3DVR Open Supply Chain

Open the physical world.

Open source should not stop at software or schematics. We want to understand where materials come from, who makes each part, how it can be repaired, and how communities can build better alternatives.

Start with the registry See the north-star device

The Goal

Trace it. Repair it. Reuse it. Make it locally.

The first version is deliberately simple: a public, community-maintained record of materials, components, suppliers, substitutes, recyclability, labor context, and open manufacturing paths.

Registry 0.1

Map one layer at a time.

Start with common computing materials and components, then expand outward.

First

Materials

Copper, aluminum, silicon, glass, plastics, lithium, nickel, gold, tin, and other inputs.

Track origin, reuse potential, recycling paths, and practical substitutes.

Next

Components

PCBs, connectors, displays, batteries, enclosures, memory, processors, and radios.

Record open alternatives, repairability, and sourcing options.

Next

Processes

Recycling, machining, board assembly, fabrication, testing, and refurbishment.

Favor safe, legal, documented community and cooperative production.

Long term

Extraction

Understand which raw materials still require new extraction after reuse and recycling.

Support transparent, regulated, worker-owned or community-benefiting models.

Open Supply Record 0.1

Every entry should answer seven questions.

  1. What is it?Material or component, function, and specifications that matter.
  2. Where is it from?Known origin, processor, manufacturer, or supplier.
  3. Who made it?Available labor, ownership, and community context.
  4. Can we reuse it?Salvage, refurbishment, and second-life options.
  5. Can we recycle it?Known recovery paths and material loops.
  6. Can we substitute it?More available, repairable, open, or lower-impact alternatives.
  7. Can we make it?Open designs, tools, skills, and organizations moving toward local production.

North-Star Device

Build toward a Balthazar.

A real open laptop gives the registry a concrete target instead of leaving it as an abstract catalog.

Start here

Lichee Pi 4A / LM4A

Trace a RISC-V computer we can physically inspect: TH1520, memory, storage, power, radios, connectors, PCB, and enclosure.

Sipeed publishes schematics, a BOM, dimensional drawings, and a 3D model, giving us a strong first source set.

Prototype

Balthazar-style laptop

Use an existing swappable RISC-V compute module inside a repairable laptop before attempting to design a processor ourselves.

Open case, keyboard, power, I/O, storage, privacy controls, and Linux integration first.

Then

Replace closed layers

Identify proprietary firmware, undocumented chips, closed GPU/NPU paths, and fragile supplier dependencies.

Replace one dependency at a time with open, documented, repairable alternatives.

Long term

Community manufacturing

Move from assembly toward regional production of cases, keyboards, boards, power systems, and eventually compute hardware.

Open source all the way down without pretending every layer can be localized on day one.

Explore Balthazar Balthazar hardware repositories Read our roadmap

Community First

Research one thing. Share what you learn.

No giant master plan is required. Pick one material, component, recycler, cooperative, open-hardware project, or local manufacturer. Document trustworthy sources and missing information. The map grows one verified entry at a time.

Know where it came from.

Keep useful material in circulation.

Build local capability.

Open source all the way down.