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Blog Open Hardware And EAGLE Enables Arduino Derivatives Over Shields
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  • Author Author: DaveYoung
  • Date Created: 5 Nov 2013 4:42 PM Date Created
  • Views 1331 views
  • Likes 2 likes
  • Comments 2 comments
  • eagle
  • shields
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Open Hardware And EAGLE Enables Arduino Derivatives Over Shields

DaveYoung
DaveYoung
5 Nov 2013

imageArduino has a pretty good footing as the household name for beginners to get into electronics.  Especially when it comes to that critical first task of blinking an LED, no other manufacturer makes it easier.  Thanks to the power of today's microcontrollers, there is enough functionality in an Arduino to take a beginner and turn him or her into a pretty dangerous designer.

 

But what happens when the newly-accomplished engineer wants to expand beyond the hardware provided by the Arduino?  Most people buy a shield which is a board designed to interface to the I/O pins of the Arduino, and some even design their own shields.  However thanks to the Open Hardware nature of the design, there is a lesser-used method for customization: creating a 'derivative' AKA 'clone'.

 

A derivative/clone is a copy of the board with some design change(s) that still takes advantage of Arduinos development environment.  The Arduino EAGLE design files can be found on the product page on the Arduino site and it is 100% allowed by the Open Hardware License to download them for any use, including commercial products.  Many people have already designed and released their own version of Arduino by making a smaller or more capable board.  These new products add extra functionality while still enjoying the benefits of Arduino's widespread adoption, ease of use, and vibrant community. And since the stock designs weren't optimized for small size, most have plenty of room for additional parts, especially something simple like a switching boost converter, high-power FET, or a high power RGB LED circuit.

 

Derivatives enjoy some significant design benefits over a shield.  First, a single board is less than half the size and more robust than stacking an additional PCB on top of the purchased Arduino via headers.  Second, it will be a cheaper solution than buying a stock Arduino and the custom shield PCB/parts.  Finally, there is a lot to learn from starting with an existing PCB design and tweaking it.  Not to mention the pride one would get from creating their own stand-alone design, even if it is attained by standing on the shoulders of giants.

 

Of course there are some drawbacks relative to designing a shield, starting with the extra hassle of purchasing and soldering the standard Arduino components on the custom PCB.  The layout may also be harder because of the limited space and having to move some of the stock components around.  And if the designer wants to share the functionality with others it is much easier to pop a shield on a stock board than having to build up a custom unit.

 

With all of the benefits, many budding engineers would be well served by chasing a derivative. Who knows?  It could scratch a widely-felt itch and end up turning into a real product!

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Top Comments

  • DaveYoung
    DaveYoung over 11 years ago in reply to nelson.milum +1
    Nelson, the value open source gives to people trying to learn, create, and push innovation is remarkable. However the exact copies of designs like Arduinos have already occurred. The Borderless Electronics…
  • DaveYoung
    DaveYoung over 11 years ago in reply to nelson.milum

    Nelson, the value open source gives to people trying to learn, create, and push innovation is remarkable.  However the exact copies of designs like Arduinos have already occurred.  The Borderless Electronics kickstarter sold many Arduino Leonardo copies for half the price of retail.  And according to the open source license, they were well within their rights to do so.  I think what you bring up is at the center of the open hardware license debate, the line between using someone's previous work as a tool to advance a new idea, or using another's work to manufacture the design as one sees fit.

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  • nelson.milum
    nelson.milum over 11 years ago

    This is a really cool thought, and I think well in line with the spirit of Open Source. Much like the myriad of derivative distributions of Linux Based operating systems, open Hardware gives people the freedom to choose the path that fits them best. I think that a really important line to be aware of would be the line between derivative works and clone, I'd feel bad for the folks at Arduino if the market was flooded with barely differentiated clones of their hard work. But a different tool with significant differences that happens to have been facilitated by a launch pad of the source material is awesome. Like you said, standing on the shoulders of giants.

     

    Also, red and black always look cool.

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