Announcing the Flux PCB Editor (alpha release)!
As we’ve built Flux over the last couple of years, our users’ feedback has been the foundation of our development process. We are amazed by all the enthusiasm and positive and critical feedback our community has given us. In talking to you all, one question really stood out.
“This is awesome, but how do I build a PCB?”
Well, today, the answer is, “build it in Flux!” We’re so excited to roll this out, and we’d love to tell you a little more about how we approached this and how you can get started quickly.
The current PCB design process is incredibly inefficient. Projects typically start from scratch, design rules are difficult to manage, collaboration and version control are cumbersome, and routing is a pain. On top of all that, when you’re finally “done,” you sometimes have to go back to the design if the parts you want aren’t in stock anywhere.
Since our mission is to take the hard out of hardware, it wasn’t enough for us to make a regular PCB editor that you’ve likely encountered in other tools. PCB design needs an overhaul, and we’ve redesigned the PCB editor from scratch. For us, the ideal PCB editor should have:
- Seamless collaboration w/ version control & permissions
- Design rules that actually work
- Existing building blocks to avoid reinventing the wheel
- A design that stays in sync with schematic, simulation
- Native integration with vendors
- A Github-like repository of reusable components
While we have large ambitions, the Flux PCB editor is in alpha, and we have plenty of work to do. But we wanted to get it in your hands to try out what’s available and start getting your feedback to ensure the process is as straightforward and efficient as possible.
You all are a huge part of what will make Flux successful, as such we would love for you to go in and play with the new PCB tool! That’s why we created a handy tutorial you can find here. We shared our vision and a demo of the PCB during our most recent Townhall. You can watch the recording here.
Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to email us or contact us through Intercom on our site. You can also provide feedback or report any bugs you encounter at feedback.flux.ai. As we head into the holidays, we may not be as responsive as we usually would. But rest assured, as we fully staff back up in January, we’ll be moving quickly to respond to your feedback and to make the Flux PCB editor even better.
Building the Flux PCB editor has been an incredible effort and experience. Our team worked hard to get it done with insanely high levels of enthusiasm. To get to build an amazing product with such amazing talent is a privilege. And, of course, we couldn’t have done this without you, our fantastic community. Your feedback, openness, and positive energy continue to amaze all of us, and it’s terrific to work with you all to build the future of electronics development. If you haven’t yet, you can join our Slack channel to build with us!
The Flux PCB editor is just the beginning of a big 2022. Thanks for being a part of this journey, and stay tuned for more!
