True, alright I got to see how to help build that up. We all got this!!
Know any good online/in-person open source hardware, software, and Linux groups I can join that are established for other things? Need to learn and do as much as I can to make it happen
If you want to get involved in open hardware, a good first step would be to learn KiCad. It’s is used to create electronic circuit schematics and turn them into printed circuit board (PCB) designs. Here’s a pretty good tutorial to get started with it. Please ignore the instructor’s obnoxious Ronald Reagan quote in the second episode.
A PCB is usually not enough, of course. You should also learn FreeCAD so you can design the mechanical aspects of the hardware, whether that be a simple enclosure, or a more complex system with multiple moving parts. Here’s a good FreeCAD tutorial.
I mention KiCad and FreeCAD specifically because they’re both free and open source. You can check out this awesome list for a list of cool open hardware projects and learning resources. Two projects that really stand out to me are the LumenPNP pick and place machine and the Voron 2.4 3D printer.
For in-person groups, see if there are any makerspaces/hackerspaces in your city. That’s where you’ll most likely find like-minded people.
There’s more than this required to build anything that’d be needed to survive in an automotive environment, and considerably more if you are hoping to have an open source/FOSS design that would be accepted as a suitable replacement for something proprietary, although I don’t think that was your aim (but it does sound like OP’s). I’m all for grassroots/homebrew stuff but we’re talking about a thousand kilos+ of steel and plastic being hurled down a road carrying people, in and around other people in similar contraptions. This isn’t something I’d exactly condone throwing a hackerspace’s resources and some Arduinos at.
You are right that this sort of project should not be attempted by a beginner. It would have to be a collaboration between several experienced engineers. OP should not attempt this alone.
My hope is that by the time these surveillance systems become mainstream, OP has enough experience to collaborate with others on such a project.
Maybe after I’m experienced with others can do versions of that but for electric walking bike-cars (with seats when you dont want to walk in the walking bike-car), etc
You should definitely start with small projects to build experience. Modern passenger vehicles are extremely complex. To get a feel for this complexity, it would be a good idea for you to start doing basic maintainence on your own vehicle if you have one (oil changes, tire rotations, etc). Invest in some good quality tools if you can afford it.
I knew very little about cars until a little over a year ago when I started watching Garbage Time. This YouTube channel is a very entertaining way to inadvertently learn every aspect of how cars work. Because of this channel, my partner and I have started doing all of our own car maintainence and we fixed a very poorly maintained Toyota Celica that had a spun bearing.
If your goal is to actually design and build a fully open-source passenger vehicle, you may want to collaborate with Open Source Ecology. I believe they already have an open-source truck in the works as part of their Global Village Construction Set.
Their goal is to create an open-source version of civilization’s 50 most important tools. This is an extremely ambitious goal, but it’s technically possible given enough time and effort.
True, alright I got to see how to help build that up. We all got this!!
Know any good online/in-person open source hardware, software, and Linux groups I can join that are established for other things? Need to learn and do as much as I can to make it happen
If you want to get involved in open hardware, a good first step would be to learn KiCad. It’s is used to create electronic circuit schematics and turn them into printed circuit board (PCB) designs. Here’s a pretty good tutorial to get started with it. Please ignore the instructor’s obnoxious Ronald Reagan quote in the second episode.
A PCB is usually not enough, of course. You should also learn FreeCAD so you can design the mechanical aspects of the hardware, whether that be a simple enclosure, or a more complex system with multiple moving parts. Here’s a good FreeCAD tutorial.
I mention KiCad and FreeCAD specifically because they’re both free and open source. You can check out this awesome list for a list of cool open hardware projects and learning resources. Two projects that really stand out to me are the LumenPNP pick and place machine and the Voron 2.4 3D printer.
For in-person groups, see if there are any makerspaces/hackerspaces in your city. That’s where you’ll most likely find like-minded people.
Appreciate you Cobalt, saving and using all this, have a good one!!
There’s more than this required to build anything that’d be needed to survive in an automotive environment, and considerably more if you are hoping to have an open source/FOSS design that would be accepted as a suitable replacement for something proprietary, although I don’t think that was your aim (but it does sound like OP’s). I’m all for grassroots/homebrew stuff but we’re talking about a thousand kilos+ of steel and plastic being hurled down a road carrying people, in and around other people in similar contraptions. This isn’t something I’d exactly condone throwing a hackerspace’s resources and some Arduinos at.
You are right that this sort of project should not be attempted by a beginner. It would have to be a collaboration between several experienced engineers. OP should not attempt this alone.
My hope is that by the time these surveillance systems become mainstream, OP has enough experience to collaborate with others on such a project.
And since you mentioned throwing Arduinos at cars, I thought I’d mention that there’s apparently over a thousand cars that have had their ECU replaced by a specially-designed Arduino. I guess there’s several open-source ECU projects out there. Might not be street legal in all jurisdictions though 😅
I’ll be back with more experience overtime.
Wonder what would be good for a first open source small vehicle to start off with though for a solo person too
An electric walking treadmill bike probably?
For example:
https://youtube.com/shorts/pspKOt-0XUg
Maybe after I’m experienced with others can do versions of that but for electric walking bike-cars (with seats when you dont want to walk in the walking bike-car), etc
You should definitely start with small projects to build experience. Modern passenger vehicles are extremely complex. To get a feel for this complexity, it would be a good idea for you to start doing basic maintainence on your own vehicle if you have one (oil changes, tire rotations, etc). Invest in some good quality tools if you can afford it.
I knew very little about cars until a little over a year ago when I started watching Garbage Time. This YouTube channel is a very entertaining way to inadvertently learn every aspect of how cars work. Because of this channel, my partner and I have started doing all of our own car maintainence and we fixed a very poorly maintained Toyota Celica that had a spun bearing.
If your goal is to actually design and build a fully open-source passenger vehicle, you may want to collaborate with Open Source Ecology. I believe they already have an open-source truck in the works as part of their Global Village Construction Set.
Their goal is to create an open-source version of civilization’s 50 most important tools. This is an extremely ambitious goal, but it’s technically possible given enough time and effort.