HAMBURG, Germany — The Exceptional Hardware and Software Meeting (EHSM) isn't your ordinary software or hardware conference centered on buzzwords, trends, or “cloud computing.” The second edition of the EHSM took place at DESY Hamburg June 27-29. True to its tagline “pushing the frontiers of open source & DIY,” the meeting drew a crowd of people doing remarkable things in the fields of open science, software, and hardware. Topics included electron beam welding in low vacuum settings, the first commercially available (mostly) open-source hardware camera, and an introduction to a DIY device that produces printed circuit boards.

Attendees gather around a few of the exhibits in the hallway, including optics and photonics using Lego bricks, a DIY vacuum system made of dumpstered materials, and the apertus° AXIOM FOSS/OH digital camera.
(Image: Mitch Altman)

Conference organizers aimed to gather makers, hackers, scientists, and engineers of all skill levels and backgrounds to collaborate on projects and encourage the development and dissemination of open-source knowledge. The conference drew an international crowd of more than 100 eager participants.

The Argus detector stands prominently in the middle of the DESY Hamburg campus, site of the conference, greeting attendees on their way to the main exhibition hall. Attendees were as eager about the location of the conference as they were about the presentations.
(Image: Mitch Altman)

To see photos from the conference, slides from presenters, and interesting projects, and to leave a comment, go to “An exceptional DIY conference.”