Free Hardware Day

The Free Hardware Day or Hardware Freedom Day is a day proclaimed by the Digital Freedom Foundation, with the purpose of publicizing free and open hardware and promoting information on the use of and contribution to free and hardware projects. With the creation of this day, the aim is to disseminate the benefits and utilities of Free Hardware, promoting a common platform for people linked to the area to share their ideas and interests. This day was celebrated for the first time on April 20, 2013. It is celebrated annually, on the third Saturday of April.

Digital Freedom Foundation (DFF)

Digital Freedom Foundation (DFF) is a non-profit organization, initially based on the promotion of marketing events, aimed at defending the user of free software.

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For some years now, it has expanded its scope to digital knowledge, encompassing free software, open hardware, and content (OER, free culture). In this sense, it promoted an educational project aimed at educating people on their needs in these areas. This Foundation promotes the celebration of Software Freedom Day, Hardware Freedom Day, Document Freedom Day, Education Freedom Day.

What is Free Hardware?

The Hardware is a computer term, defined as the set of physical or material elements that constitute a computer or a computer system. The Free Hardware is a term used to describe physical objects designed, whose specifications and schematic diagrams are created and shared publicly and without restrictions, allowing other people to modify it, improve it and redistribute their contributions. In recent years, the Maker Movement has emerged, a collaborative and technological proposal that aims to revive the philosophy of free hardware, through the dissemination of projects in which components and information about devices accessible to all people are shared, so that anyone can make contributions or improvements.

Origins of Free Hardware

The origin of projects based on open-source devices began in the seventies, when the hippie movement popularized the "do it yourself" culture (from English "do it yourself"). In this sense, many technological projects started in the garages of ordinary homes. We cite as an example the Homebrew Computer Club, in which several electronics enthusiasts shared and exchanged parts, circuits and information regarding the microprocessors of the time. The first meeting of this club was held in March 1975 in the garage of one of its founders, Gordon French, remaining active until 1986. They promoted the exchange of hardware designs so that other club members could freely modify them and add new utilities, in order to return them improved to the community. For several years, the proliferation of open hardware projects has increased, due to the novelty of the internet, facilitating and simplifying public access to diagrams, blueprints, and logical designs of devices. This can be done for free or through some payment model, under the principles of collaboration and cooperation, so that the information is available to anyone interested.

Some Free Hardware Initiatives

Below, we show some interesting initiatives, carried out under the concept of Free Hardware:

• RepRap Projetc: This project was designed by Adrian Bowyer from the University of Bath (UK), in 2004. They created a 3D printer that can replicate itself, by printing most of its components. This device is accessible under the GNU GPL license, to anyone who can copy, study, distribute and improve its designs and source code. Currently there are several RepRap models that are constantly improved by the free hardware community.
• Arduino: consists of a base board that incorporates a microcontroller and a development environment, creating applications for said board. Projects range from robots to automatic irrigation systems. It is available under a Creative Commons license, allowing freedom of development. However, derivative products must comply with certain guidelines, cataloged as a brand control.
• Raspberry Pi: It is a computer that is the size of a credit card. It has a base board on which a processor, a graphics chip and RAM are assembled. It was promoted by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in 2009, with the purpose of stimulating the teaching of computer science in schools around the world. It has a large community of developers who share the new functions of the board.
• e-puck: is a project oriented to the teaching of programming, through an open source mobile robot.
• Tabby EVO: It is a platform created in 1999 by the company Open Source Car (currently Open Motors). It designed an electric car with open source tools. It offers information about the vehicle's components to manufacturers, engineers, industrial designers and other specialists.
• Uzebox: Consists of the creation of a retro design video game console, designed with the aim of reviving the experience of the first video games. It has a community of developers and fans who test, research and enrich the software and hardware of this device. Users can purchase the kit parts and do their own assembly.
• Open Source Ecology: is a network of farmers, engineers and promoters of free hardware, aimed at developing a new generation of industrial machinery with universal access, with a low environmental impact.

How to Celebrate Hardware Freedom Day?

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Here are some activities and events to celebrate this day worldwide:

• Workshops on open hardware.
• Open hacking contests.
• Demonstrations and presentation of new free hardware projects.