• Registered: 2009-10-29
  • Posts: 19

Topic: What's behind the HDK agreement?

Hi All,

I hate for this to be my first post, but...

What content is behind the HDK agreement?  I don't like to "sign" something like that without knowing what the benefit is.  Schematics, gerbers, mask - that much I've read about.  If there's anything else, my google-fu isn't good enough to discover what it is.

I'm just trying to decide if keeping my sanitized clean-room uninformed mind status is more advantageous than signing that away.

Seriously, this isn't a "LAs are the root of all 3v1L" thread.  I'm not interested in discussing the LA.  That's been done to _death_ here and everywhere else, and my google-fu _is_ good enough for that.  No - I'm more just looking for [ideally] a manifest or [less ideally] a brief summary of what's behind the HDK agreement other than schematic/gerbers/mask.

TIA! - and believe me, I'm not trying to start any fires here! [puts on her Nomex - just in case!]  [My much anticipated Chumby should be here soonish...]

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  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: What's behind the HDK agreement?

For hardware 3.7

Full schematics and layout for the chumby core unit with cross-references
Gerber files for the chumby core unit
Full schematics and layout for the daughtercard
Gerber files for the daughtercard
Schematics and layout for the wifi riser
Gerber files for the wifi riser

For the "crypto processor":

authentication specification
BSD licensed source code

For "Foo" and "Katamari" alpha prototypes:

Full schematics and layout for the chumby core unit with cross-references
A bill of materials for the chumby core unit
Layer by layer 1:1 scale print of the circuit board
Larger than life assembly drawing (just the silk screen designators)
Daughtercard schematics

"sensor package" for prototypes:

Schematics for the sensor package
Board layout for the sensor package
BOM for the sensor package
Drivers and demo code for the sensor package

There are also some notes and other miscellaneous information

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2009-10-29
  • Posts: 19

Re: What's behind the HDK agreement?

Awesome!  Thanks, Duane!  Exactly what I was wondering.  I trust you understand the spirit of the question, I really do appreciate the answer!

To avoid any potential conflagrations (and because this Nomex is itchy), you can feel free to close the thread if the mood suits you.  Asked, answered, resolved, boom - we're outta here. big_smile

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I Void Warranties (tm)
  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: What's behind the HDK agreement?

We have no issue with discussing what you would get if you enter into the HDK agreement.  I'm not sure why you felt that we would be hostile about this.

Note that there's a bunch on analysis on the HDK agreement out there, but most of it refers to any older version.  We revised the agreement (twice, I think), in order to make it more liberal and address most, if not all, of the concerns that were brought up by the community. There was some unclear and aggressive-sounding lawyer-language in one of the earliest versions that was easy to misinterpret.

Since the licensing of hardware in an open manner is somewhat new, there was a *lot* of suspicion out there that we were trying to trick people and attempting to own all of their work,  their children, dog, etc.  However, the primary intent was to protect Chumby from people simply taking our design and competing with us directly, or worse, suing us based on derivative works.

We do encourage people that intend to do certain things (like manufacture clones) to have a lawyer review the agreement.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2009-10-29
  • Posts: 19

Re: What's behind the HDK agreement?

Oh no - I didn't expect Chumby Ind Reps to be hostile at all!

It just seems from reading a thousand plus posts that any time a thread gets anywhere near the licesensing topics it reaches a flash-over point.

I apologize if it looked like I was suggesting the Company would be hostile.  I've seen several of you and your colleagues have your patience tried to a fine edge, but I haven't seen any of you become hostile - long after I would have torn someone's throat out with my teeth, gouged my own eyes out with a spork, and started hanging people by their entrails - you've been unimpeachably calm and reasonable..

It's honestly just one of those topics that I don't want to bring up because then my first post labels me "yet another  rabble rousers" in the forum's collective consciousness - and that wasn't the intent at all.

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I Void Warranties (tm)