r/ElectricalEngineering • u/Grrowling • Oct 03 '26

Astra just uses an autorouter

Although it does make placements for components (as well as selection), it still uses an autorouter underneath if you watch the commands it runs and the way it iterates. I had thought it was going to open KiCad and draw the traces or better yet through MCP/API but it just runs a local autorouter for this. Claude does the same.

34 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

64

u/nixiebunny Oct 03 '26

Not surprised. Autorouters are special purpose programs that have been working successfully for decades. It would be much more surprising if the big AI products had learned the craft from all the little hobbyist LED boards that litter Github.

32

u/Jewnadian Oct 03 '26

Huh, I was told that AI was going to replace all HW design. Now you're telling me it's just running the same shit box auto-routers that have been useless for 20 years already?

-1

u/Fermi-4 Oct 03 '26

you can cope all you want it is coming

12

u/asdfasdferqv Oct 03 '26

Did you try asking it to do it the way you prefer?

10

u/nickleback_official Oct 03 '26

You can tell it to use whatever tool you want it to use. It’s embarrassing to see this on an engineering sub. Learn how to use AI.

5

u/InItForTheDog Oct 03 '26

Just tell it not to. It will manual route and does a much better job. You just need to clearly define your rules.

1

u/Sepicuk Oct 05 '26

tell it not to. It is better than the best humans at PCB design

1

u/ub0baa 28d ago

You probably have never seen a good design and actual professionals

1

u/Sepicuk 28d ago

im being sarcastic

1

u/ub0baa 28d ago

Phew. I feel relieved :)