Open Source Software – Blog. by Next Thing https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com News & Notes. Process & Projects. No BS. Srsly. Thu, 09 Nov 2017 03:16:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.5 Support Open Source Software & Hardware on Cyber Monday https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/support-open-source-software-hardware-on-cyber-monday/ https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/support-open-source-software-hardware-on-cyber-monday/#respond Mon, 28 Nov 2016 19:47:37 +0000 http://blog.nextthing.co/?p=1242

Let’s get together and give back today #OPENCYBERMONDAY #CyberMonday #CyberMondaydeals https://t.co/f9SIHeECcm

— adafruit industries (@adafruit) November 28, 2016

Cyber Monday is in full swing and we stand alongside our friends at Adafruit, Hackaday, and Make: encouraging you to support open source software and hardware projects.

Show your support by shopping at companies that sell open source product, and consider donating to open organizations like the Open Software Iniative and Wikipedia. Or simply support the cause by helping to spread the word. Share your favorite open source projects and make sure to tag the post #OpenCyberMonday.

Here at Next Thing Co, we take open source software and hardware seriously. It’s what we make. From our hackable animated GIF camera OTTO to C.H.I.P., PocketC.H.I.P., and C.H.I.P. Pro, the hardware and software we build is open.

Being open with our code and hardware makes perfect sense to us. We benefit from the work of numerous open source projects like Linux (the operating system powering all of our products). And we use open tools like Arduino, Lulzbot, and WordPress (the software powering this site) to help build our company and to help build more open source software and hardware.

Without the open source software, hardware, and tools we would have never been able to create the company we have today. To see all of our open source software and hardware files, browse your way over to our Github page. And the next time you build something, please release it as open source.

Thanks from all of us at NTC!
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Give your PocketC.H.I.P 3 New Abilities: Software Tutorials From the Community https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/give-your-pocketc-h-i-p-3-new-abilities-software-tutorials-from-the-community/ https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/give-your-pocketc-h-i-p-3-new-abilities-software-tutorials-from-the-community/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:52:58 +0000 http://blog.nextthing.co/?p=708

PocketC.H.I.P. runs Debian Linux, which has 1000s of open source applications that you can download and use for free. Pocketeers have been busying installing all sorts of them and sharing their experiences in the forums.

Taking their lead, here’s how to install the Arduino IDE, start a DIY PocketCHIP Boombox, and configure a command-line Twitter application.

Installing the Arduino IDE

Arduinos are microcontrollers for building projects. We use them in our lab whenever we need a quick way to actuate a motor or illuminate an LED. Installing the Arduino IDE is as easy as opening the Terminal from the home screen and typing the command below, followed by enter.

sudo apt install arduino

But as Pocketchipfan points out, installing the IDE available from the Arduino.cc webpage is newer than the version in the Debian repositories. For the absolute latest IDE, download the Linux ARM package from the Arduino.cc and follow the instructions they provide.


DIY PocketCHIP Boombox

PyRadio is a text-only internet radio player created by Ben Dowling, that makes it easy to connect PocketC.H.I.P. to internet radio stations. The software is written in Python and uses the popular MPlayer movie player to handle the audio streams.

Combine this software with Jose’s speaker project and you’re well on your way to a portable, DIY PocketC.H.I.P. Boombox –assuming, of course, you’re in range of WiFi.


Open the Terminal application on the PocketC.H.I.P. home screen and follow the numbered steps below.

  1. Setup locales by following the Language and Location section of the C.H.I.P. docs.
  2. Install all the necessary software for PyRadio by typing in the following command.

    sudo apt install -y python-setuptools python-dev build-essential mplayer

  3. Note: When you type the command, do not put in a line break between build-essential and mplayer.

  4. sudo easy_install pip
  5. sudo pip install pyradio
  6. To run the applications, simply type in pyradio.

Note: Thanks to emdkay1h for pointing out that the default installation does not install a configuration file. To correct this, copy the contents of the default config file and save it to the directory ~/.rainbow_config.json. If you need any help, check the forum discussion.


Command-Line Twitter

The Rainbow Twitter client running on PocketC.H.I.P.

The Rainbow Twitter client running on PocketC.H.I.P.

Rainbow stream is a command-line Twitter application written by @dtvd88. Use it to tweet, watch the stream from your followers, and do pretty much whatever you can do with a GUI Twitter client. The application is completely configurable and even offers custom themes.

Once you get Rainbow Stream on PocketC.H.I.P., make sure to tweet us @nextthingco.


Open the Terminal application on the PocketC.H.I.P. home screen and follow the numbered steps below.

  1. Install all the required software for Rainbow Stream by running the following command.

    sudo apt-get install python-dev python-pip libjpeg-dev libfreetype6 libfreetype6-dev zlib1g-dev

    Note: Just like with the installation of PyRadio, this is one long command. Don’t add a line break between libfreetype6- and dev, and type enter to execute the command.

  2. Then use the Python package manager, pip, to install the application.

    sudo pip install rainbowstream

  3. To run the application, type in rainbowstream in the Terminal.

Note: Thanks to all of you who alerted me to an error in the original instructions! I’ve updated the installation instructions, but if you get the error that your terminal can’t find pip, simply type sudo apt install python-pip. Sorry about that!

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To discover more applications that will run on PocketC.H.I.P., checkout the Debian package repository. While it’s not the only source of software that runs on PocketC.H.I.P., it’s a great place to check first.

These are just three of our favorites applications that the community has installed and shared on the forums. If you get something installed that’s cool, post a screenshot in the forums, tweet us, and let others know!

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Add 4 More USB Ports to C.H.I.P. Thanks to Open Source Hardware https://ntcblogbackup.wpengine.com/add-4-more-usb-ports-to-c-h-i-p-thanks-to-open-source-hardware/ Thu, 28 Apr 2016 13:00:59 +0000 http://blog.nextthing.co/?p=481 4

C.H.I.P. smothered in Queso DIP Photograph by JKW

C.H.I.P.ster Kolja Windeler (JKW on the forums) built an accessory board called Queso DIP that’s basically like attaching a powered USB hub directly to C.H.I.P.

The Queso DIP connects directly to C.H.I.P.’s header pins and provides 4 additional USB ports, plus it can power attached USB device and C.H.I.P.. This means you can plug-in anything from a webcam to USB hard drive and the Queso DIP will take care of the power management.

JKW also built Queso to handle higher input voltages (7-28V DC) than C.H.I.P. can normally use, and the DIP regulates these down to a USB-friendly level. In fact, he’s even used an old laptop charger to power Queso, a couple USB devices, and C.H.I.P.. Something you’d never want to do directly to C.H.I.P., but Queso takes care of it.

Of course, before you connect any power supply to Queso or C.H.I.P, you should consult the specs of the DIP, power supply, and C.H.I.P. closely. And if you’re not confident with what you find, don’t be shy about asking questions in our forums. Electricity is no joke!

Queso DIP: lots of power, lots of ports

Queso DIP: lots of power, lots of ports

Speaking of specs, JKW’s design files are open source and available on his github page. You’ll also find other resources like the list of parts (aka Bill of Materials) you need to build one of these boards. Or, if sourcing parts and soldering isn’t your thing, check the forums thread where JKW occasionally takes group orders.

Open Source Hardware in Action

Though we at NTC don’t have anything to do with the design or manufacturing of the Queso DIP directly, we’re huge fans and excited that JKW is creating accessories for C.H.I.P.! Community created hardware is a great result of C.H.I.P.’s open source hardware.

We’re committed to open source hardware and software because it encourages, enables, and fosters community participation and ultimately makes us all better off.

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