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HARDWARE DOESN’T BREAK IN ONE FILE
IT BREAKS BETWEEN THEM
A real prototype is more than a PCB
The circuit, board layout, components, firmware, enclosure, constraints, and review notes all have to work together
VEXL is being built for hardware engineers working on early prototypes
Describe the product in plain English
VEXL creates a connected first draft your team can inspect, change, and turn into a real build
It doesn’t replace engineers
It gives them a better place to start
A robot is more than a model
It is a chain of decisions:
- what it needs to sense
- what it needs to move
- how the electronics connect
- where everything fits
The demo is only the visible part
VEXL helps turn the robot brief into a first build kit parts, connectivity and enclosure constraints in one workflow you can inspect before the prototype
Better robots need better build loops
Describe a robot. Get a build kit
Robots don’t fail when they fall
They fail before the first part is ordered
Every useful robot starts as a chain of decisions:
- what it needs to sense
- what it needs to move
- which boards, motors and sensors connect those behaviours
- where everything fits
VEXL turns that messy brief into a build kit: parts, connectivity, enclosure constraints and an early plan you can inspect before spending weeks on a prototype
The future of robotics needs better build loops not just better demos
Describe a robot. Get a build kit
THE FIRST PROTOTYPE ISN’T WHERE HARDWARE FAILS
It fails earlier:
A part is chosen before the enclosure
A board is routed before connector access is checked
A “small change” has nowhere left to go
VEXL connects those decisions before the first build
Describe a product. Get a build kit
Vexl retweeted
EARLY: 5 companies across Operations, AI, Hardware and FinTech.👇
@operaycf26- 4 followers - (Operations): turns an operation's own data into a daily plan for routing, scheduling and production that beats the spreadsheet. @ycombinator F26.
@getedgehq - 41 followers - (AI): the app store for agent skills. human expertise, downloadable. @fdotinc.
@vexldiy - 42 followers - (Hardware): turns hardware ideas into working prototypes. in private beta.
@kepler_ai_hq - 82 followers - (FinTech): verifiable, traceable ai for industries where being wrong isn't an option. starting with finance.
@runcomputing - 87 followers - (AI): automation that learns how your business works.
An idea is not a build kit.
The hard part is the messy middle:
- finding the right components
- connecting the electronics
- fitting everything into a real enclosure
- knowing what still needs an engineer’s review
VEXL brings those decisions into one workflow — from a plain-language product brief to a first build kit you can inspect, revise and test.
Describe a product. Get a build kit.
Join the beta: vexl.diy/
Mass production changes the robotics bottleneck.
One humanoid every 10 minutes is impressive.
But the harder problem is connecting everything behind the robot:
parts, boards, sensors, power, enclosures, testing and traceability.
That’s exactly the kind of engineering workflow VEXL is being built for turning a robot idea into a connected first design before expensive problems appear on the factory floor.
One humanoid robot rolls off the line every 10 minutes. UBTECH’s benchmark humanoid robot smart factory just goes live——from 1,000 to 10,000 units, we made the leap in less than 9 months.
Behind these remarkable numbers is a comprehensive intelligent manufacturing system truly built for over 10,000-unit production of humanoid robots.
This milestone is just the beginning. Large-scale industrialization of humanoid robots is right around the corner. 👇
#UBTECH #IndustrialRobot #SmartManufacturing #Robotics #AI
THE BOARD FITS. THE CABLE DOESN’T.
A board can fit perfectly inside a case and still leave no room to plug anything in.
That’s why the electronics and enclosure need to be designed together.
We’re building VEXL to help engineers start that way.
Describe the device you want to build. Bring component research, board connections and enclosure design into one workflow.
Start with a first design you can inspect and improve. The engineer stays in charge of the checks, changes and testing.
VEXL is in beta. Join the waitlist.
A NEW CAMERA CHANGES MORE THAN THE PICTURE.
It can mean a different power supply, new connectors and a new mount. Suddenly, the board and enclosure need another look.
Analog Devices' robotics breakdown shows why compute is only one part of the job. The parts still have to work together.
That's where we're focusing VEXL: helping engineers turn a device description into a first design, with component research, board connections and enclosure geometry in one workflow.
A starting point to inspect and improve, not a finished robot to trust blindly.
VEXL is in beta. Join the beta waitlist.
FULL-STACK HARDWARE NEEDS FULL-STACK CONTEXT
If hardware and software are finally being built together, the first draft can’t be scattered across docs, parts lists, board files, firmware notes, and enclosure guesses.
That is exactly where VEXL fits.
One product idea in.
A connected engineering starting point out.
Before AI:
- hardware is hard
- teams > solo founders
- technical founders only
- PhDs build tech in search of a problem
- hot SaaS startups get 100x ARR multiples
After AI:
- hardware is the only thing AI can't build
- solo founders are 100x engineers
- anyone can build
- PhDs building AI infra name their price
- SaaSpocalypse
Am I missing anything?
AI HARDWARE IS USELESS WITHOUT CHECKS
A board image is not a prototype.
Real hardware needs everything to agree:
circuit
board
parts
firmware
enclosure
constraints
And before anyone spends money, an engineer needs to see what should be reviewed.
That is what VEXL is being built for.
Describe a hardware idea in plain English.
Get a connected first draft your team can inspect, change, and turn into a real prototype.
Not autopilot.
A better starting point for hardware engineers.
Early access: vexl.diy
drop one hardware idea
we’ll turn the best ones into a first prototype breakdown:
parts, board, case, starter code, wiring, and review notes👇
6 FILES CAN DESCRIBE ONE PRODUCT
BUT THEY DON’T MAKE IT A SYSTEM
A hardware prototype rarely fails because one file is missing
It fails when the circuit, PCB, parts, firmware, enclosure, and constraints stop agreeing with each other
Today, those pieces usually live in different tools, owned by different people, and changed at different times
VEXL is being built to connect the entire first hardware draft around one product idea
Describe what you want to build in plain English
Get one connected package your team can inspect, change, and improve before prototyping
The engineer stays in control
VEXL keeps the work connected
AI routing is cool
But hardware breaks when the pieces stop matching
Schematic - pcb - bom - firmware - enclosure - constraints - review notes
The real win is keeping all of it in sync
AI routing inside kicad is useful
But the harder engineering problem is keeping the whole prototype consistent:
- schematic
- pcb
- bom
- firmware
- enclosure
- constraints
- review notes
That is where ai for hardware gets interesting
What If You Could Ask AI to Route Your KiCad PCB?
That's what KiCad MCP Server is exploring.
It connects an AI agent to KiCad through MCP, allowing the agent to inspect a board, understand nets and design rules, find routing paths, place tracks and vias, and remove routing elements.
The interesting part is that it doesn't just blindly draw traces. It can query pads, ratsnest connections, obstacles, clearances and track-width rules, then use pathfinding to find collision-free routes.
The architecture uses AI agent + MCP server + KiCad IPC API, with KiCad 8+ required. Schematic-editing tools also exist, but are still experimental.
For PCB designers, this is an interesting direction, you just have to describe the change, AI inspects the board, AI performs the edit and then you review the result.
But I would still treat AI-generated routing as an assistant, not an engineer. Always run DRC and review power, grounding, impedance, thermal and high-speed constraints yourself.
Follow along if you want to learn daily.
We’re building Vexl
Hardware prototyping is still too fragmented.
One tool for PCB.
One for CAD.
One for firmware.
One for wiring.
One more spreadsheet for BOM.
Then you spend half your time keeping files, versions, and assumptions in sync.
Vexl turns a hardware idea into a working prototype flow from one prompt.
Describe what you want to build.
Get a shared design with BOM, PCB, CAD, firmware, and wiring.
Refine it in chat.
Export the full project as product.zip
The goal is simple:
make hardware iteration feel as fast as software iteration.
Private beta: vexl.diy
One of those components you barely think about until timing actually starts to matter.
Small part, pretty important job.
VCXOs: What are they & where can these oscillators be used in circuit designs.
A Voltage Controlled Crystal Oscillator (VCXO) combines the high stability of a quartz crystal with the flexibility of a voltage-controlled adjustment. It allows you to "pull" or trim the frequency by a small amount using an external control voltage.
#Electronics #engineering #electroniccomponents #crystaloscillators #vcxo #voltagecontrolledcrystaloscillator #electronicsnotes #RFDesign #Oscillators
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