardless of the size of the impact, regardless of how the market views them on the spot, open source hardware platform is already providing the soil for China's intelligent electronic product innovation.

Two sides of a coin

The concept of open source hardware has not been a long time to rise even abroad. In the 2004, the concept of open source hardware was raised abroad, and hardware developers made all the hardware information public, including circuit diagrams, firmware, software, component lists, device lists, and print layouts. This information allows anyone to use, more open than open source software, where the author is allowed to use the information and hardware for any commercial development.

And insiders explain that popular understanding, if the innovation equipment compared to building blocks, open source hardware platform is in fact like for the people want to build a variety of modeling castles to provide the building blocks themselves, reduce the technical barriers to innovation, so that people do not understand the manufacture of electronic components can join the creation to "play together."

Specifically, in an open source hardware platform, platform managers and some members will be the design drawings, specific technical details of the information on the platform, the need to choose their own to do, you can choose to buy the platform "public board", and on the basis of their own manufacturing equipment. Most people choose to buy, which is also because of the high cost of open source hardware replication.

Foreign open source hardware platform and Li Davi in the creation of space like, more are some "amateurs" nature of the platform, enthusiasts are more than for commercial purposes, more people simply to practice an "idea." However, this is only one side of open source hardware, Li Davi said, in Shenzhen, China, open source hardware has already formed an industry.

Li Davi told reporters, in fact, many people familiar with the sharing of the public model, the public board of the cottage industry and open source hardware, although not yet the world to open source hardware to understand the point of view, but in fact has been growing, and for a large number of intelligent electronic equipment innovation to provide a rich soil.

"The reason why Shenzhen's open source hardware is forming industry is because we are familiar with the model of open cooperation in the mobile phone supply chain, mutual sharing and cooperation, resulting in a business model called" public board ", domestic public board sales of one year may reach 400 million ~5 billion, and" public board "mode of operation and business model and open source hardware exactly the same. "Li Davi said.

Li Davi tried to justify the "cottage", he said, now the domestic "cottage" is full of prejudice, talk about the cottage thought can only copy, in fact, open source hardware advocates of everyone can open the innovative environment, "cottage" has been done. In fact, in such a "cottage" environment encouraged by the current small manufacturers in Shenzhen, China, the quality of smartphones, many have been able to compete with the big foreign brands. Li Davi that even though the current small manufacturers have not yet been born to compete with international brands of smartphones.

Everyone can be a "creator"

Li Davi has been involved in the open source campaign since 1990 and has been a member of the Free Software Foundation, TWEB board member and involved in the Apache project, and in the past 20 years, David has initiated and participated in numerous Open-source software projects and services. He founded the new workshop in 2010, and was also the first customer workshop in China, and started to follow the culture of creating tourists nationwide.

Why do you want to start a new workshop? Li Davi said, not because China lacks the platform of open source hardware, in contrast, Shenzhen's "shanzhai" market has been in the open source hardware spirit on the road to go very far. But the reason for the need for a new workshop and other space to create, the purpose is to popularize a concept. "In fact, is a teaching everyone to play the platform, where we can learn how to use a Development board to light, do physical operations, this is a" play "process, can let more people understand, do intelligent hardware in fact do not understand circuit design can also, innovation is not so difficult. ”

The opportunity to create a new workshop, Li Davi joked, is because the purchase of too much open source hardware at home, mountains, by his wife "drive" out, so gathered a bunch of like-minded small partners, we find a place to play together. Is entirely amateurs in nature.

New workshop, with Li Davi words, many people do is "strange things", and not a few are really directed to the commercialization of the go. "is to do something they find interesting, not necessarily challenging the peak of technology, and do not seek output, this is a club."

"Play" is not a clear business purpose, but Li Davi it is not unreliable. He feels that more innovation in the current Internet industry comes from technical developers with professional backgrounds, which is one of the reasons why many products are too focused on technology. If more people can be dragged into the "play", it is more likely to have more sensitive, more interpretation of the needs of modern society products appear.

"Now intelligent hardware is too rational, many are in the pursuit of functionality, but consumers buy products not to buy features, smart hardware innovation needs more people to interpret." "Li Davi said. In his view, the promotion of the concept of the media is the space for the creation.

At present, there are 79 creation space in the country, size and influence are not small, and the Li Davi space is only more than 80 active members, but, as Li Davi said, influential often is the concept, not the venue, the future with the development of the movement of the campaign, open source hardware platform and related production month, The soil, which breeds innovation for intelligent electronic devices, will also grow wider.

(Responsible editor: Mengyishan)