>I'm really actually enjoying this thread.  It is interesting
>for me to see the design thoughts that go into developing a
>hardware idea into a real product.
>
>I am curious about something, but I'm not sure how to explain.
>This is a prototype board, meaning I think a way to test an idea.
>Say for example I come up with an interesting design.  If I use
>parts of the schematics of your board with my final product,
>(which I might, correct, since the entire thing is a part of
>the new prototype?) would I need to be concerned about that?
>IOW, would I be stealing part your design?
>
>Or is the hardware world different from the software one? (-:

I think there are several issues here.

1. There are bits of the circuit which would be effectively hard to
copyright as such. The circuit around the PIC 16F device is straight out of
the datasheet stuff, so you could get that from anywhere.

2. If you were to go on and produce your own PCB you would not include the
LED drivers, and would probably do the power supply differently to suit a
more specific source of power. These have both been included to make it a
very general purpose device for development.

3. If you did decide to copy the power supply, then you would have to work
out your own program for the 10F device used in the switching supply, or
purchase the rights or devices to use. However because the PCB is designed
for a very wide range generic source of supply volts, I doubt that any
design you did would go this way.

4. If you needed "a dozen" to do a "quick and dirty" system or set of
systems, then it would be worth buying the needed number of boards from Olin
and building on the prototype area. If you were doing more than this, with
them all being the same, then doing your own PCB is probably viable, while
using one of Olins for prototyping and software development while your PCbs
get made.

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