Commercial Board Policy

Updated for 2023 evaluation standards!

Fab Academy is an experience where you can focus on developing your ideas and skills in a unique, hands-on way. Developing custom boards and building on previously Fabbed boards is part of this valuable process. Rather than using commercial boards (arduinos etc) for your assignments and final project, you will create your own personal boards.

If you still need to use a commercial board this is a non exhaustive list of acceptable uses.

Acceptable use of Commercial Boards

Remember that Commercial Boards are not evaluated. They are not considered as your own work, but a necessary item for your work.

Embedded processor boards

More advanced processors than AVR microcontrollers can be used. They might come in different form factors (chips, modules). You can solder them to your board or connect them with connectors. The key to be accepted as part of your design is that these commercial processors are embedded in your board.

Commercial Arduinos or clones

These can be used as a extra nodes of a network that you have built, with the purpose of showing the network functionality of one of your fabricated boards. Networking between just commercial boards is not acceptable.

Single board computers: Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone etc

These can be used as a substitute for your desktop/laptop computer. They are super cheap computers capable of running full operating systems, like Linux and Windows. You still need to design your own embedded board for your projects.

Commercial Board Exemption Process

If you think you have a special case where there should be raised an exemption please talk to your local instructor or assessment team. The case will be addressed to the Global Evaluation Team for analysis - please see the above graphic showing the process.

Have feedback? Feel free to open an issue in the class project!