OSHW Developer manual

rules and development methods for open source hardware

Table of contents

• General info
• How to join
• The workflow
• Inspiration

General info

Purpose of the OSHW project is to build opensource electronics.

Build good hardware require to iterate the learn, try and fail pattern. An help would have some good building block to ensure that even big tasks can be completed.

OSHW is the new home of this building blocks.

We want do it following some rules and methods.

The rules:

• The development process should be clear, tracked, public
• Follow state-of-the-art engineering specs
• Products should be human friendly, eco-friendly, repairable and designed to last
• Every module, project or software must be released with an OSHW compliant license
• Develop only with open source software, using the most open and widely accepted file formats

The workflow

• Every repo (project or a module or whatever) should start with a REQUEST.md template (look in /template section)

• Do all this first steps:

  1. copy/paste REQUEST.md as SPECS.md
  2. copy/paste a basic README.md template (look in /template section)
  3. create a new Project called "SPEC" with template Automated KanBan
  4. create an issue called "SPEC" and:
  5. assign it to Dev team
  6. assign to Project as the repository
  7. set/create a Milestone with name review

• SPEC issues are the first workflow that should lead the next tasks, but it's not mandatory:

  • any member can update the SPECS.md directly
  • (preferred) Dev team update the SPECS.md via issue using Project SPEC, so team can view/collaborate/improve the specific task

• The SPEC tasks should take care for:

  • analyze what is not has been specified in the REQUEST.md
  • working on the SPECS.md should: reveal flaws, solve preliminary design issue, get feedbacks from Dev team

• The SPEC stage is non-blocking, you can start (in some other branch) preliminary design process

• As SPEC issues are completed, SPEC.md updated and locked, the next stage should be the design process

• No strict rules for the design process workflow, just be collaborative and ask for feedbacks

• As design process is completed OSHW will do manufacture/assembly and hardware tests then send feedbacks to the Dev team

• README.md at this stage should be completed

How to join

We are looking for open source developers and engineers

Get in contact with us by email: info@oshw.it

or join our DISCORD: https://discord.gg/p8jnsDF

Inspiration

Open source a step forward