ChatGPT Astra designs a working ESP32 PCB in 3 hours with just 5 prompts
Gjfiyfyifiyf · reddit · 2026-09-07
Inspired by OpenAI's Astra KiCad demo, a developer used ChatGPT Astra (via Codex CLI, lowest effort tier on a $20/mo Plus plan) to produce a complete ESP32 board design — 24V input, 4-20mA signal I/O — in about 3 hours with only 5 prompts. Human input was just an empty KiCad template and one opening prompt; all component choices, schematics, layout and docs were AI-generated. Verdict: genuinely usable and mostly sound component picks, but questionable USB routing, unnecessary internal-layer routing, and unreadable schematics (global labels instead of GND/power symbols). He likens it to where AI coding was in 2024 — on the lowest setting. Repo on GitHub.
Related event: GPT-6 Astra Autonomously Designs Full PCBs in Hours(3 posts)→
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