Real examples that show that being Open improves quality, generates new developments and new collaborations
Real examples that show that being Open helps to improve quality
As all design files are available for Open Designs, it easy for users,
producers and other interested people to study the designs and find
and signal problems.
The following table shows that this in practice also happens.
Project | Date | Bug signaled by | Bug type | Bug description |
SPEC | Early User | 3 | Mechanical problem SFP | |
SPEC | Producer | 1 | Design problem: supply voltage too low | |
SVEC | 01-2014 | Producer | 1 | Documentation of VHDL code wrong |
FmcAdc100M14b4cha | 09-2013 | Producer | 1 | Production Test program, non-functional bug |
White Rabbit Switch | 2012 | Early User | 2, 3 | Many different bugs |
White Rabbit Switch | 09-2013 | Early User | 2 | Setting of nsec part of TAI time |
White Rabbit Switch | 08-2013 | User | 2 | WR time from SPEC to NTP daemon. User wrote tool |
White Rabbit Switch | 08-2013 | User | 3 | Display of delay times failed for links over 100km |
White Rabbit core | 09-2013 | User | 3 | Jumps in WR time when used over an out-of-spec length link |
White Rabbit core | 11-2013 | User | 2 | Jumps in WR time on 1000 km link. Bug in core. Seen by user; another user corrected partially bug; CERN made final corrections and simulations. |
It seems that there are different types of bug reports
- errors that could only be found by studying the designs (so OH made this happen).
- errors that could be found by any user, the user could find a solution because all design information is available.
- errors that could be found by any user, and were just reported to the developers (because the design was Open, there were more users that could make this happen).
Real examples that show that being Open generates new developments
As all design files are available for Open Designs, it easy for users,
producers and other interested people to use the open designs to
create new designs.*
The following table shows that this in practice also happens.
Project | Date | Based on | Institute | Description |
WorldFIP | 09-2012 | nanoFIP | Netherlands | nanoFIP design used as basis for renovating train control system |
Cute WR | 03-2012 | SPEC | China | Minimised version for use as White Rabbit node only |
SPEXI | 09-2013 | SPEC | INCAA | PXIe bus instead of PCIe bus |
SPEC+ | 01-2014 | SPEC | Seven Solutions | SPEC with larger FPGA (XC6SLX100T instead of XC6SLX100T) |
spec-box-1n/3n | 10-2013 | SPEC | Seven Solutions | Boxes to make SPEC boards usable in stand-alone mode |
SVEC | 01-2014 | SVEC | JanzTec | Firmware development of pulse generator for a client |
WRPC on new FPGA | 08-2013 | WRPC | NIKHEF | New FPGA Xilinx Kintex-7 platform for White Rabbit main core |
WRPC on new FPGA | 08-2013 | WRPC | GSI | New FPGA Altera platform for White Rabbit main core |
uTCA MCH WR card | 01-2014 | WRPC | ELMA | uTCA.4 MCH card that is White Rabbit enabled |
Real examples that show that being Open generates new collaborations
Project | Date | Partners | Description |
FMC FD | 10-2013 | INCAA, Seven Solutions | One production company tests cards produced by another one. |
SPEC | 01-2014 | INCAA, Seven Solutions | Two production companies collaborate to improve the production test programs |
Erik van der Bij - 29 January 2014