# medusalix/FreeMDU

Open hardware and software tools for communicating with Miele appliances via their optical diagnostic interface

Repository: https://github.com/medusalix/FreeMDU
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/freemdu
Language: Rust
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-05-03T14:53:37+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 60/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 80, release rhythm 57, longevity 20
- inputs: {"age_days": 291, "days_push": 122, "days_rel": 291, "gap_med": 0.0, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1060, forks 47 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:25.669316+00:00)

## What it is
FreeMDU is an open hardware and software project for communicating with Miele appliances through their proprietary optical infrared diagnostic interface, serving as a free alternative to Miele's technician-only MDU software. It includes a Rust protocol library, a terminal-based diagnostic TUI, and adapter firmware with MQTT integration for Home Assistant.

## Use cases
- diagnose Miele washing machines and appliances at home
- read error codes from a Miele appliance without a service technician
- integrate Miele appliances into Home Assistant via MQTT
- reverse-engineer the Miele optical diagnostic protocol
- build a DIY infrared adapter for Miele devices

## When to choose
- you own a supported Miele appliance and want free diagnostics or home automation integration
- you want an open-source alternative to the proprietary Miele MDU tool and adapter
- you're comfortable with experimental hardware projects and Rust tooling

## When to avoid
- you need guaranteed safety - the project warns it can permanently damage devices
- your appliance's software ID is not on the confirmed supported list
- you need a polished, production-ready solution with official support

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: experimental
- function: embedded, iot, developer-tools, cli
- domain: iot, hardware, reverse-engineering
- platform: embedded, windows, rust
- tags: miele, appliance-diagnostics, optical-interface, mqtt, home-assistant, tui, open-hardware, protocol-library, home-automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- medusalix/FreeMDU (main) score 60

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:25.669316+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:56:58.156392+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/medusalix/FreeMDU (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:25.669316+00:00, sha d25ce7838bba)
  - registry_crates: https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/freemdu (fetched 2026-08-29T12:58:44.573673+00:00, sha 2e243e614cab)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.