The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) has officially certified ANAVI Macro Pad 12 and ANAVI Arrows. OSHWA is a non-profit entity registered in the US that maintains the Certified Projects Directory and organizes an annual conference, the Open Hardware Summit. By the way, the conference is held in various cities, and in 2024, it will be hosted in Montreal, Canada.

OSHWA’s certification program guarantees that a project’s interpretation of "open source hardware" aligns with the broader community’s definition of open source hardware. OSHWA then assigns a distinctive identification number (UID) to each certified hardware version. This UID typically takes the form of a combination of a country code and a numerical sequence, ensuring each certified hardware version has a unique identifier. For our two projects, the UIDs are:

• BG000094 for ANAVI Arrows version 1.0
• BG000095 for ANAVI Macro Pad 12 version 1.0

The OSHW Certification Mark serves a dual purpose by displaying the project’s unique certification ID and, furthermore, it facilitates easier navigation and information retrieval. The prefix "BG" in this context is the country code for Bulgaria, indicating that these mechanical keyboards are manufactured in the city of Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria (and the oldest continually inhabited European city, with more than 6000 years of history). Our keyboards are distinct in that they are entirely open source projects, which means that they take an extra step to ensure that every aspect of their design and functionality is open and freely accessible to everyone. This commitment to openness includes using only free and open source software in various aspects of the project, such as designing the printed circuit board, creating the acrylic enclosures, developing the firmware, and documenting the entire process.

For example, in a previous update, we shared our experience with KiCad, an open source software tool for designing printed circuit boards. Additionally, we use open source firmware called KMK, written in CircuitPython. This focus on open source principles ensures the project’s inner workings are transparent and accessible to the community, hopefully fostering collaboration and innovation.

Thanks again for using and supporting open source projects!

Best regards,
Leon