Open-source computing hardware

Open-source computing hardware are computer systems or elements with open design—designed as open-source hardware, using open-source principles.

Projects

The following is a list of open-source hardware projects that includes computer systems and components.

• Bug Labs – a handheld prototyping system based on the Texas Instruments OMAP3530 with ARM Cortex-A8 (600 MHz) and Angstrom Linux.
• EOMA-68- low-power modular computer design, with specifications and enclosure designs licensed as Free Cultural Works.
• Ethernut – open-source electronics prototyping platform for building tiny embedded Ethernet devices.
• Milkymist One – Single-board computer implementing all the core logic with open source Verilog HDL design files, which is confidential and proprietary in most other open-source hardware computers. It is an interactive VJ station featuring the open-source Milkymist SoC as CPU.
• Minimig – a re-implementation of an Amiga 500 using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).
• Novena – a 1.2 GHz, Freescale quad-core ARM architecture computer closely coupled with a Xilinx FPGA by "Bunnie" Huang.^[1][2][3]
• Open Compute Project – for data centers by Facebook
• PLAICE – The PLAICE is an open-source hardware and software project developing a powerful in-circuit development tool that combines in one device the features of a FLASH Programmer, Memory Emulator, and High Speed Multi-Channel Logic Analyzer. It runs uClinux.
• PC532 – a personal computer design based on the NS32532 microprocessor, released in 1990.
• PULP – Parallel Ultra Low Power processing platform. Free and open-source implementations available from.^[4]
• Simputer – handheld computer aimed at developing countries
• Tinkerforge – Bricks and Bricklets (Modular hardware kit).
• Project Oberon – a design for a complete desktop computer system from scratch which enables a single person to know and implement the entire system including the Oberon operating system, a compiler for the programming language Oberon, and the computer's architecture^[5]
• Project Turris – open hardware and software WiFi and Ethernet routers, ready for hacking and tinkering. It runs an OpenWRT based OS ^[6]
• PiDP-8 – Open source replica project for the Digital PDP-8/I minicomputer ^[7]
• ORWL – An open source, physically secure personal computer powered by Intel Skylake M3/M7 processors.
• Talos secure workstation - high performance computer with no proprietary software or firmware blobs

Boards

• Duino – Open-source hardware boards.
• Beagle Board – a single-board computer based on low-power Texas Instruments processors, using the ARM Cortex-A8 core, running Angstrom Linux.
• OLinuXino — an open-hardware single-board computer running Android (operating system) and Linux designed by OLIMEX Ltd in Bulgaria.
• Panda Board – a single-board computer forked from Beagle Board.
• Beagle Bone – Easy to extend Sitara ARM Cortex-A8 based boards, also from the Beagle Board family.
• Arm Pro Mini – is a small barebone open source ARM M0 microcontroller board
• IOIO – a board that allows Android applications to interface with external electronics
• IGEPv2 – an ARM OMAP3 based board designed and manufactured by ISEE in Spain. Its expansion boards are open-source hardware too.
• Banana Pi – Allwinner A20 based ARM boards made in China.
• MinnowBoard, MinnowBoard MAX and MinnowBoard Turbot(s) – fanless Intel Atom based boards for embedded applications.
• Atmel SAMA5D3 Xplained and SAMA5D4 Xplained Ultra, boards based on an Atmel ARM Cortex A5 core. All design files seem to be available, but there is no explicit open-source hardware license statement.

CPU

There are several "open-source hardware" CPUs, typically implemented as a soft microprocessor.

• Amber is an ARM-compatible 32-bit RISC processor. Amber implements the ARMv2 instruction set.
• LEON is an open source 32-bit SPARC-like CPU created by the ESA. It's the standard CPU for the European Space Industry.
• Milkymist SoC, featuring the LatticeMico32 microprocessor core, has a complete set of independently developed open source system-on-chip cores such as a SDRAM controller, bus components, graphics accelerators and a variety of I/O devices.
• OpenCores is a loose community of designers that supports open-source cores (logic designs) for CPUs, peripherals and other devices. OpenCores maintains an open-source on-chip interconnection bus specification called Wishbone.
• OpenSPARC is an open-source processor project to which Sun Micro systems have contributed the Ultra SPARC T1 and Ultra SPARC T2 multicore processor designs.
• OpenRISC is a group of developers working to produce a very-high-performance open-source RISC CPU.
• RISC-V from University of California, Berkeley.
• ZPU is a small, portable CPU core with a GCC toolchain. It is designed to be compiled targeting FPGA.^[8]
• J-Core implements a version of SuperH with expired patents and some extensions.^[9][10]
• OpenPiton from Princeton University.^[11]

Graphics cards

• Open Graphics Project aims to design an open architecture and standard for graphics cards.
• Milkymist SoC contains an open-source Verilog HDL design of an embedded high-performance 2D texture mapping unit.
• Nyuzi Processor – a GPL/LGPL-licensed GPGPU processor design. Nyuzi Processor is fully open-source with its Verilog, documentation, tests, compiler and tools.^[12]

Laptop case

• VIA OpenBook – A netbook case design released by VIA Technologies

Devices with casings

• Laptops:
  • Ben NanoNote – handheld notebook computer based on a MIPS processor running Linux.
• Smartphones:
  • Openmoko – a single-board computer (smartphone) with GSM/UMTS modem; GTA04 (ARM Cortex A8 with 1000 MHz) – old GTA02, with UPS battery.
  • Modular smartphone.

Wireless adapters

• Twibrigh RONJA, a 10 Mbit/s Full Duplex Free Space Optics wireless optical Ethernet adapter from 2001.^[13]

See also

• Free Software Foundation
• Indiegogo
• Kickstarter
• Open Source Ecology
• Open-source robotics
• The RepRap Project, an open-source 3D printer/fabber
• Smartwatch
• Telecom Infra Project

References

1. "Novena". Crowd Supply.
2. "The Almost Completely Open Source Laptop Goes on Sale". WIRED. 2 April 2014.
3. "Novena Helps Hackers Build Their Own Laptop".
4. "PULP Platform".
5. "Project Oberon". Retrieved 19 July 2016.
6. "Project:Turris".
7. "Obsolescence Guaranteed". Obsolescence Guaranteed.
8. "ZPU - the worlds smallest 32 bit CPU with GCC toolchain :: Overview :: OpenCores".
9. "J-Core Open Processor". Retrieved Jun 19, 2016.
10. "j-core Design Walkthrough" (PDF). Retrieved Jun 19, 2016.
11. "OpenPiton Open Source Research Processor". Retrieved Jun 28, 2016.
12. "An LGPL-Licensed, Larrabee-Inspired GPGPU Processor - Phoronix".
13. "Twibright Labs - Ronja".

External links

• Think Penguin
• Tehnoetic
• FSF Hardware database in order to identify what devices work with a fully free operating system
• Discover your hardware
• The World’s First Open Source Laptop Makes its Debut (Make).
• 10 of the most incredible open source hardware projects.