Automate Your Hardware Design

Why Automate Hardware Design?

Traditional hardware design is manual, error-prone, and time-consuming. typeCAD brings the power of automation to electronic design, enabling you to build smarter, faster, and more reliably through code-driven workflows.

Built-in Design Automation

⚡ Electrical Rules Checking (ERC)

import { PCB } from "@typecad/typecad";

let typecad = new PCB("my_circuit");
// ... add components and connections ...

typecad.create();
typecad.erc(); // Automatic electrical validation

Every build automatically validates your circuit against KiCAD’s electrical rules. Catch connection errors, power mismatches, and pin type conflicts before they become hardware problems.

🔋 Power-Aware Design Validation

// Power-aware tracks with automatic width calculation
let power_track = pcb.track()
  .powerInfo({ current: 2.0, maxTempRise: 10, thickness: 35 })
  .from({ x: 100, y: 100 }, "F.Cu", 0.2)
  .to({ x: 110, y: 100 });

// Power-aware vias with current capacity checking
let via = pcb.via({
  at: { x: 10, y: 10 },
  size: 0.8, drill: 0.4,
  powerInfo: { current: 1.5, maxTempRise: 5 }
});

typeCAD automatically validates track widths, via sizes, and power delivery using IPC-2221 standards. No more manual calculations or thermal failures.

🎯 Component Power Validation

// Define power requirements
let mcu = new Component({ /* ... */ });
mcu.pin("VCC").powerInfo = { 
  minimum_voltage: 3.0, 
  maximum_voltage: 3.6, 
  current: 0.25 
};

// Automatic power compatibility checking
let power_supply = new Power({ 
  voltage: 3.3, 
  current: 1.0,
  direction: "output" 
});

Automatically verify that power supplies can handle load requirements and voltage levels are compatible across your entire design.

Custom Design Processing

📊 Automated Documentation Generation

npm install -g @typecad/typecad-docgen
typecad-docgen --input docs/ --output build/docs/

The @typecad/typecad-docgen package converts markdown files and KiCAD PCBs into comprehensive documentation with layer exports and 3D renders. Perfect for:

• Assembly instructions with layer-by-layer visuals
• Technical documentation with automated BOM generation
• Manufacturing packages with pick-and-place files
• Quality assurance with automated test procedures

🔧 In-House Design Processing

Build custom automation workflows using typeCAD’s programmatic API:

// Custom BOM processing
import { PCB } from "@typecad/typecad";

let pcb = new PCB("production_board");
// ... design your circuit ...

// Generate custom manufacturing outputs
pcb.create();
let bom = pcb.bom();

// Custom processing for your workflow
processForManufacturing(bom);

Create specialized outputs for your manufacturing partners, cost analysis tools, or inventory management systems.

AI Integration

🤖 typeCAD MCP Server

npm install -g @typecad/typecad-mcp

The typeCAD MCP Server connects AI assistants directly to typeCAD workflows:

• “Create a new sensor board project” → Automatically scaffolds project structure
• “Add an ESP32-S3 with power regulation” → Finds components and validates connections
• “Validate this design against the datasheet” → Runs comprehensive checks
• “Generate assembly documentation” → Creates manufacturing-ready outputs

🧠 Intelligent Component Selection

AI assistants can:

• Analyze datasheets and extract component specifications
• Suggest optimal components based on design requirements
• Validate pin assignments against manufacturer documentation
• Generate test procedures for quality assurance

Automation vs. Manual Comparison

The Automation Advantage

Bringing automation to hardware design delivers the same transformative benefits that revolutionized software development:

• Reliability: Catch errors before they reach hardware
• Speed: Instant validation and documentation generation
• Consistency: Standardized design rules across all projects
• Scalability: Handle complex designs with confidence
• Integration: Seamless CI/CD workflows for hardware

Get Started →