Open Source Hardware Camp 2019

Folks,

For a fun weekend of hard(ware) Open Source!

Some of us are already going 😉

As of posting this, tickets are still available and there is various accommodation locally and in the surrounding area. Check on the maillist if stuck!

OSHUG — Open Source Hardware User Group

Event #oshcamp2019 — Open Source Hardware Camp 2019

 

At:

Hebden Bridge Town Hall

St. George’s Street
Hebden Bridge HX7 7BY

OpenStreetMap: Hebden Bridge Town Hall (lat, lon: 53.742436, -2.012918)

 

Open Source Hardware Camp 2019 returns to be hosted for the sixth year as part of the Wuthering Bytes technology festival.

For booking details: click here.

Event details are summarised below. Please see the full event listing on the Open Source Hardware Camp 2019 site.

Saturday :: Talks

* Customising a RISC-V Core

This talk walks through the RISC-V ISA and the microarchitecture of an open-source RISC-V core, to provide an understanding of how new instructions can be added to the hardware.

* Building A Network on a Chip for a Raspberry Pi Zero Cluster

A Raspberry Pi cluster is a popular platform for experimentation and learning about parallel computing. The tiny Raspberry Pi Zero has no built-in ethernet capability, so a Pi Zero cluster needs an alternative way to connect the CPUs. By implementing a specialised local network on an FPGA chip, linked to a serial or SPI port on each CPU, we can avoid the need for bulky ethernet cables and switches, and build a very compact cluster with low cost and low power consumption.

* From humble beginnings to manufacturing the HILTOP open source test and measurement platform and the problems along the way!

The story of how three entrepreneurs with a vision and willingness to succeed have carved out an open source test and measurement business and the details behind the hardware and software problems they had with early prototypes and product integration.

* Linux on Open Source Hardware and Libre Silicon

This talk will explore Open Source Hardware projects relevant to Linux, including boards like BeagleBone, Olimex OLinuXino, Giant board and more. Looking at the benefits and challenges of designing Open Source Hardware for a Linux system, along with BeagleBoard.org’s experience of working with community, manufacturers, and distributors to create an Open Source Hardware platform. In closing also looking at the future, Libre Silicon like RISC-V designs, and where this might take Linux.

* Exploring the Gigatron TTL Computer

The Gigatron TTL computer is an open source computer constructed almost entirely from TTL logic – without the need for a microprocessor. The unique design combines 36 standard 74HCTxx TTL devices with ROM and RAM chips to make a platform capable of colour VGA video and sound. The machine can host 1980’s style games and can be programmed in interactive Tiny BASIC.

* Gearing up for Volume Manufacturing: Tales from China

The journey of a design from engineering sign-off all the way to customer shipment takes many months of hard work and the smallest of hiccups could translate to severe delays. With many actors involved, how does it all work? What is involved in designing and shipping a consumer product with high volume manufacturing in mind?

* Saving Your Electronic Conference Badge From A Life On The Shelf

As the creator of an electronic conference badge, you want to create something memorable, a badge with Wow! factor which will be remembered fondly and remain in use for years afterwards. Unfortunately so many badges end up sitting in drawers gathering dust, never to see the light of day again. Firmware,hardware, or documentation haven’t been kind to the conference attendees, and though you’ve given them an amazing piece of hardware they just haven’t been able to get a handle on it and use it in their own projects.

* What’s So Good About The Z80 CPU Anyway?

This talk will briefly cover the history of the Zilog Z80 CPU including early development, some predictable places where it turned up, as well as some more less expected uses. It will include a look at the architecture of the Z80 itself and then an overview of how to build a simple Z80 based computer and program it in BASIC. This will lead on to a description of the kit in your goodie bag and a plug for the workshop on the Sunday.

* Next Generation Open Source FPGAs

After the success of Icestorm and the growth of the open source FPGA ecosystem, work started on the next generation of open source FPGA toolchains in 2018. This includes the next-generation place-and-route tool nextpnr, designed to support a wide range of FPGA architectures as well as producing higher quality results with less runtime. Combined with Project Trellis which provides bitstream documentation for the Lattice ECP5 FPGAs, a wide range of advanced projects such as Linux-capable RISC-V SoCs with fast memory, Ethernet and video interfaces are possible with an end-to-end open source flow.

* Heterogeneous design for embedded development

Developing embedded solutions for today’s challenging applications be them IoT, consumer, automation or robotics requires a heterogeneous technology approach involving hardware, FPGA, µC Firmware, and software combined at multiple levels. Concepts such as Machine Vision/Learning, Artificial Intelligence coupled with traditional embedded hardware and software stacks require hybrid approaches to design and implementation. I take a look at typical hardware being used and platform sweet spots I have been identified. I also take a look at some emerging tools and approaches for tackling these heterogeneous projects.

* EMC Design for Open Source Hardware

Many Open Source electronics designs start off as cool development tools and end up being integrated into commercial products due to their low barrier to entry and ease of development.

* The complex and simplistic elegance of the 1-wire protocol

The Dallas 1-wire protocol is a two-way communications bus that allows microcontrollers to talk to a number of peripherals using just a single wire. It promises high data rates, a range of peripheral types and very long wires all with the minimum of resource requirements and complexity. This talk will explore how it works, how to implement it and how to actually drive those busses made up of very long wires.

Sunday :: Workshops

* Customising a RISC-V Core – workshop

Starting from an Open-source RISC-V core, add a new instruction to it that you design! This workshop will walk through the process of getting started with simulating an open-source RISC-V core and making the necessary modifications to decode and execute a new instruction.

* A Crash Course in KiCAD

A KiCAD basics workshop that will be a crash course covering the main aspects of schematic capture, PCB layout and generating the manufacturing outputs and 3D models etc.

* Gigatron TTL Computer demo and hands-on

There will be a demo of the machine and an opportunity to do some retro-programming.

* SMD Soldering

In this workshop we will introduce common SMD soldering techniques, including stencils and solder paste usage in a hobbyist home-lab capacity. The format is a series of demonstrations followed by exercises. Participants will be provided with a kit of parts and will assemble their circuits taking turns on the equipment provided. There will be a mixture of hand soldering and hot plate/air reflow techniques covered and a variety of SMD packages including some fine pitch components will be used.

* Assembling Your RC2014 Z80 Based Computer

This workshop will take participants through all the stages of assembling and getting started with the RC2014 kit. Some basic soldering experience is assumed and soldering irons and tools will be available for groups of up to 6 people at a time.

* Heterogeneous embedded hardware example walk through

A walk through a practical heterogeneous application and its development, based around the combination of a microcontroller and an FPGA along with mixed tooling.

NOTE:

There are separate tickets for Saturday and Sunday.
A light lunch and refreshments will be provided each day.
Delegates will receive an RC2014 Micro upon registration on the Saturday!
Please aim to arrive between 09:00 and 09:15 on the Saturday as the event will start at 09:20 prompt.