Welcome to Protoboard
Your prototype shouldn’t start with smoke. Protoboard is your pre-flight check.
One‑minute mental model
You describe what you’re building and pick candidate parts.
Protoboard models those parts as ProtoParts with resources and interfaces.
The engine validates electrical, mechanical, and data fit.
You get flagged risks, adapter suggestions, and a buy‑with‑confidence parts list.
What is Protoboard?
A software‑defined hardware engine with agentic AI. It lets you validate a first prototype before ordering parts. You pick parts. It checks fit. It flags gotchas so you don’t learn by releasing the magic smoke.
The problem we’re solving
Many builders stall at “which parts and how do they fit.” Ad‑hoc consults, slow iteration, and expensive rework follow. Protoboard replaces guesswork with guided selection and system checks, so you move from idea to working prototype faster.
Who it’s for
Core personas
Solo hardware founders validating V1 to raise
Mechanical designers crossing into electronics
Firmware engineers wiring sensors and peripherals
University labs standardizing student projects
Robotics teams avoiding brownouts and bus fights
New‑to‑hardware users who “have no idea what is going on”
Also great for
Prototyping shops and consultancies
Corporate R&D and skunkworks
Field integrators and retrofit specialists
Fit Protoboard into your flow
Protoboard helps during Product Design and Prototyping by guiding component choice, verifying electrical and mechanical compatibility, and surfacing integration risks early. Validate virtually, iterate cheaply, then buy with confidence.
Where it helps
Stage
What you get
Output
Requirements
Translate goals to part needs
Shortlist of viable parts
System design
Interface and resource checks
Pass/fail with fixes
Integration
Bus, power, thermal budgets
Risk list and adapters
Pre‑purchase
BOM sanity and sourcing notes
Order‑ready checklist
How compatibility works (quick gist)
Compatibility = same interface intent + matching attributes + a valid resource assignment. The validator pairs interfaces, checks hard limits (voltage, current, timing, fit), and proposes an assignment. If intent matches but attributes don’t, it suggests minimal adapters.
Want the full graph and examples? Go here.
What’s next
How does compatibility work
ProtoPart Definition System
Getting Started
Pro tips
Add parts even if specs feel hazy. The engine will tell you what’s missing.
Prefer defined interfaces over ad‑hoc wiring. Adapters are fine.
Fail in software. Not in hardware.
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