January 4, 2026
Will your board pass the vibe check?
Show HN: An LLM-Powered PCB Schematic Checker (Major Update)
AI 'schematic proofreader' promises fewer fried boards; fans cheer, skeptics squint
TLDR: Traceformer’s AI tool promises to catch circuit mistakes before manufacturing. Comments split between excited engineers with real pain points, skeptics asking how it understands schematics, and pros insisting it must support Cadence for big teams—because missing a voltage rating can cost thousands in redoing a board.
Traceformer just dropped a major update: an AI checker for circuit diagrams—the maps your gadgets are built from. It promises to catch simple goofs and deeper issues that standard ERC (electrical rule check) tools miss, using a multi‑agent setup that plans, fetches datasheets automatically, and merges findings. It supports models from OpenAI and Anthropic, with pricing from free to enterprise. Engineers started calling it an AI intern who actually reads datasheets, and you can try it free at Traceformer.io.
Then the comment section went full lab-coat soap opera. One camp cheered: Neywiny said it’s the first AI they’d bring to work after a real voltage mismatch burned them before. Another camp side‑eyed hard: klysm doubted how you’d even train an LLM (a big text-prediction model) to understand schematics, while amelius asked if it can catch failures in tiny transistor circuits and max ratings. A practical crowd chimed in with enterprise reality: xbfan2025 warned it needs Cadence format support to matter at big companies. Veteran timmg waved from the sidelines, rooting for it and wishing for test cases. Memes flew: “will it save me from fried board PTSD?” and “finally, an ERC whisperer.” Drama level: spicy, but hopeful; for now cautiously.
Key Points
- •Traceformer.io offers an AI-powered PCB schematic checker to catch mistakes before fabrication.
- •It uses a three-phase multi-agent pipeline: planning, parallel evidence retrieval (up to 10 agents), and synthesis.
- •The system can analyze schematics against up to 40 datasheets and automatically retrieve datasheets from trusted sources.
- •Users can configure review parameters, token limits, and design rules, and choose OpenAI or Anthropic models.
- •Pricing tiers include Free, Hobby ($10/month), Pro ($20/month), and Enterprise (custom).