OHMC2018

The Open Hardware Miniconf 2018 will take place as part of LCA 2018 in Sydney, Australia.

The concept of Free / Open Source Software, already well understood by LCA attendees, is complemented by a rapidly growing community focused around Open Hardware and "maker culture". One of the drivers of the popularity of the Open Hardware community is easy access to cheap devices such as Arduino, which is a microcontroller development board originally intended for classroom use but now a popular building block in all sorts of weird and wonderful hobbyist and professional projects.

Interest in Open Hardware is high among FOSS enthusiasts but there is also a barrier to entry with the perceived difficulty and dangers of dealing with hot soldering irons, unknown components and unfamiliar naming schemes. The miniconf will use an Open Hardware assembly project as a stepping stone to help ease software developers into dealing with Open Hardware. Topics will cover both software and hardware issues, starting with simpler sessions suitable for Open Hardware beginners and progressing through to more advanced topics.

The day ran in two distinct halves. The first part of the day was a hands-on assembly session where participants will have the chance to assemble a special hardware project developed for the miniconf. For 2018, the project will be a small robot called the "LoliBot", running with an ESP32 microcontroller on a Lolin32-Lite dev board. Instructors will be on hand to assist with soldering and the other mysteries of hardware assembly. The second part of the day was a presentations about Open Hardware topics, including information on software to run on the hardware project built earlier in the day. Due to the nature of the hardware project, we will be spending more time on presentations about the LoliBot hardware, software and getting the most out of it.

Venue

The venue for OHMC2018 will be announced soon.

Schedule

Date: Monday 22nd January 2018

Project assembly in the morning followed by talks in the afternoon:

• 10:45 - 12:25 LoliBot Assembly Workshop (registration required to participate, spectators also welcome)
• 12:25 - 1:40 Lunch
• 1:40 - 2:05 TBA: TBA
• 2:05 - 2:30 TBA: TBA
• 2:30 - 2:55 TBA: TBA
• 2:55 - 3:20 TBA: TBA
• 3:20 - 3:45 Afternoon Tea
• 3:45 - 4:10 TBA: TBA
• 4:10 - 4:35 TBA: TBA
• 4:35 - 5:00 TBA: TBA
• 5:00 - 5:25 Lightning Talks (5 minutes)
  • TBA: TBA
  • TBA: TBA
  • TBA: TBA
  • TBA: TBA
  • TBA: TBA

Lightning Talks

Call for lightning talks will be open soon.

Call For Papers

Call For Papers will be open soon.

Discussion Group

There is a Google Group email list for discussion of topics related to the miniconf, including the assembly session:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/open-hardware-conf

Assembly Project

Each year we help attendees build a project specially developed for the Open Hardware Miniconf.

The project for 2018 is LoliBot, a 2-wheel robot controlled by an ESP32 microcontroller on a Lolin32-Lite dev board. LoliBot is designed to be used for robot soccer, with a ball capture system in the front and a servo to "kick" the ball. It also includes an IMU, and breakouts so that other sensors can be added.

The board is based around the ESP32, which is the big brother successor to the ESP8266. Hack-A-Day article describing the ESP32.

Cost of the kit for LCA2018 is AU$65 inc GST.

Through hole parts on the board will be assembled on the day, with all the SMD parts being pre-loaded on the board.

Repository for the project is on Github:

• Hardware: http://github.com/CCHS-Melbourne/LoliBot
• Firmware: To come

The hardware kit includes ...

• Main robot base PCB
• Lolin32-Lite dev board with WiFi and Bluetooth
• 2 x wheels and motors
• IMU
• 18650 Li-Ion battery
• Servo

Project (im)maturity

Regardless of your current level of experience and skill, you will have an excellent day and walk away with working hardware and software. If you want to get in at the ground floor of the ESP32 developer community, then this is a great place to start. There will be some uncharted territory, some trail blazing and plenty of learning from our mistakes :)