According to [Squonk42], nope. And we think he’s probably right.

The Yun is an Arduino Leonardo with an Atheros AR9331 WiFi SoC built in. It’s a great idea, pairing the Arduino with a tiny WiFi router that’s capable of running OpenWRT.  But how is this no longer Open Source Hardware? Try getting an editable board layout. You can’t.

Or at least [Squonk42] couldn’t. In Sept. 2013, [Squonk42] posted up on the Arduino forums requesting the schematics and editable design files for the Arduino Yun, and he still hasn’t received them or even a response.

Now this dude’s no slouch. He’s responsible for the most complete reverse-engineering of the TP-Link TL-WR703N pocket router, which is, not coincidentally, an Atheros AR9331-based reference design. And this is where the Arduini ran into trouble, [Squonk42] contends.

[Squonk42]’s hypothesis is that Arduino must have done what any “sane” engineer would do in this case when presented with a super-complex piece of hardware and a potentially tricky radio layout: just use the reference design (Atheros AP-121). That’s what everyone else in the industry did. And that’s smart, only the rest of the consumer electronics industry isn’t claiming to be Open Source Hardware while the reference design is protected by an NDA.

So it looks like Arduino’s hands are tied. They, or their partner Dog Hunter, either signed the NDA or downloaded the PDF of the reference design that’s floating around on the Interwebs. Either way, it’s going to be tough to publish the design files under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.

Is this a change of strategy for the Arduino folks or did they just make a mistake? We won’t know until they respond, and that answer’s a year and a half in coming. Let’s see what we can do about that. And who knows, maybe Arduino can lean on Atheros to open up their reference design? It’s already an open secret at best.

But before you go out lighting up your righteous Open Source Hardware pitchforks and sharpening up your torches, read through [Squonk42]’s case and then dig through the primary sources that he’s linked to make up your own mind. You’ll make your case more eloquently if you’re making it yourself.

Good luck, [Squonk42]! We hope you at least get your answer. Even if you already know it.

The fifth edition of the Open Hardware Summit, for the first time happening outside the USA, is taking place on the 30th of September 2014  in Rome (you can now book your free tickets here).The event launches the Rome Innovation Week, culminating with the second edition of Maker Faire Rome (3-5 October). 

The topic of this edition of the Summit wants to reflect on how production models are shifting from one to one, to one to many structure and the latest schedule features several outstanding speakers of the open hardware scene such as Adrian Bowyer (father of RepRap), Tomas Diez (Fab Lab Barcelona Director), Yasmin Elayat (GOOD fellow), Becky Stern (Director of Wearable Electronics, Adafruit Industries), Eric Pan (Founder, Seeed Studio, Forbes China’s 30 under 30), David Lang (OpenROV Founder, Author of Zero to Maker), Gawin Dapper (CTO, Phonebloks), Nick Ierodiaconou (Co-Founder Open Desk), Phoenix Perry (Founder, Code Liberation) and many more.

Check the Summit’s blog for features and updates about speakers.

Come and join the biggest European gathering of Makers, full of amazing people who enjoy learning and love sharing projects and inventions from the 3rd to the 5th of October in Rome.

If you have an awesome project and want to show off to an international community, remember that the Call for Makers will be open until the 25th of May. Click here to submit your project.

There are a number of different types of maker applications you can do. You can apply as:

Maker : Individuals, groups, schools and organizations that would like to demonstrate what they make and/or how it works; interactive exhibits are encouraged. No fee to exhibit for Makers in a standard setup.

Light-Talk speaker: Individuals and groups who would like to talk about an idea or project of interest to the Maker community, OR makers who are interested in demonstrating what they make and how it works in a stage setting. Presentations are typically 15 or 40 minutes, with some time for Q&A.

Hands-On Workshop: If your passion is in inspiring the public into Making, we invite you to propose activities and workshops. The organization can provide materials and components for activities (please be specific in your proposal). Activities has to be guided and Maker facilitated. Each Activity should have a duration of 2 hours and half or the whole day and should be accessible for younger audience to make with parental guidance.

This year the venue will be the Parco della Musica Auditorium, the multi-functional complex designed by Renzo Piano (Viale Pietro Coubertin 30), in the Flaminio area of the city.

And just some days before on  September 30 and October 1 , the same venue will host the fifth edition of the  Open Hardware Summit, the annual conference organized by the Open Source Hardware Association and the world’s first comprehensive conference on open hardware.

Keynotes cover a wide range of subjects from electronics and mechanics to related fields such as digital fabrication, fashion technology, self-quantification devices, and DIY bio. Confirmed speakers until now are Becky Stern from Adafruit, Gabriella Levine COO of Protei Inc, manufacturing robotic biomimetic sailboats, Phoenix Perry - Adjunct Professor at NYU teaching Gaming, Design and more to come. They are seeking submissions for talks and workshops from individuals and groups working with open hardware and related areas. Submit your proposal (Accepted contributors will have airfare PAID by the organization)!