Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Cannot imply that the device is manufactured, tested, warrantied, or guaranteed by
the original designer, and cannot make use of trademarks owned by the original
designer, without permission
When designing an open source hardware product, it is best to use open source design
tools and components, standard materials that are accessible locally, and standard pro-
cesses. This maximizes the ability of consumers to make, use, and improve the hardware.
When a designer shares and documents more information about the work, this openness
benefits the consumer and leads to a higher likelihood that the open source hardware com-
munity will adopt the product.
With a complex physical product that combines mechanical systems, electronic ele-
ments, firmware for the hardware, and software for a user interface, there are many layers
of information pertaining to the documentation of the hardware. This section aims to lay
out a standard for organizing the layers of documentation released with an open source
hardware device. There are six stacks, or layers, of a hardware project (
Figure 10.2
), and
each stack should be documented accordingly and appropriately to the materials in that
particular field:
