Bring-up begins!

Published

September 30, 2024

Written by

Sergiy Nesterenko

Founder and CEO

Read the Full Series

This article is one part of a walkthrough detailing how we recreated an NXP i.MX 8M Mini–based computer using Quilter’s physics-driven layout automation.

Overview: Project Speedrun

Part 1: Preparing the Design

Part 2: Compiling the Design

Part 3: Cleaning Up the Design

Part 4: Testing & Validation

Quilter did the layout without human intervention (!) for the QSP32 Solar Boost, a 43 x 28mm ESP32-C3-based board! It charges a battery through a solar panel and has a tiny Bosch sensor BME280 that measures temperature, humidity, and pressure. Follow along as we bring the board up.

Step 1: validate the board by programming a Hello World "blink" over USB-C to UART.

Try Quilter for Yourself

Project Speedrun demonstrated what autonomous layout looks like in practice and the time compression Quilter enables. Now, see it on your own hardware.

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Validating the Design

With cleanup complete, the final question is whether the hardware works. Power-on is where most electrical mistakes reveal themselves, and it’s the moment engineers are both nervous and excited about.

Continue to Part 4

Cleaning Up the Design

Autonomous layout produces a complete, DRC'd design; cleanup is a brief precision pass to finalize it for fabrication.

Continue to Part 3

Compiling the Design

Once the design is prepared, the next step is handing it off to Quilter. In traditional workflows, this is where an engineer meets with a layout specialist to clarify intent. Quilter replaces that meeting with circuit comprehension: you upload the project, review how constraints are interpreted, and submit the job.

Continue to Part 2