RS Components launches open source design centre

RS Components has launched its Open Source Design Centre, a comprehensive free guide to open source electronics design hosted on designspark.com, the company’s online resource for electronics design engineers.

The Open Source Design Centre brings together all of the elements involved in open source design in a single, easy-to-access reference point. It provides reliable information on matters ranging from open source licensing guidelines to advice on hardware and software management. Its aim is to educate engineers in open source design, and to aid and encourage their active participation in open source design projects.

RS Components has developed the Open Source Design Centre in cooperation with Andrew Back, an industry expert in open source hardware and founding member of the Open Source Hardware User Group (OSHUG), UK’s open source hardware group established in 2010.

“While open source hardware has until recently been at the low end of the electronics design spectrum, it is steadily increasing in interest as the opportunities for industry, education and experimentation become apparent,” commented Back. “By working with RS Components, we are tapping into a vast global base of engineers on designspark.com, many of whom will be the key players in taking forward open source hardware into mainstream electronics design.”

“The growing popularity of open source hardware design has become self-evident over the past 12 months with the release of new versions of low-cost development boards such as Arduino and BeagleBone, and the launch of Raspberry Pi has created extraordinary demand around the world,” said David Tarrant, Head of Community Development at RS Components.