szukalski
Well-known member
At least to add another 2c to the conversation. Using schematics which are freely available online is what the DIY world is all about. It’s also an unwritten obligation to share your schematics when you produce boards, so there’s always the risk that someone can use your hard work for their own reward. Let us not forget that we’re all building clones of someone else’s work.
That said, copying someone’s layout directly for sale is a no no. Copying a vendors unique interpretation of a circuit (incorporating mods or whatever) is a grey area. Why do we draw the line at cloning a pedal maker but not a PCB maker? I do believe it’s bad form, “just not cricket” where I come from, but it’s the nature of the scene (again, an unspoken rule not to use another vendors goods, but I digress).
Hopefully, it leads to the person getting a better understanding of circuits and making something unique which evolves the community. Maybe not, but it’s the price to pay for DIY freedoms.
Personally, building and selling boards should be about sharing the love, not a money grab (though it’s nice to have a few dollaroos for your efforts). It’s a damn shame that Europe gets so few options when it comes to a quality range at decent prices.
And let’s be honest. All it would take is for two of our favourite vendors to go offline and we’d all be begging for whatever we can get.
That said, copying someone’s layout directly for sale is a no no. Copying a vendors unique interpretation of a circuit (incorporating mods or whatever) is a grey area. Why do we draw the line at cloning a pedal maker but not a PCB maker? I do believe it’s bad form, “just not cricket” where I come from, but it’s the nature of the scene (again, an unspoken rule not to use another vendors goods, but I digress).
Hopefully, it leads to the person getting a better understanding of circuits and making something unique which evolves the community. Maybe not, but it’s the price to pay for DIY freedoms.
Personally, building and selling boards should be about sharing the love, not a money grab (though it’s nice to have a few dollaroos for your efforts). It’s a damn shame that Europe gets so few options when it comes to a quality range at decent prices.
And let’s be honest. All it would take is for two of our favourite vendors to go offline and we’d all be begging for whatever we can get.
