Erik's Blog: Discussing open source innovation, personal fabrication and a new and better world - Comments

Hrvoje Cop: [Presentation] 3D printing event, Eindhoven

nospam@example.com (Hrvoje Cop) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:50:53 +0100

Hey! Just took a look at your slides. It was nice to see my Yoda in there, thanks! You did spell my name wrong, but it happens a lot since it's unpronouncible except in Slavic languages, hehe Too bad I couldn't come to the event, I'm sure you had a great time.

Erik de Bruijn: Software accelleration

nospam@example.com (Erik de Bruijn) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:08:05 +0200

Not Italian, I'm Dutch, hence the .nl in my domain. Use my domain name to make up any e-mail address.

Lorenzo: Software accelleration

nospam@example.com (Lorenzo) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:17:32 +0200

hi erik are you italian?? if it possible can i have your private email , i would to ask you some question if it possible

Bernhard: Software accelleration

nospam@example.com (Bernhard) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 10:32:47 +0200

With less microstepping, we could break the sound barrier probably...

Erik de Bruijn: Software accelleration

nospam@example.com (Erik de Bruijn) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:47:05 +0200

Thanks for correcting me and clearing this up. I updated the post. I knew it was related to the 16MHz. We're currently looking into ARM cores for future developments. But it's great to see that we've been able to crank so much more out of the litte AtMega 2560.

Triffid Hunter: Software accelleration

nospam@example.com (Triffid Hunter) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:37:29 +0200

Hi, sprinter is based (via a longish chain of forks) on tonokip. it has no relation to teacup or FiveD on Arduino. They are totally separate codebases

As for why sprinter doesn't step faster when you tell it to go faster, it generates steps in a busy loop, so there's a particular speed where it /wants/ to go faster but has hit the atmega's processing speed limit and can't run the loop any faster.

This is a limitation of the atmegas we're using, and can be fixed only by getting more MIPS, or fewer clocks per 32 bit mathop, both of which require a different/bigger architecture like mips or arm.

Lory90sw: 3D printing from abundant sources: fusing sand into glass, powered by the sun

nospam@example.com (Lory90sw) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:24:23 +0200

Hi my name is Lorenzo, i dowload your bfb firware dev but when i try to compile your firware whit mplab i mange to compile, but when i try it the motor wouldnt move, i thinks there is a prblem with the mt4interrupt..
can you help me??

Johan: Ultimaker shipping & open sourced!

nospam@example.com (Johan) — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:56:39 +0200

De diverse posts van afgelopen maanden, zoals de Pick-N-Place tape feeder, verraadden een berg werk.
Petje af!

Hats off!

Johan vO

Erik: Thoughts on copyright questions as 3D printing comes of age

nospam@example.com (Erik) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:59:02 +0200

Gerry Barnett recently also wrote an interesting blog post on this subject:
http://rtei.org/blog/2011/04/26/ip-in-3d-printing-2/

Sidelong: Thoughts on copyright questions as 3D printing comes of age

nospam@example.com (Sidelong) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:43:10 +0200

I think what's interesting (and probably quite disturbing for mass producers) is that with open source CNC machines the capital overhead to produce products is significantly lower and allows access for a far greater group. The argument that patents are needed because of return on investment is fast becoming irrelevant. This for me is one of the last genuine arguments patent holders could offer in what is currently a very dodgy business of patent creation and (forceful) use.

I strongly believe that people are intrinsically inventive and creative and so will, given the tools, make things or modify things so that they are more useful to themselves. From my view point as an industrial designer there are so many things which could be improved and created using these tools and now we have the means to do it without all the crazy capital overheads and infrastructure that has been needed in the past. This of course causes many conniptions for the 'knowledge' society I have been told we are part of because that society is about the control of knowledge and not the sharing of it. So there are jitters all round (except maybe from the ones who don't know it is coming!)

I have put in my home page... it is very out of date. The masters project has slowed while I have been fixing my Makerbot; there is recurrent x-axis slippage. Ha!

Dorien Vrieling: CAD

nospam@example.com (Dorien Vrieling) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:33:28 +0200

Beste Erik,

Graag wil ik je iets vragen! Voor ons congres over Persinnovatie op 6 juni a.s. in de Beurs van Berlage, zijn wij op zoek naar mooie innovatieve designs/producten/projecten om te laten zien. Het gaat uitdrukkelijk niet om projecten die met pers/journalistiek te maken hebben, maar juist om dingen van buiten dat veld.
De 3dprinter is natuurlijk een bijzonder aansprekend voorbeeld van zo'n ontwerp. Mijn vraag aan jou is daarom of je kans ziet om de werking van de 3d printer te demonstreren op ons congres.

Graag hoor ik van je, vanzelfsprekend ook voor meer informatie.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Dorien Vrieling
projectmedewerker Stimuleringsfonds voor de Pers

Erik: Thoughts on copyright questions as 3D printing comes of age

nospam@example.com (Erik) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:03:06 +0200

[AnÃ³nima] Patents don't restrict the flow of knowledge: there are free easy to consult documents.

I know more than a few companies that have a policy not to read others' patents, because being in the knowing make the infringement worse. There's a reason for this: many ideas are invented several times, independently. While the first person can claim the rights to the invention that the others have likewise created independently, the others are infringing when they utilize their own invention. Of course it makes sense that their sanctions are reduced when they didn't know about it. It's awkward enough that they can get punished for being inventive. But it's hard to prove that they didn't just copy the invention because of the patent. This is another dilemma that patents create.
Also, I consider reading patents that are still valid as similar as learning to use a very expensive software tool, that you could never afford. This means that you'll force yourself to relearn another package or be infringing when the trial period expires.
I don't think that the average garage based inventor reads patents in order to be able to invent.
[AnÃ³nima] Espacenet offers free access to more than 70 million patent documents worldwide, containing information about inventions and technical developments from 1836 to today.

I think that it's great that there are so many old patents available, but the extreme amounts of patenting nowadays can hardly be justified, even if they are published, this knowledge contains serious risks when you adopt it.

[AnÃ³nima] That could very well be true [That those who interact, develop their knowledge faster]. But if the improuvment implies an inventive step, then there is not a problem of patent infringment unless you still need to use the original invention.

We'll you can still infringe claims that are upheld in court. And you don't know this in advance, so the risk keeps people and businesses out of competing in a certain innovative market because of bigger players that can afford to file, or worse, acquire patents. This especially keeps out smaller new entrants in a market. We all know that this is a bad thing for the evolution of an industry and eventually for the consumer.

[AnÃ³nima] ... Patents protect against copying not against worthwile improuvments.
For one I think that the word 'protect' is very inaccurate. Restrict is more appropriate.

AnÃ³nima: Thoughts on copyright questions as 3D printing comes of age

nospam@example.com (AnÃ³nima) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:16:31 +0200

[Erik] Nowadays, preserving these freedoms becomes more important to stimulate innovation than to restrict the flow of knowledge in favor of exclusive right holders.

[AnÃ³nima] Patents don't restrict the flow of knowledge: there are free easy to consult documents.

http://www.epo.org/searching/free/espacenet.html

Espacenet offers free access to more than 70 million patent documents worldwide, containing information about inventions and technical developments from 1836 to today.

[Erik] Those who sit on their knowledge in order to exploit it, will never improve it as fast as those who share, interact and mingle their knowledge with others.

[AnÃ³nima] That could very well be true. But if the improuvment implies an inventive step, then there is not a problem of patent infringment unless you still need to use the original invention.

In that case you can get a fair deal of cross patents.

Patents protect against copying not against worthwile improuvments.

AnÃ³nima: Thoughts on copyright questions as 3D printing comes of age

nospam@example.com (AnÃ³nima) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:06:55 +0200

[Erik] The rationale used to be: if inventors would not have the profit driven incentive, these inventions would not be created

[AnÃ³nima] That's only part of it. The other main reason is that some people tend to keep their knowledge secret so patents are about giving an incentive to make knowledge publicly avalaible.

Thanks to the patent system, the inventor has a strong incentive to give a complete description of the invention so every body can learn and experiment (non commercial use) and make improuvments.

It's important to remember that patent documents are avalaible for free unlike some scientific papers

Erik: Thoughts on copyright questions as 3D printing comes of age

nospam@example.com (Erik) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:05:15 +0200

Hi Johan,

Good question.

I think that's a pretty safe bet. In addition to a lot of free there will be paid content. But there are other ways to make a living where the content is compatible with a part you sell, others might adapt to your part or circumvent it. New ways of generating value, less dependent on trying to control IP, but still centered around value creation.