Initial alpha release v0.1

CONTRIB.TXT

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+Open Source Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner 
+(http://www.tricorderproject.org/openct)
+Contributors
+
+Peter Jansen	<peter@tricorderproject.org>
+
+
+CHANGE LOG
+===========
+
+March 19/2014	Initial alpha release (v0.1)

LICENSE.TXT

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+This source archive contains multiple source files, under the following licenses.
+
+----
+
+In addition to the license(s), the author(s) of this project ask that you 
+participate in the Open Hardware Better World pledge.
+
+The spirit of the Open Hardware Better World pledge is the belief that 
+a large portion of the social and economic issues that are present in 
+portions of both the developed and undeveloped world are a direct 
+response to poor literacy and poor education, and that helping to educate 
+folks will enable them to make informed choices that effect positive 
+social change.  
+
+1) CHARITABLE DONATIONS: Should you take in revenue or otherwise profit 
+   through the use of this project, you are kindly asked to donate at 
+   least 1% of that revenue to a science education or basic literacy 
+   charity of your choice.  You are encouraged to choose a charity that:
+    - Does not discrimiate based on race, gender, faith, or sexual 
+      orientation, and 
+    - That uses at least 75% of its donations to further its 
+      charitable mission (ie. not operating costs)
+
+2) KEEPING IN TOUCH: Because there are few things better than waking up
+   and learning that one of your projects has helped someone, should 
+   you use this project to do amazing things, please consider sending a 
+   note to the author(s) to let them know.  Their contact information is 
+   in CONTRIB.TXT   
+
+
+----
+
+Open Source Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner Schematics, Board Layout,
+and Structural/Mechanical Designs and Supporting Materials
+(http://www.tricorderproject.org/openct)
+Copyright (C) 2014  Peter Jansen and the Tricorder project 
+(peter@tricorderproject.org)
+
+This Open Hardware is distributed under the terms of the 
+Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
+You should have received a copy of the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International
+License with these source files.  If not, see 
+<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/>.
+
+These files are distributed in the hope that they will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+CC-BY-SA 4.0 International License for more details.
+
+
+----
+
+Open Source Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner Arduino Firmware 
+(http://www.tricorderproject.org/openct)
+Copyright (C) 2014  Peter Jansen and the Tricorder project 
+(peter@tricorderproject.org)
+
+This license applies to software written exclusively by the above 
+author. The software/firmware in this package requires linking to 
+external third-party libraries in order to function.
+
+This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+(at your option) any later version.
+
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

README.md

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 ======
 
 Open Source Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner
+http://www.tricorderproject.org/openct
+Copyright (C) 2014  Peter Jansen and the Tricorder project 
+peter@tricorderproject.org
+
+*Early alpha release v0.1*
+
+# Introduction
+
+The Open Source Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner project aims to move towards creating an inexpensive and open desktop computed tomography scanner for academic and educational purposes.  The most common form of computed tomography is radiographic using x-rays or gamma rays, although it is my hope that this project can serve as a general platform for other kinds of tomographic research with other, safer wavelengths. 
+
+This project is intended for use with radioisotope "check" sources that are many orders of magnitude less intense than sources in a commercial or medical radiographic setups.  This means that even very low resolution images will take hours of measurement and integration time to assemble, and the resolution and signal to noise ratio of a scan are largely a function of time (and patience).  Much of the spirit of this project is to move towards creating better scans through the use of clever signal processing techniques or wavelengths that can be more efficiently detected, rather than increasing source intensity. 
+
+# Open Source
+
+This project is open hardware and is released under various open licenses.  Please see LICENSES.TXT for details.
+
+For potential contributors, a list of suggested contributions and next steps can be found in TODO.TXT .
+
+# Warning
+
+This project has a variety of dangers associated with it, including (without limitation) its assembly and use.  This generally includes the typical hazards involved with assembling, testing, and using electronics projects, CNC projects, as well as using hand tools, power tools, and CNC manufacturing tools such as laser cutters or CNC routers.  This is not a first project in any of these areas, and one should be well experienced and comfortable in all aspects of this project's design, assembly, and use. 
+
+In addition, for radiography this project makes use of a low intensity sealed radioactive radioisotope source.  You should be experienced and extremely comfortable with handling and using radioactive sources, understanding the potential dangers (and how to minimize them), as well as any local laws or regulations regarding such material.  Having advanced training in medical imaging, radiography, and/or radiation biophysics is highly recommended.  
+
+In no case should any living thing be placed inside of or be scanned by the device. 
+
+**DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.**
+
+UNLESS OTHERWISE SEPARATELY UNDERTAKEN BY THE LICENSOR, TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, THE LICENSOR OFFERS THE LICENSED MATERIAL AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE, AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE LICENSED MATERIAL, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHER. THIS INCLUDES, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ABSENCE OF LATENT OR OTHER DEFECTS, ACCURACY, OR THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ERRORS, WHETHER OR NOT KNOWN OR DISCOVERABLE. WHERE DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES ARE NOT ALLOWED IN FULL OR IN PART, THIS DISCLAIMER MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
+
+TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, IN NO EVENT WILL THE LICENSOR BE LIABLE TO YOU ON ANY LEGAL THEORY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR OTHER LOSSES, COSTS, EXPENSES, OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THIS PUBLIC LICENSE OR USE OF THE LICENSED MATERIAL, EVEN IF THE LICENSOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSSES, COSTS, EXPENSES, OR DAMAGES. WHERE A LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS NOT ALLOWED IN FULL OR IN PART, THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
+
+THE DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY PROVIDED ABOVE SHALL BE INTERPRETED IN A MANNER THAT, TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, MOST CLOSELY APPROXIMATES AN ABSOLUTE DISCLAIMER AND WAIVER OF ALL LIABILITY.
+

TODO.md

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+TODO LIST
+======
+
+Open Source Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner
+http://www.tricorderproject.org/openct
+Copyright (C) 2014  Peter Jansen and the Tricorder project 
+peter@tricorderproject.org
+
+One of the most common questions an organizer of an open source project receives is, "How can I help?".  This TODO list outlines some of the near-term contributions that can be made to the project in a variety of categories, varying from simple to challenging. 
+
+# Structural and Mechanical
+
+- *End-stops:* Add end-stops ("limit switches") to each of the two linear axes, table axis, and rotational axis. 
+
+- *Cabling:* Find a better solution to cable routing.  Cable routing is currently an issue, and there are a number of cables and signals that have to move from the rotating bore to the controller/arduino shield on the stationary base.  The rotational axis has to have at least 180° of rotation, meaning that at one extreme it has a lot of slack, and at the other it has zero slack.  
+
+- *Cabling, Part 2:* Is cabling the answer?  Should we turn the bore into a giant slip ring with two lines (+5V, GND) so that it can freely rotate 360°, and wirelessly communicate between the bore and base using (for example) bluetooth? 
+
+# Electronics
+
+- *Arduino Shield:* Lay out an Arduino shield, for the latest Uno revision, that includes: (1) 4 Pololu stepper controllers (3 @ 5V, one selectable between 5V and 12V for the larger rotary axis stepper), (2) an SD/uSD socket for data storage, and (3) Headers/connectors for the end-stops, and an I2C accelerometer for sensing the rotational angle of the bore.  This should be compact enough to fit and mount inside one side of the base, and expose any required ports or connectors on the Arduino/Shield using clean cutouts in the back of the base. 
+
+- *Rotational Sensing:* Currently the plan is to use an I2C accelerometer mounted in the bore as an absolute rotational sensor to sense the current angle of the bore.  Create the board for this, and add the supporting code into to the Arduino sketch.  A sensible place for this might be a tiny board that securely mounts on the back of the carriages and combines an accelerometer and two limit switches.  
+
+# Source and Detector
+
+- *Parallel Detector:* The current source/detector system is basically a working model of the first generation of CT scanner, that makes use of a single source and detector that are linearly scanned across the sample.  Modern systems speed this up dramatically by parallelizing the problem and using an large array of detectors in place of a single detector -- removing the need for linear scanning stages inside the bore, and reducing scan time by measuring all points for a given angle simultaneously.  This is a fairly large undertaking, and would likely require developing a custom parallel detector array with tens of detectors as inexpensively as possible.  
+
+- *Alternate Sources/Detectors:* Using your advanced knowledge of optics, develop alternate source/detector pairs that examine different, safer wavelengths that objects of interest tend to be semi-transparent at.  (possible examples: Terahertz? Radio waves? Infrared?)
+