Lead on PCB design software TraceMaker (https://xitter.cf/t.co/QXXc9mLbl9), and LLM visualisation llm-visuals (https://xitter.cf/t.co/nhYsCUxUdh).
Australia
Joined July 2026
- Tweets2.2K
- Following2.5K
- Followers1.9K
- Likes13.2K
WholeBoard now sims the board inside its enclosure. ESP32-C3 board, 333 mW: 42.6 °C in open air, 52.0 °C sealed in a PLA box. Add lid and side slots and it drops to 50.4 °C. Still in spec in a 40 °C room. Sealed or vented for yours?
github.com/DingoOz/WholeBoar…
WholeBoard runs on Linux, macOS and Windows, and one installer sets up KiCad, TraceMaker, FreeCAD and ngspice. Use Claude, OpenAI, Grok or a local model via Ollama. It's under construction, so give it a go and tell me what breaks.
Ok who is going to start importing and converting CyberTrucks to Australia now? We already have a pipeline for RAM pickups etc.
Example board: a 555 LED blinker off 9V. 42x26mm, 24/24 nets routed, KiCad DRC 0 errors, JLCPCB estimate $28.87, plus a FreeCAD enclosure with BLINK engraved on the lid. Designed with a local Qwen model. What should I throw at it next?
Hot take: every home lab should have an abliterated model on standby for network defence. With breaches everywhere right now, a cron job that scans regularly and takes action, fully local, feels like a good insurance policy. Would you let it act on its own or just alert?
New in WholeBoard: a built-in tour. 23 steps from describing your board in plain words, through schematic + ERC, ngspice sim, TraceMaker routing, DRC, 3D renders and fab files, to a JLCPCB quote and an enclosure. Which step should I show in depth?
github.com/DingoOz/WholeBoar…
New in WholeBoard: thermal sim. It settles the board in 25 °C air and tells you what's cooking. Here D1 puts out 63 mW and the hottest spot lands at 39.4 °C. It does a power budget too, +3V3 at 21% of what it can give. What should it check next?
github.com/DingoOz/WholeBoar…
Wow, this a new level of marketing but I feel like it tells a story better than dancing demos. I kinda like the contrived scenarios and the robot saving the day.
eMudhra had one job. Pick a 116 digit random number for a CA private key.
They picked 4.
Psychostick called it: "I Can Only Count to FOUR"
youtube.com/watch?v=u8ccGjar…
If you want an open source, turn-key solution to go from text description to ordering a PCBs using AI, then you might like my next project. Sneak peek below:
Beta release of WholeBoard:
An AI workbench for printed circuit boards. Describe the board you want in plain words. WholeBoard's designer agent asks you what it needs to know, picks real JLCPCB parts and KiCad footprints, writes the schematic and board, has TraceMaker place and route it, checks it with KiCad's design rule check, and prices the whole job at JLCPCB: bare PCB, assembly, every component and shipping. It then designs a 3D-printable enclosure for the board in FreeCAD. Each step shows a visual you can inspect.
Beta release of WholeBoard:
An AI workbench for printed circuit boards. Describe the board you want in plain words. WholeBoard's designer agent asks you what it needs to know, picks real JLCPCB parts and KiCad footprints, writes the schematic and board, has TraceMaker place and route it, checks it with KiCad's design rule check, and prices the whole job at JLCPCB: bare PCB, assembly, every component and shipping. It then designs a 3D-printable enclosure for the board in FreeCAD. Each step shows a visual you can inspect.