pcbjs

Nets and parts are values

nets() hands out typed nets and a footprint factory a part; connect() checks pin names in the editor and pin counts at the call, so a misspelled net is a type error, not a one-pad net.

One compile, everything checked

pcbjs check flattens the tree, autoroutes the legs you leave open, fills pours and runs DRC and ERC in a second or two. Each finding names the source line to change.

Ready to order

Gerber X2, Excellon drills, a job file, BOM and placement for JLCPCB, OSH Park and your own presets, zipped, with a README-fab that says whether the board is orderable.

A viewer tied to the code

The dev server shows the board in 2D and 3D and recompiles on save. Click a pad and the editor opens at the line that placed it; the VS Code extension shows the board beside the code.

Routing with intent

Draw a track by hand, leave a leg to the autorouter, route differential pairs to an impedance and tune lengths into match groups, all in one route() chain.

Built for agents too

Terse, stable command output, a JSON report, inspect for absolute coordinates and the docs in the terminal make pcbjs a tool a coding agent can drive.

A real board

The layout of Blinky, one of the demo boards, as it is checked in: three LED channels switched by one transistor on a 30 by 20 mm board. The nets and parts come from its schematic module, and each channel is a circuit placed by its row layout.

tsx

import PCB, { route, pour, via } from '@pcbjs/core'
import { Brand, rect, roundedRect } from '@pcbjs/lib'
import * as sch from './blinky.sch'
import './blinky.sourcing'
import { LedChannelRow } from './lib/led-channel.layout'

const W = 30, H = 20

export default (
  <PCB name="Blinky" revision="0.1.0" copper={2} schematic={sch}
    rules={{ clearance: 0.2, minTrackWidth: 0.2, strictNets: true, requireSourcing: true }}
    autoroute={{ bend: '45', viaCost: 4 }}>
    <path layer="Edge.Cuts" d={roundedRect(W, H, 2)} />

    {/* J1, Q1 and C1 by hand, each channel by its circuit's row layout */}
    <J1 at="3 7.46" />
    <Q1 at="26 10" />
    <LedChannelRow g={CH1} at="0 5" label="LED1" />
    <LedChannelRow g={CH2} at="0 10" label="LED2" />
    <LedChannelRow g={CH3} at="0 15" label="LED3" />
    <C1 at="15 10" side="B" />
    <text layer="B.SilkS" at="15 8.3" size={0.8}>C1</text>

    {/* tracks as path strings, a via, and a chain whose last hop .X() leaves to the autorouter */}
    {route(VCC, { width: 0.3, d: 'M 3 10 H 9 M 9 5 V 15 M 9 11.6 H 15.8' })}
    {via(VCC, '15.8 11.6')}
    {route(VCC, { layer: 'B.Cu', width: 0.3, d: 'M 15.8 11.6 V 10' })}
    {route(SW, { width: 0.3, d: 'M 22.2 5 V 16.5 H 27 V 10' })}
    {route(J1[3]).V(14).L(5, 16).via('B.Cu').H(24).V(7.5).via('F.Cu').X(Q1[1]).width(0.25)}

    {/* GND: a pour over the back, Q1.2 autorouted into it */}
    {route(Q1[2]).X('25 12.5 B.Cu').width(0.3)}
    {pour(GND, 'B.Cu', rect(W, H))}

    <text layer="F.SilkS" at="3 4.3" size={0.8}>GND</text>
    <text layer="F.SilkS" at="15 18.5" size={1}>Blinky · pcbjs</text>
    <Brand at="15 4" height={5} layer="B.SilkS" />
  </PCB>
)

npx pcbjs check compiles, routes, and runs DRC and ERC on it; npm run dev opens the viewer:

The pcbjs viewer showing the Blinky demo board in 3D, with the layer list on the left and the findings panel on the right

The same viewer showing Blinky's schematic, its symbols, wires and power symbols, with the schematic rows on the left

pcbjs is a proof of concept, on npm under the beta tag until 0.1. Getting started installs it and makes a first board; Why pcbjs says what it is for and how it compares with scripted KiCad.

pcbjsPCB design as TypeScript and JSX