Following the publication of the expansion interface on the Universal Radio Controller, and the inclusion of the Creator personalty board, the personality board specification and fabrication is now in the public domain under the Open Hardware licencing program.
To support this, the physical design files for the personality board and the front panels are available for the creation of custom modules by innovators. The licence also allows for the free commercialization of personality boards for wider appeal.
Using these files, the correct location of the modem connector is maintained along with the front panel locations of the base board sockets. Outside of these constraints, there is full freedom of design (as long as it fits in the box).
“Open hardware,” or “open source hardware,” refers to the design specifications of a physical object which are licensed in such a way that said object can be studied, modified, created, and distributed by anyone.
The move to opening up the specification of the unit’s expansion options is all about expanding the universal nature of the URC and making it a robust and supported platform for developing a range of radio applications.
If you are interested in creating a personality board and want help doing it, you are welcome to get in touch. Several personality boards are now in production so there a wealth of experience to share to make your board a success.
Find the open source files here on GitHub https://github.com/G1LRO/universal-radio-controller