Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff

uSupply Custom LCD

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jaycee:

--- Quote from: EEVblog on October 20, 2017, 01:36:13 am ---
--- Quote from: jaycee on October 20, 2017, 01:24:16 am ---Open hardware, to me, means you can see the design, derive from some of it, customise it to your own needs, etc.. it does NOT necessarily mean you can 100% clone it yourself. That's what it should mean.

--- End quote ---

I agree, which is why I developed my new creative commons type OSHW logo idea.
But the "official" OSHW organisation does not see it that way, nor do many of the major players (Adafruit et.el) for example.
The problem is many of these OSHW companies have often never actually developed (and put huge $ and time into) any real polished commercial products. They just make bare boards, kits etc, which is great  of course, but then they think that every commercial company should do the same as they do. It a position that lacks any sense of practical commercial reality.

--- End quote ---

This is why I refer to GPL as "All your code are belong to GNU". it is basically an ecosystem which does not want developers to get paid to write code.

My attitude to this ? Fuck em. Idealists can preach all they want about everything being free and open - but they still expect to be paid to do work and put food on the table.

Monkeh:

--- Quote from: jaycee on October 20, 2017, 01:40:28 am ---This is why I refer to GPL as "All your code are belong to GNU". it is basically an ecosystem which does not want developers to get paid to write code.

--- End quote ---

And yet, most of the big projects have paid developers..

wilfred:

--- Quote from: EEVblog on October 20, 2017, 12:54:01 am ---
--- Quote from: wilfred on October 20, 2017, 12:43:36 am ---Specifically that those who copy an OSHW design to make one for themselves are not entering in to the true spirit of OSHW. And secondly that claiming this project is open source when Dave has basically said right at the bottom of the list is considering OSHW aspects.

--- End quote ---

Questions:
What if I gave you the vector image file for the custom LCD, would you still complain?

--- End quote ---
I'm principally making a generic point about OSHW  and not complaining because I accept you are placing OSHW at the bottom of the list of considerations for this particular project. But since you ask me directly. I will say that a generic display would make the project IF it was OSHW more readily reproducable to individual makers. A vector image file would help mostly those who wanted to reproduce it on a commercial scale. An individual maker would, if faced with an unavailable custom display probably not bother. Some with stronger skills and motivation may adapt it to a non custom display.

--- Quote ---Would you like the name of the supplier and the part number so you can take advantage of my tooling cost and order it direct yourself in volume? If so, why? If not, why not?
What if I have a custom case because that makes the product that I am selling better? Would you demand the design files for that? Why? for what purpose?
Would you also demand the suppliers name and the part number so you can make use of my tooling cost for that and order direct in volume? Why? If not, why not?

--- End quote ---
Really the same answer applies. All these custom engineered parts make for a better commercial product. But if you were making the product as an OSHW project for a community of individual makers then they form a barrier to those without the resources to exploit them. It is a different argument about whether a project is less OSHW if it is reproducable only in commercial quantities.

--- Quote ---What if I did extensive videos teaching people how I designed the product, how it works etc etc (above and beyond most OSWH people BTW), and released everything but the custom LCD files, would you still still think I'm not doing things "in the true spirit" of it?

--- End quote ---
If you used a custom LCD then I would think it a less accessible OSHW project if making an OSHW project was your aim. If you kept the custom LCD design files secret then I would not consider it OSHW. As I've said in the past it would be a well documented commercial product.

--- Quote ---Who adds the most value to the community in this case: me who does all the design videos and teaches people everything in detail but retains the say the LCD file, or someone who provides no such design videos, teaches people almost nothing, and simply puts the same files + the LCD file on a Github repo?

--- End quote ---
There's a perrenial debate. But like the riddler's riddle on Batman. "when is a door not a door?"
A: " when it's ajar"
If a door is not open then it is closed and the same is true for OSHW. If it is not open then it is closed. Or well documented, but still not open.

But at the end of the day if you are not touting this as an OSHW project I fail to see how a debate about OSHW helps you. I've had this debate with you before when you announced your restricted grades of open classification. I didn't agree with you then and I thought you were being disingenuous and self serving. If you later try to represent this project as OSHW without complete design files then I'll think it again.

However, if you make an entertaining series of videos and a successfull commercial product then I wish you good luck. Maybe I'll even buy one, and be glad of the good doco that accompanies it.


EEVblog:

--- Quote from: wilfred on October 20, 2017, 01:43:05 am ---
--- Quote ---Who adds the most value to the community in this case: me who does all the design videos and teaches people everything in detail but retains the say the LCD file, or someone who provides no such design videos, teaches people almost nothing, and simply puts the same files + the LCD file on a Github repo?

--- End quote ---
There's a perrenial debate. But like the riddler's riddle on Batman. "when is a door not a door?"

--- End quote ---

No, it was a simple question asking you who is providing the most value to the community.
If you don't want to answer then that's fine.

I'm done talking about OSHW though, it is essentially off-topic for this thread.

TimNJ:
Here's another. I don't know...might be crap...hard (impossible) to judge your own work objectively.

Switched from dark background/light letters to light background/dark letters. Ultimately, I think I prefer light letters on a dark background but I think the contrast won't be good enough especially on a small LCD. Don't have much experience with that though. Black letters might be cheaper/more available...but I have no idea if that's actually true.

This all said I do like Whales design a lot. I just found it a bit confusing/haphazard on first glance. I loaded my design on my phone just to see what it would look like small and I think it's quite reasonable.

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