this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2026
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Be the change you want to see.
Also, loop me in. I have almost no free time at the moment but I'm building up a list of FOSS projects to work on when I retire.
True, alright I got to see how to help build that up. We all got this!!
Know any good online/in-person open source hardware, software, and Linux groups I can join that are established for other things? Need to learn and do as much as I can to make it happen
If you want to get involved in open hardware, a good first step would be to learn KiCad. It's is used to create electronic circuit schematics and turn them into printed circuit board (PCB) designs. Here's a pretty good tutorial to get started with it. Please ignore the instructor's obnoxious Ronald Reagan quote in the second episode.
A PCB is usually not enough, of course. You should also learn FreeCAD so you can design the mechanical aspects of the hardware, whether that be a simple enclosure, or a more complex system with multiple moving parts. Here's a good FreeCAD tutorial.
I mention KiCad and FreeCAD specifically because they're both free and open source. You can check out this awesome list for a list of cool open hardware projects and learning resources. Two projects that really stand out to me are the LumenPNP pick and place machine and the Voron 2.4 3D printer.
For in-person groups, see if there are any makerspaces/hackerspaces in your city. That's where you'll most likely find like-minded people.