The LameStation and open hardware

I have a confession to make. I never quite open-sourced the LameStation hardware. The schematics and drawings were all available online, but I never released the KiCad design files for download. I justified this by telling myself I didn't want to make it too "easy" to copy the LameStation design and eliminate my only source of revenue at the time. At least, that's what I told myself.

The reality is that when building a hardware business, the only thing you have to protect you and your business is your trademark and reputation in the marketplace. Anyone can copy your stuff, with more or less effort. My IP protection was flimsy, and it undermined my messaging that LameStation was an open platform.

At any rate, it doesn't really matter if you give away your board design for free, because it's easy enough to figure out. Case in point: a Youtuber in Japan named @Tamakichi-San built a working LameStation without ever talking to me about it and with only the schematics I posted online.

To be honest, this was easily one of the most awesome things to ever happen!

When I first saw this video, I was thrilled. I don't even remember how I found it at this point, but eight years later, I still have the video bookmarked and watch it from time to time. It warms my heart every time I watch this clip to see someone—half the world away that I didn't know and have never met—playing a game I made on their own LameStation console that they built from scratch.

I bring this up now because I want to encourage more of this.

Right now, I'm slowly rebuilding the LameStation website. The existing website has hardly been updated and insinuates that I still run a LameStation business, which I haven't in years. As part of this effort, I will finally release my original design files so that people can freely fabricate LameStation PCBs, so that maybe more videos like this will spontaneously appear.