AI writing assistant for hardware teams

Turn EDA outputs into manufacturing-ready packs

Convert messy BOM CSVs, Gerber/drill sets, and P&P data into structured manufacturing packs, clear assembly steps, standardized review checklists, and supplier-ready RFQs — ready to drop into fabrication and assembly workflows.

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Best for

PCB designers, hardware and manufacturing engineers

Works with SMT and through‑hole designs and common EDA exports

Common outputs

Manufacturing pack index, CSV-ready BOM, fab notes, assembly steps

Files and copy formatted for vendor upload and shop instructions

Handoff friction

What this assistant solves

PCB design teams lose time rewriting engineering notes into clear manufacturing and procurement artifacts. This assistant provides domain-focused prompt templates that transform EDA exports and short design notes into consistent BOMs, fabrication instructions, assembly sequences, and review checklists that vendors and internal teams can act on without repeated clarification.

Normalize raw BOMs into procurement-ready CSVs with manufacturer and alternate placeholders
Produce fabrication notes mapped to Gerber/drill naming and stackup hints
Generate SMT and through-hole assembly sequences with orientation, glue, and soldering guidance
Create prioritized design-review checklists for signal, power, thermal, and mechanical concerns

Practical templates

Prompt clusters tailored to PCB workflows

Templates are grouped by common handoff artifacts. Each prompt has explicit input fields that map to typical EDA outputs (BOM CSV, Gerber set name, P&P file) so you can paste or attach exports and get immediately usable copy or CSV-format outputs.

Manufacturing Pack Generator

INPUT: componentized BOM CSV + board revision note. OUTPUT: manufacturing pack index (files list), one-paragraph board summary for the fab, explicit Gerber/drill file naming, and assembly house instructions.

Placeholder inputs: BOM_CSV_LINK, REVISION_NOTE, GERBER_SET_NAME
Deliverables: pack_index.txt, board_summary.txt, fab_instructions.md

BOM Cleanup & Normalization

INPUT: raw BOM CSV from EDA. Prompt normalizes RefDes conventions, adds Manufacturer and Alternate placeholders, groups by procurement priority, flags obsolete parts, and outputs CSV with standard columns.

Output columns: RefDes, Qty, PartNumber, Manufacturer, DatasheetURL, Alternate1
Guidance: suggested fields for automated upload to procurement systems

SMT & Through-hole Assembly Instructions

INPUT: P&P filename + board notes. OUTPUT: step-by-step SMT sequence, nozzle recommendations, critical orientation notes, glue zones, and wave-solder instructions for through-hole sections.

Include critical orientation and polarity callouts for assemblies
Separate SMT vs through-hole steps for mixed-process boards

Fabrication Notes for Gerber/Drill

INPUT: Gerber set name + layer list. OUTPUT: fab notes including stackup summary, controlled impedance hints, drill tolerances, inner-layer clearances, and recommended soldermask expansion.

Explicit mapping to layer names and file suffixes used by fabs
Recommendations phrased as 'verify with your fab' to avoid prescriptive fabrication requirements

Design Review Checklist

INPUT: short design intent (e.g., high-speed, power management). OUTPUT: prioritized checklist covering signal integrity, power integrity, thermal, mechanical keepouts, and testpoint coverage.

Checklist items with suggested acceptance criteria for peer reviews
Sections labeled 'high priority' vs 'nice to have' for faster triage

Test Plan & Fixture Instructions

INPUT: functional blocks and critical nets. OUTPUT: factory test plan (smoke and functional tests), fixture probe points, expected voltages, and debugging tips.

Pass/fail criteria and suggested debug steps for common failures
Fixture probe point format that aligns with common AOI/ATE setups

ECO & Change Log Entry Generator

INPUT: list of changes. OUTPUT: ECO entry with rationale, affected assemblies, migration steps for BOM and Gerber, and sample commit message.

Structured ECO fields: change_id, author, affected_refs, migration_steps
Suggested wording for release notes and production notifications

Supplier Query / RFQ Drafts

INPUT: part numbers and uncertainty fields. OUTPUT: concise supplier questions, footprint confirmation requests, packaging/lead-time constraints for RFQs.

Supplier-friendly language to reduce clarification cycles
Include acceptable tolerances and test/sample requests

Component Substitution Guide

INPUT: obsolete part + function. OUTPUT: candidate substitutes with matched critical parameters and suggested verification tests.

Match by footprint, electrical spec, temperature rating
Verification checklist for new component evaluation

Solder Paste Stencil Guidance

INPUT: PASTE layer data. OUTPUT: stencil aperture recommendations, step-down guidance for fine pitch, and paste inspection checklist.

Advice tailored to common aperture geometries and fine‑pitch components
Paste inspection checklist for SPI/AOI setup

From export to pack

How it works — quick implementation steps

Use the provided prompt templates and map your EDA outputs to the input placeholders. Start with the smallest useful inputs (BOM CSV + revision note) and iterate to add Gerber names, P&P filenames, or board images for higher fidelity outputs.

Step 1: Upload or paste raw BOM CSV and add a short revision note (what changed).
Step 2: Run the BOM Cleanup prompt to generate a normalized CSV and supplier placeholders.
Step 3: Provide Gerber set name and layer list to the Fabrication Notes prompt to create fab instructions and file naming conventions.
Step 4: Combine P&P filename and board notes in the Assembly prompt to get SMT and through-hole sequences.
Step 5: Generate a design-review checklist and ECO entry for your release batch.

Vendor-friendly

Formats & handoff-ready outputs

Outputs are formatted for real handoffs: CSV columns ready for procurement systems, short plain‑text fab instructions that map to file names, step-by-step assembly sequences, and checklist items with acceptance criteria. Each template includes placeholders you can fill with datasheet links, manufacturer names, and file references.

CSV-ready BOM exports: RefDes, Qty, PartNumber, Manufacturer, DatasheetURL, Alternate1
Plain-text fab notes with Gerber/drill naming and stackup hints
Assembly steps separated by process (SMT, reflow, wave solder, manual rework)

EDA compatibility

Source ecosystem mapping

Templates and prompts are designed to accept artifacts from common PCB toolchains. Map your tool outputs to the prompt inputs to get the best results.

Altium: schematic notes, PCB prints, BOM exports (CSV) — paste CSV and revision notes
KiCad: project BOM CSVs and P&P files — provide filenames and layer lists
Cadence/OrCAD: schematic annotations and BOM exports — include affected sheet references
Gerber/NC Drill: provide set name and layer list for fabrication notes
Pick-and-place & stencil data: use P&P filename and PASTE layer identifiers for assembly and stencil prompts

Reusable snippets

Concrete prompt examples you can copy

Below are short, copy-pasteable prompts. Replace bracketed placeholders with your files or short notes.

BOM Cleanup prompt

INPUT: paste raw BOM CSV below and add REVISION_NOTE. OUTPUT: normalized CSV with Manufacturer and Alternate placeholders.

Prompt: "INPUT_BOM_CSV: [paste CSV]. REVISION_NOTE: [e.g., 'rev B: capacitor values updated']. Normalize references to format 'C1,C2', add Manufacturer and Alternate1 columns, flag rows with missing part numbers, and output CSV with columns: RefDes, Qty, PartNumber, Manufacturer, DatasheetURL, Alternate1."

Fabrication Notes prompt

INPUT: GERBER_SET_NAME + LAYER_LIST. OUTPUT: concise fab notes.

Prompt: "GERBER_SET: [board_v2_gerbers.zip]. LAYERS: [TopCopper, BottomCopper, SolderMaskTop, SilkscreenTop, Drill]. Summarize stackup, controlled impedance hints for differential pairs, drill size tolerances, and recommended soldermask expansion for castellations."

SMT assembly sequence prompt

INPUT: P&P_FILENAME + BOARD_NOTES. OUTPUT: step-by-step assembly sequence.

Prompt: "P&P: [board_v2.pnp]. BOARD_NOTES: [use glue on connectors J1-J3; U5 is heat-critical]. Produce an SMT assembly sequence with nozzle size suggestions, glue application zones, and orientation callouts."

Best practices

Implementation checklist for teams

Small changes in input discipline significantly improve output quality. Use these practices to get manufacturing-ready artifacts without multiple iterations.

Provide short revision notes (one sentence) describing intent and key changes.
Attach or paste raw EDA exports (CSV, Gerber set name, P&P filename) rather than only describing them in text.
Flag uncertain fields in the BOM (e.g., 'manufacturer unknown') so the assistant can generate supplier queries.
Iterate: generate a draft RFQ or ECO, then refine with vendor feedback and re-run the template to produce final copy.

Next steps

FAQ

How do I convert a messy EDA BOM export into a procurement-ready CSV without manual cleanup?

Paste the raw BOM CSV into the BOM Cleanup & Normalization prompt and include a one-line revision note. The template normalizes RefDes formatting, adds columns for Manufacturer and Alternate1, flags missing part numbers, and returns a CSV with columns ready for upload to procurement systems. If manufacturer data is missing, the output will include placeholders you can use to populate supplier queries.

Can the assistant produce fabrication notes that map to common Gerber/Drill naming conventions?

Yes. Provide the Gerber set name and layer list (e.g., TopCopper, BottomCopper, Drill). The Fabrication Notes prompt returns concise fab instructions that reference file names and suggested stackup and tolerance notes formatted for vendor handoff. Always confirm final tolerances with your chosen fab.

What level of technical detail should I provide so outputs are manufacturing-ready?

Minimal useful input is a BOM CSV plus a one‑line revision note. For higher-fidelity outputs, add Gerber set names, layer lists, P&P filenames, and short board notes (glue zones, heat-critical parts). Include any uncertainties (e.g., unknown manufacturer) as flagged fields so the prompts can generate supplier questions or alternates.

How do I use generated test plans with existing ATE or in-house test fixtures?

Provide functional blocks and critical nets as inputs. The Test Plan prompt outputs smoke and functional test steps, fixture probe points, expected voltages, and pass/fail criteria. Map the probe point names to your ATE fixtures and translate suggested voltages and thresholds into your tester's format before automating.

Will the assistant help create compliant checklists for IPC or UL reviews?

The Compliance & IPC Notes template summarizes relevant checklist items for a target standard (e.g., IPC-6012) and recommends inspection points. Use these outputs as a drafting aid: verify specific compliance acceptance criteria and required vendor documentation against the standard or your QA team before submission.

How can I include board images, P&P files, or snippets of schematic text in prompts to get accurate results?

Where supported, attach P&P filenames and paste schematic snippets or link board images in the input. The prompts interpret filenames and short text snippets; for images, include a brief caption describing the area of interest (e.g., 'power section, U5 area'). More contextual inputs yield more precise assembly and test outputs.

What best practices ensure consistent versioned ECO and change log entries?

Provide a concise list of changes and a short rationale per change. Use the ECO prompt to generate a structured entry with affected RefDes, migration steps for BOM and Gerber, and a suggested commit message. Keep a consistent ECO template (change_id, author, rationale, affected_refs, migration_steps) in your repository to maintain traceability.

How do I produce supplier-friendly RFQs and part-substitution notes that reduce clarification cycles?

Include part numbers and any uncertain fields in the Supplier Query prompt. The output will craft concise questions for suppliers, request footprint confirmations, specify acceptable tolerances, and outline preferred packaging and lead-time constraints. Use the generated text as the body of your RFQ to reduce back-and-forth with suppliers.

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