Back in October we launched the new look DesignSpark website in conjunction with DesignSpark PCB v 4 that included our new ModelSource feature, an extensive online database of FREE engineering models that hosts Schematic and PCB component libraries and 2D & 3D CAD models.
Last month we launched our exciting new DesignShare section. We created DesignShare for the DesignSpark Community and our Partners to create, collaborate, share and download open source projects. It’s also a place where our members can submit project ideas that they’d like to see us adopt and design.
We also revamped our Raspberry Pi Design Centre that collates everything Pi as well as introducing new Design Centres, such as the one for the world of Open Source Hardware and Software.
In the coming months we have some great things coming up, including a the next release of DesignSpark PCB and a great new complementary Design Tool that we will be launching in September.
We had lots of blogs of the last year, so i’ve picked out a few favourites of mine to share with you all.
Paul Clarke launched the concept of his Earth Rover project. His plan is to gather a group of people to help him make his dream a reality. Paul wants to build an open source rover and then find a suitable location here on Earth for it to explore and communicate back to base. You can read more about Pauls Project in his blog, and also follow the progress on Facebook and Twitter.
Andrew Back has posted a whole host a blogs over the last year. Andrew lives and breathes everything open source and has also done some really cool things with Raspberry Pi’s, Arduino’s and mbeds.
Here’s some of my favourite posts from Andrew.
Starting a HackSpace in a small town
Hackspaces create an environment that bring together people with common interests in things like electronics. Andrew lives in a small sleepy town in the North of England and tells his story of how he has set up a hackspace in the town hall.
Open Relief
OpenRelief is an open source hardware and software initiative created to help map, collate data and help with relief efforts in disaster zones. A true open source program that makes a real difference to the lives and well being of all of us. Andrew is part of this initiative and shares with us his design for a low cost radiation sensor.
Raspberry Pi Time-Lapse Camera
We have had lots of post around Raspberry Pi this last year. One of my favourite posts from Andrew was his timelapse camera. He’s also posted it as a project in our new DesignShare Project section, so you can now build this yourself.
Here's a video Andrew put together usingthe timelapse images. Watch out for the double rainbow at 2.39 mins!
Jude Pullen is a card modelling guru and shows us in this post how to create your own Raspberry Pi case using everyday objects.
He has also created a home made open source device called “Solder Buddy” that makes soldering a much easier task.
In the spirit of hardware hacking, here’s a post I wrote featuring Jude in the Dyson Ball Challenge
We have some great new things we are working on with Jude, so keep an eye out for this in the coming months.
Finally, a big thanks to all our Bloggers, Partners and other members for their contributions, and look forward to seeing more fantastic content over the next year. I'd also like to give a special thanks to some of our more regular Bloggers, Andrew Back, Paul Clarke, Jude Pullen, JK Vassan, Bill Marshall and Chris Swan for your contributions over the last year.
I look forward to seeing more fantastic content over the next year.
Pete
DesignSpark Community Manager
twitter @petenwood