On Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 7:20 AM, Matt Maier <blueback09@gmail.com> wrote:
The problem is that we don't know what we need.
That is the problem. You can't approach the problem of abstracting an engineering method top down. Linus didn't start with Mozilla and then write a kernel (even if they hypothetically existed at the same time). You must work bottom up. That means, do a small, simple hardware project. Then do another one. Then do another one. Then combine the common elements. Then add another one. Combine the common elements again. Continue to iterate until there's about 100. Then reconstruct the implementation to reorganize the common elements. Do more projects and combine the common elements at regular intervals. Continue to iterate until there's about 1000. Then do another complete reconstruction. etc. There's a hyped-up term for this method, it's called Agile. Don't forget Design For Test while starting up.
Unless this is for a thesis; then by all means start top down and don't accomplish anything and create a bunch of new terms and acronyms and perhaps publish then fade into obscurity while sounding big for about 15 mins.
For example: the first step in creating a completely new electronic design is to build a parts library. Then connect the parts. Then after several designs with the same parts, the common designs are made into bigger (abstracted) parts which are in turn used in several designs. But it always starts with the lowest level library part (a resistor or the simplest chip) then in subsequent iterations the library contains many components in a single abstracted and functional box.
There are many standardized (and/or open) hardware components now but there have always been standard hardware building blocks, just not open/DIY-manufacturable ones. Abstraction layer zero -- these are the atoms. Where's the higher-level module libraries which use the atoms to form larger reusable hardware pieces? These will only be created by building many real things and scraping the common configurations into larger component blocks -- to get to Abstraction layer one.
BTW if open hardware technology is so advanced then where's the Ikea-CAD which allows building larger things using Ikea standardized-building-block components? Doesn't exist because the libraries are still at Abstraction layer zero.
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