Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
hardware, but it is a good resource on which to look for open source designs and tutorials.
Similar to the Lulzbot instructions, most Instructables begin with the tools and supplies
you will need to complete the project and then provide detailed images to show the user
how to build the project.
Some open source hardware has accompanying video tutorials. Becky Stern of Ada-
fruit has uploaded a great series of wearable electronics tutorials to YouTube; some of
ing visual-based documentation doesn't rely on your drawing skills. Tutorials may also
take the form of topics, such as
Getting Started with Arduino
by Massimo Banzi. Tutorials
differ from source files in that there is no requirement on how to share them. Tutorials,
videos, and instruction topics can be copyrighted or shared openly. Because tutorials do
not cover how to rebuild the hardware, they are not considered source files; thus more
flexibility is allowed in how they are shared from a licensing standpoint.
Hello World
I like the “lunch break rule” when it comes to starting out on a new platform or project. I
want a tutorial that gets me excited and up and running in less than 30-60 minutes. When
you think about how quickly 30 minutes can pass, you have to think easy. Processing, for
example, is a programming language that was introduced in 2001 for beginners with little
or no understanding of how to program. In keeping with this ethos, it has excellent compre-
hensive beginner tutorials (as well as a great development environment and online commu-
nity). Arduino reflects the hardware equivalent—that is, the drive to offer a comprehens-
ive user-developed “getting started” tutorial base. Not only is the Arduino documentation
available on its own website, but other community-developed tutorials and documentation
can be found almost anywhere on the Internet because Arduino is so widely used as a plat-
form. Thanks to all of this support, Arduino is extremely well documented. Having others
document your project is a benefit of open source hardware.
So back to the “lunch break rule”: this should be your “hello world” introduction as to
why your project is awesome. If your project can give potential developers the warm and
fuzzies quickly, they will walk away excited about all the possibilities that spending a
longer period with your project might open up. As on a first date with a romantic interest,
you want to walk away excited about the future together.
Generally speaking, in the long run you want to have a wide range of tutorials avail-
able so that people can get a sense of what is possible within realistic means. They often
serve as a starting point for inspiration and new contributions. Know your audience—that
is, decide who will most likely be reading your tutorials. Did you make your tutorials for
the general hacker community, or are they more specific to one particular audience, such
