8-Bit Lab Engineering — Open Source Student Programme
Contribute to Open Source
Gain Real Engineering Experience — Free, Remote, Mentored
Join our 3-month open source engineering projects. Work alongside experienced engineers on real hardware and software products. Build your portfolio, learn industry tools, and get a reference letter — all for free.
Voluntary participation · Unpaid project work · No application or participation fees
Applications OpenWhy Join?
We believe talented students deserve real-world experience — not just theory. Here is what you get.
Real Projects
Work on production-quality open source projects like Fork Flow (C# WinForms team tool) and SafeStep (nRF52840 BLE wearable). Your code ships to real users.
Mentorship
Every student is paired with a senior engineer who reviews code, answers questions, and guides your learning. Weekly check-ins and async support via our team chat.
Portfolio & Reference
All work is public on GitHub under your name. After completing the programme, you receive a personalised reference letter from 8-Bit Lab Engineering.
Flexible & Remote
Work from anywhere. We only ask for 8-12 hours per week over 3 months. Async-first communication — fits any time zone or university schedule.
Industry Tools
Learn Git, GitHub, Firebase, C#, embedded C, Jira, PCB design workflows, and more. The same tools used in professional engineering teams across Europe.
Community
Join a global team of engineers and students from Germany, Macedonia, Romania, India, and beyond. Collaborate, learn, and grow together.
Current Open Source Projects
These are the projects you can contribute to. New projects are added throughout the year.
Fork Flow — Team Productivity Suite
C# · WinForms · Firebase · .NET 4.7.2
All-in-one desktop tool for small teams: time tracking, team chat, sticker board, file sharing, wiki, Pomodoro timer, Jira integration, standup generator, and PDF reports.
| Skills needed | C#, WinForms, Firebase REST API, Git |
| Difficulty | Beginner – Intermediate |
| Status | Active — Ready for contributors |
SafeStep — BLE Wander Alert System
nRF52840 · BLE 5.0 · Embedded C · PCB Design
Protecting people with dementia — quietly, reliably, openly. A lightweight BLE wristband + USB dongle system that alerts caregivers when a patient wanders out of range.
| Skills needed | Embedded C, BLE protocols, PCB layout, nRF SDK |
| Difficulty | Intermediate – Advanced |
| Status | Planning Phase — Contributors welcome |
Upcoming Student Projects
Help shape the next project from its first architecture decisions.
Smart Calculator Project
New circuit board · New display · Small camera · AI
Develop a smart calculator with a new custom circuit board, a new display, a small camera and AI-assisted features. The concept explores reusing an existing upper case and keyboard, paired with a newly designed, thicker lower cover.
Students will propose and choose the hardware and software architecture with mentor guidance. Compare processors, camera and display options, power requirements, and on-device versus connected AI before committing to a design.
| Student work | System architecture, PCB design, embedded software, camera integration, AI, display interface and enclosure design |
| First milestone | Define requirements, compare architectures, check mechanical fit and power needs, then demonstrate camera capture and display on development hardware |
| Status | Upcoming — feasibility study and architecture selection; components and AI capabilities are not yet fixed |
Reuse of the upper case and keyboard depends on fit and compatibility. The first prototype will establish what is practical before a custom board and lower cover are finalised.
How It Works
From application to completion in 4 simple steps.
Who Can Apply?
University Students
Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related fields. Any year of study — Bachelor or Master.
Self-Taught Developers
No formal degree required. If you can write code and want to learn embedded or desktop development, you are welcome.
Career Changers
Switching into tech? Open source contributions are the best way to build a credible portfolio. We will help you get there.
Ready to Build Something Real?
Tell us your name, your background, and which project excites you. Attach a CV or supporting document using the application form below. Applying is free. Confirm your email using the link we send you. If we can take your application forward, we will contact you within six weeks of confirmation.
Student Application
Apply to our Open Source Student Programme. Applying and participating are free of charge. Project work is voluntary and unpaid. All fields below are required.
Students of any nationality living outside Germany are welcome to participate remotely. Participation is voluntary, unpaid and free of charge, for educational purposes and practical engineering experience. No payment or paid position is promised. These conditions apply to all participants, including those outside Germany, and must be confirmed when applying.
This confirmation does not waive any rights under applicable law.
Upload your CV, portfolio or another supporting document as a PDF, maximum 5 MB. Your application cannot be sent without it. Your document will be emailed to students@8bitlab.de together with your application after you verify your email address.
After submitting the form, check your inbox and spam folder for an email from students@8bitlab.de. Click its confirmation link within 48 hours. We send your application and PDF to the student team only after you confirm. This checks that you can access the email address; it does not verify your identity or guarantee acceptance.
Your application and PDF are stored temporarily on our website while confirmation is pending. Unconfirmed submissions are scheduled for deletion after 3 days. After successful email dispatch, the temporary PDF copy is removed; the website verification record, including application details, timestamps and IP addresses, is scheduled for deletion after 30 days. Scheduled cleanup runs with the website maintenance process.
Your application and attachments are confidential and used by 8-Bit Lab Engineering only to review your application and contact you about it. Access is limited to the people responsible for reviewing applications. We do not publish your application, sell your data, or pass your application to partner companies or unrelated third parties.
The technical providers that operate our website and email necessarily process data to deliver these services. This confidentiality applies to application materials; contributions you later choose to make to open-source projects may be public.
If we can take your application forward, we will contact you within six weeks of your email confirmation. If you have not received a personal reply within six weeks, your application is closed and your application details and supporting documents will be deleted. We do not keep your application on an indefinite waiting list.
For application questions, or to withdraw your application and request deletion of its documents, email students@8bitlab.de.
For general enquiries, use our normal contact form; no attachment is required there.
A programme by 8-Bit Lab Engineering
