How do I make a PCB with AI?
Describe the board in plain words — for example “a mini drone with an ESP32” — and BuildPCB chooses real in-stock parts, draws the schematic, places and routes the board, runs the checks and gives you the files to order it. Read the step-by-step guide to making a PCB with AI (en español).
Do I need to know electronics?
Not to get started. You describe what the board should do; the engine chooses the chips, wires them and runs automated checks, explaining its choices in plain words. Designs are AI-generated and can contain errors, so have every board reviewed by someone with electronics experience — or by your manufacturer — before you order it.
What exactly do I get at the end?
A zip with manufacturing files (Gerbers + drills), the bill of materials with real part numbers and prices, the pick-and-place file, a schematic PDF and a 3D model. They are the standard formats PCB manufacturers work with.
Where do I get the board manufactured?
Anywhere you like — JLCPCB, PCBWay, Aisler, Eurocircuits or your local fab. After reviewing the design, upload the zip and place your order with the manufacturer. Simple prototypes often cost a few euros plus shipping.
Is the design really checked?
Yes, automatically. The engine only marks a design finished when it passes the electrical rules check with zero errors, the design rules check with zero violations, current-based track width verification, and a final review of part positions, overlaps and factory files. These checks catch many mistakes but cannot guarantee that a board works, which is why every design must be reviewed before manufacturing.
Is BuildPCB related to BuildPCBs or buildpcbs.com?
No. BuildPCB — buildpcb.tech, written as one word and without an “s”, sometimes searched as “Build PCB” — is an independent AI PCB design studio run by SMART GLOBAL PROJECTION, S.L. in Spain. It is not affiliated with buildpcbs.com or any other company with a similar name. About BuildPCB.
Can it also write the code and design a case?
Yes. Once your board is designed, the Code tab writes its firmware (Arduino, PlatformIO, ESP-IDF or MicroPython) using the board's real pins, and the Case tab designs a 3D-printable enclosure around the real parts — with openings for every connector, laid out for your printer and ready as 3MF, STL or STEP.
Can it design a whole robot?
Yes, on the Pro plan. Architect mode designs a complete machine — a robot arm, a robot dog, a humanoid — from one description: every circuit board it needs, the 3D-printed mechanics around the real motors, bearings and screws, a moving 3D model, print plates, firmware and the full shopping list.
Can I change things myself?
Yes — move components with your mouse (traces follow live), measure in millimeters, add notes on the schematic, or simply tell the chat what to change.
