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It's Wuthering Bytes month here at oomlout as we count down the days to the opening of the UK Maker Belt's premier technology event - and today, we've got some great news for the budget-conscious: a discount code offering completely free entry to one of the new extended event days, Open for Business. It should come as no surprise to hear that we're big believers in being able to mix open source and a sharing culture into a thriving business. The products we design, including our popular ARDX Arduino Starter Kit, are released under permissive licences for people to re-use, hack...

This month is Wuthering Bytes month here at oomlout, as we count down the days to the opening of the UK Maker Belt's pre-eminent technology festival. For those unfamiliar with the event, it's time for a primer - and who better to talk to than co-founder and organiser Andrew Back?"Wuthering Bytes is a tech festival with a focus on open technologies, practical skills and inspiring stories. The great thing about open source hardware and software is that it lowers the barrier to access to technology, while also fostering a culture of sharing skills," Andrew explains of the event he co-founded...

We're terribly excited about September here at oomlout, and it's not just because the blackberries are out: it's time once again for Wuthering Bytes, the annual technology festival organised by our friends Andrew Back and Tim Harbour which takes place in lovely Hebden Bridge. Last year's festival included a Festival Day of assorted talks, an Open Source Hardware User Group talk day, and a workshop day. This year's, by contrast, is even bigger: there's still the Festival Day, once again featuring our tame technology journalist Gareth Halfacree as compére, and the two OSHUG days, but the event has now been...

In the early days of electronics, circuits looked organic and hand-drawn - because, of course, they were. Designers would lay down tracks by literally placing tape, by hand, as a photoresist ahead of the etching process. The result was attractive yet functional circuit designs with nary a sharp edge to be seen. These days, of course, we have computers to do these things for us. The result: angular, sharp designs dominated by 90 degree angles and parallel lines. Not everyone is happy with this status quo, though. This week, the EE Times has published a ten-strong slideshow showcasing some of...

We've mentioned thoroughly lovely chap and fellow UK Maker Belter Ben Gray's MeArm project - and its recent controller add-on, the MeBrain - several times before, but this week it hit a major milestone: the release of what Ben describes as the true Version 1.0 design files. A fully-functional robotic arm aimed at the hobbyist and educational user, the MeArm design has always been smart: it's easy to assemble, uses a minimum of parts, and can be laser-cut from a single A4 sheet of acrylic. It's also open hardware, although Ben readily admits that he's been lax with releasing his...