Cherry Blossom for hardware engineers
You already know how to draw a schematic and route a board. The question is whether you should spend the evening doing the parts of it that are routine. Cherry Blossom drafts the whole board from a written spec, checks it, and hands you files you can open in KiCad.
Draft a test fixture board for an I2C sensor: an STM32G031 on a 3.3 V LDO fed from USB-C, a 4-pin JST-SH connector for the sensor, an SWD header and a status LED. Keep it to 30 x 40 mm with four M3 mounting holes.
It is if you want the first draft of a board done for you: the schematic, a placed and routed layout, a BOM and fab files, from a spec you write in plain English. It suits breakout boards, test fixtures, sensor carriers, dev boards and the other small boards that pile up around a real product.
It is not a replacement for your main ECAD. The viewers are read-only, so you change the board by asking the agent, and fine manual layout means exporting to KiCad. There is no simulation, no real-time multi-user editing, and nothing here signs off a high-speed or RF design.
The way most engineers will use it: describe the board, review what comes back, export an editable KiCad project, and finish by hand where it matters.
Where it fits
- Engineers who want the first draft of a board done for them.
- Breakout boards, test fixtures, sensor carriers and small dev boards.
- Anyone happy to export to KiCad and finish the layout by hand.
- Engineers who want the design as text they can diff.
Where it doesn’t
- Layouts that need hand-tuned placement and routing inside the tool.
- Designs you need to simulate before you build.
- High-speed or RF boards that need sign-off.
- Several engineers editing one design at the same time.
How it works
Write the spec
Name the parts you have chosen, the connectors, the power input and the board size. Attach a sketch or a pinout if it helps.
Let the agent build
An AI agent writes the board as tscircuit code and builds it in a cloud sandbox. The run keeps going if you close the tab.
Review and revise
Check the schematic, PCB layout, 3D view and BOM, then ask for changes in the chat. A verification gate checks every AI edit against manufacturing rules.
Export or order
Download Gerbers, an editable KiCad project, a BOM, pick-and-place and 3D files, or send the board to PCBWay once it passes a DRC check.
What do hardware engineers need from a PCB tool?
An engineer's bar is different from a hobbyist's. A tool that draws something plausible is no use if you have to check every footprint by hand. What matters is whether you can trust the output enough to review it rather than redo it.
Footprints that match the real part, because a wrong land pattern costs a respin.
Checks against manufacturing rules before anything goes to a fab house.
Files the rest of the team can open: Gerbers, a BOM, pick-and-place, a native ECAD project, a STEP model for the mechanical side.
A way to take over by hand when a layout needs a human.
Where does it help, and where should you use something else?
A first draft of a simple board, fast
What Cherry Blossom doesDrafts schematic, layout, BOM and fab files from a written spec
Where to look insteadCovered here
Hand-tuned placement and routing
What Cherry Blossom doesChanges go through the agent; export to KiCad to finish by hand
Where to look insteadKiCad, Altium, or your current ECAD
Circuit simulation
What Cherry Blossom doesNone
Where to look insteadCircuit simulation tools
High-speed or RF sign-off
What Cherry Blossom doesNot built for it
Where to look insteadHigh-speed PCB design software
Several engineers editing one design live
What Cherry Blossom doesEach board belongs to one account; no real-time multi-user editing
Where to look insteadPCB design software for teams
Files that leave the tool
What Cherry Blossom doesGerbers, KiCad project, BOM, pick-and-place, GLB, glTF, STEP, SVG, PNG, Circuit JSON
Where to look insteadCovered here
| What you need | What Cherry Blossom does | Where to look instead |
|---|---|---|
| A first draft of a simple board, fast | Drafts schematic, layout, BOM and fab files from a written spec | Covered here |
| Hand-tuned placement and routing | Changes go through the agent; export to KiCad to finish by hand | KiCad, Altium, or your current ECAD |
| Circuit simulation | None | Circuit simulation tools |
| High-speed or RF sign-off | Not built for it | High-speed PCB design software |
| Several engineers editing one design live | Each board belongs to one account; no real-time multi-user editing | PCB design software for teams |
| Files that leave the tool | Gerbers, KiCad project, BOM, pick-and-place, GLB, glTF, STEP, SVG, PNG, Circuit JSON | Covered here |
Can you check the agent's work?
Yes, and you should. Every edit the agent makes goes through a verification gate that checks it against manufacturing rules, and a DRC check runs again before the PCBWay hand-off. That hand-off also refuses a build that is stale, meaning one that no longer matches the files on screen.
The design itself is text. The agent writes tscircuit code, which you can read on the Code tab once you switch it on in settings, and every board exports as open Circuit JSON. Both are plain files you can diff and keep in version control.
What does Cherry Blossom cost for an engineer?
Pro is $20 a month with 4M AI credits and 600 AI actions a day. Ultra is $140 a month with 32M credits and the frontier models. Usage past the allowance is $5 per 1M credits, only if you turn it on. The AI is included, with no API key and no per-seat licence. Sakura 2 Base is on every plan, and Ultra adds Sakura 2 High.
Boards you order through PCBWay are paid for on PCBWay, at PCBWay's own quote. Cherry Blossom takes no payment for boards.
The honest limits. Cherry Blossom is an early beta. You change a board by asking the agent, not by dragging traces yourself, so fine manual layout happens after a KiCad export. It is not a circuit simulator, it has no real-time multi-user editing, and it is not built for high-speed or RF sign-off.
Questions
Cherry Blossom is a good fit for professional hardware engineers who want the first draft of a board done for them. You describe the board in plain English, an AI agent writes it as tscircuit code and builds it, and you get a schematic, PCB layout, 3D view and BOM to review. Footprints come from real part data, and a verification gate checks every AI edit against manufacturing rules. It works best for small boards such as breakouts, test fixtures and sensor carriers. It does not replace your main ECAD: the viewers are read-only, so fine layout means exporting the editable KiCad project and finishing it by hand. It has no circuit simulation, no real-time multi-user editing, and it is not built for high-speed or RF sign-off. Many engineers will use it to start a board and KiCad to finish it.
No. The schematic, PCB and 3D views are read-only, and you change the board by asking the agent. For hand-tuned placement or routing, export the editable KiCad project and work on it in KiCad.
No. Cherry Blossom cannot import KiCad, Altium, EAGLE or other design files. You start from a description, and you can attach images such as a sketch or a pinout to the message.
No. There is no circuit simulation, and it is not built for high-speed or RF sign-off. Use a dedicated simulator and your usual SI tools for those boards.
No. The AI is included in the plan, with no API key to set up. Sakura 2 Base is on every plan and Ultra adds Sakura 2 High.
Describe your board. See what comes back.
Schematic, layout and a verification gate, in the browser. Exports to Gerbers and KiCad.
