PowerSwitch

Hi all,
check this out! This is the letter I just sent to the African Union, but it also applies to any aid-workers you know out in the jungle, or even local permaculture living in a post-oil age.

****

Hi,
Is the African Union aware of the Open Source Hardware movement?

In short there is a FREE movement called “Open Source Hardware” that gives away FREE plans for CHEAP and EASY build-it-yourself Tractors, Torch table, Drill press, Earth Brick Press, Harvester, String Trimmer, Soil Pulverizer, and dozens of other farm and industrial tools that could revolutionize village life.

It’s just like the free software for computers, except these are plans for cheap and easy tractors!

If your people need a tractor, or work in a village that needs cheap tractors and farm equipment, why not build it themselves in about 6 days at a cost of about 1/8th of buying a new one? These things are built to last — without “built in obsolescence” that multinationals use to get repeat business — and once they’ve built it, they will know how to service it for life.

But as I said above, it’s not just tractors. It’s tools for the farmer or baker or beekeeper or chicken farmer or workshop owner. Imagine all their equipment coming at 1/8th the cost and free of maintenance fees (other than the replacement parts they might make or buy).

The plans use scrap metal, which is shaped to become swappable components like Lego for grown-ups. So once they’ve built one item they can gain confidence to build others. Once they build the Torch Table or Drill Press they might then tackle the Tractor or Harvester!

The only catch — the *ingredients* that make up the tractor are not free but must be sourced locally. So the local villager will buy from local African villages or workshops or recycled metal scrap-yards. But that’s good, because that guarantees the money goes to the local African economy, rather than overseas so some rich multinational!

For example, to buy a new tractor in America can be anywhere from $25 thousand to $120 thousand. The OpenFarmTech.org tractor was only $12,000.
Once they’ve built it they will know how to maintain it forever!

It’s all-FREE, as far as I know there are no joining fees or anything like that. It’s run by permaculture greenies, so I say take it at face value and see what comes of it.
Marcin spoke at TED.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/marci ... owski.html

They aim to develop free plans for the 50 most important industrial machines that make a comfortable modern life possible. By the end of 2012 they hope to have finished the plans and be giving away a 'Civilization starter kit' on a DVD! The DVD will probably be a free download off the net to burn to DVD. Then people can take a cheap, solar powered laptop out to the most distant village and get to work!

But that's next year — your people could visit the following websites today and get plans for the tractors and 8 other tools up there already.

How could these free plans help your farmers, bakers, tool-shop owners and mechanics? Send them to the following links! This is one of the most exciting and revolutionary ideas I’ve ever seen.

Video Website:
http://opensourceecology.org/

This is their Wiki with their current plans.
http://openfarmtech.org

The Wiki also has a searchable database for links to other Open Source hardware websites. I typed in water and found links to all manner of Do It Yourself water websites!

Do your people need a chicken-egg incubator, earth-brick maker, bakery oven, harvesters, workshops, greenhouses, wind turbines… it’s all coming to OpenFarmTech.org
Cheers.

The open source technology concept is brilliant. Are the designs produced so far suitable for Africa, or do they need to be adapted or redesigned to suit local needs, and does other equipment need to be designed?

I'm sure they know, it's just the politicians don't get backhanders from the open hardware movement...

Yeah, did you PayPal him some cash along with the email?

(Sorry for being so cynical about African politics, but...)

I guess the real target audience then is African forums and Aid Worker organisations. These guys will have a plan for open source wind turbines (in the 50kw range) so that's small, village scale or even individual farm scale power.

I guess the thing I like is the way this Open Source Hardware philosophy could so easily plug in to Transition towns.

If anyone hasn't watched it yet, the TED talk is only about 4 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GEMkvT0DEk

I have my doubts about this.
Even a basic tractor contains a fair bit of advanced technology, and whilst assembling one out of new or reclaimed materials and parts is entirely feasible, repair of an old one might be simpler.
Popular models no longer in working order can be purchased very cheaply.

I doubt that they can make an engine, or even a tyre, or electric wire, or even a starting battery, which is one of the simplest components.

I have a few questions as well, but the specs are all there. Why not check it out and prove me wrong? EG: Are they selling the basic power module / engine, or are there instructions to make it? That's a question I've had for a few weeks now but haven't had the time to research...

OK, I looked it up.

It looks like the plans are all there. It's not like they are claiming you can build a modern engine from rubber bands and a little iron ore. There are some standardized parts that have to be purchased. But they are going with as generic as they can, as interchangeable, as 'lego' as possible. They are making the one 'power cube' do multiple jobs, and are even looking into developing a steam engine version as well (to allow for multiple fuel options).

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Category:Power_Cube

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Power ... structions

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Power ... _Materials



Thanks for that. I've updated my summary page of this technology with the following paragraphs.


* Once you have built it you know how to repair it! They are built for life. Multinational corporations cannot lock you into expensive service contracts.

* When you can build it from local materials and local *generic* parts, you liberate yourself from being locked in to expensive and very *specific* name brand parts from overseas. EG: In building the Power Cube (their basic engine for everything from the tractor to the workshop) you are free to mix and match with any brand of solenoid or hydraulic pump as you wish, as long as they meet the specifications. There’s also no waiting for overseas parts — fix it today instead!
http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Power ... _Materials