READ THE HARDWARE PILOT 0.1.0

From photos
to KiCad drafts.

Turn PCB photos into component, pad, and visible trace candidates. Inspect the evidence, make corrections, and prepare a KiCad draft on your own computer.

Local analysis. No account or internet required.
RA PCB / WORKBENCHILLUSTRATIVE DEMO

Synthetic example board. Select a view above to explore its layers.

Runs on your computerWindows x64 · local models
Opens in KiCadSchematic · scaled PCB draft · BOM
You stay in controlSuggestions stay separate from approvals

01 / THE WORKFLOW

Four steps to
understand the board.

A photo is the starting point. RA PCB brings visible evidence together in an editable workspace.

Photography and workflow guide
  1. 01

    Photograph both sides.

    Use a fixed camera and sharp front and back images. Mark the board corners and shared alignment points.

    INPUT / PNG · JPEG · TIFF
  2. 02

    Extract visible evidence.

    Inspect component candidates, pads, copper traces, and readable markings on the same image.

    ANALYSIS / LOCAL ONNX + OCR
  3. 03

    Resolve the uncertainties.

    Correct inaccurate candidates. Compare pin mappings and connections with the physical board before confirming them.

    EDITING / UNDO · REDO
  4. 04

    Move into a KiCad draft.

    Calibrate the scale using a known distance. Export a schematic, physical PCB draft, netlist, and BOM.

    OUTPUT / .KICAD_SCH · .KICAD_PCB

02 / THE DESKTOP WORKSPACE

Keep the image
behind every candidate.

Inspect the photo, component list, and evidence together. Toggle layers, take measurements, and save your corrections with the project.

RA PCB / Local projectWINDOWS x64
The actual RA PCB interface showing a board photo, component and pad candidates, a component list, and analysis warnings.
Actual app screenshot. Markers are detection candidates, not verified electrical connections.
01 Image layers02 Pin and pad editing03 Evidence and warnings04 Portable project archive

03 / PILOT LIMITATIONS

Know what is visible.
Keep the unknowns open.

This release assists investigation and editing. A fabrication-ready board still requires human review and electrical measurements.

  • Component detection is experimental.

    AP50 on a limited photo group: 0.1654. Components may be missed or misclassified. This does not measure electrical connectivity accuracy.

  • Hidden copper remains unknown.

    Inner layers, connections beneath BGAs, and unmarked component values cannot be verified from the images.

  • Proposals require confirmation.

    Proposed connections are not automatically added to electrical nets. The KiCad output is a draft using generic symbols and observed geometry.

59 source tests, a real-model workflow, and Windows install/uninstall checks passed. File and application checks do not measure electrical correctness against the physical board.

04 / GET STARTED

Start at
your workbench.

Explore editing and KiCad export with the sample project. When you move to your own board, verify every candidate again.

Your first project

Windows x64

RA PCB 0.1.0 PRIVATE PILOT

✓

General desktop distribution is not available yet. If you already have a pilot copy, the guide explains how to get started.

0.1.0 · CPU inference
Synthetic example board

Demo project · not an accuracy benchmark

Download project
Download the example KiCad draft
Linux / Ubuntu · Packaging scripts are available; a Linux package has not been built or tested yet.

05 / COMMON QUESTIONS

Before you begin.

Can I analyze board photos on this website?

This website introduces the app, provides its guide, and includes an illustrative demo. It does not upload board photos or run cloud analysis. Actual image analysis runs in the desktop app.

Is one photo enough?

A single front photo supports limited analysis. Capture both sides under controlled conditions for more visible evidence. Cross-side connections are not verified without reliable alignment.

Are the schematic and PCB ready for fabrication?

The outputs are editable KiCad drafts. Verify component identity, actual pin numbering, pad geometry, and electrical connections against the board. A physical PCB file requires scale calibration.

Do my photos stay on my computer?

For local projects, analysis and saving happen on your computer. If you explicitly choose team sync or optional cloud assistance in the desktop app, the relevant images are sent to the configured server. Read about privacy and product limitations.

What about OpenAI and team features?

The app includes server infrastructure for these integrations. A running service, OIDC sign-in, and the necessary server keys must be configured separately. This website does not create accounts or take payments; subscription integration is limited to Stripe test mode.

WINDOWS x64 / 0.1.0

Get started with the pilot.

The app runs locally without Python, an account, or internet access. It has been tested on Windows 11 x64.

The desktop installer and ZIP are not available for general download on this site. Open RA-PCB.cmd or RA-PCB.exe in your existing pilot folder to launch the app.
  1. Choose File → Import archive in the app.
  2. Open the downloaded SYNTHETIC_DEMO.rapcb in a new project folder.
  3. Inspect the components and connections, then use Export KiCad to save the draft in a new folder.
Open the full guide →