October 4, 2023
A Flux Birthday Special: A Look Back at Four Years of Flux
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In 2019, we scratched our heads at the current state of hardware tools. Why did they look like they were designed in the 1980s? Ohhhh they were. 😬
We asked ourselves... what if we started from scratch? What if designing hardware was seamless, intuitive, even delightful? What if we could automate all the mundane work? That was our dream.
Fast forward three years, and boom! We opened up to everyone. Since then, the numbers have been wild. Over 100,000 of you have joined, creating a whopping 177,000 projects! And shout out to the 3,200 businesses riding this wave with us. We've even got PCBs designed in Flux going to space soon! 🚀
Let’s take a look back at some of the company’s major highlights that you helped us fulfill!
From the very beginning, we always knew that Flux was only going to be as successful as the community that we built around it. That’s why we started with a private beta: so that we could build a tight-knit community of people who shared the same vision as us as we grew the product. If it weren’t for that group of beta users in the very beginning, we would not be here with you today.
In February 2023, we took our next big step when we emerged from private beta. For the first time ever, anyone in the world was able to test out Flux, and the response was overwhelming. This was our first major step towards our ultimate goal of truly democratizing hardware design for everyone.
We’ve always sought to take the “hard” out of hardware, and it was obvious that existing tools came up short of that vision. We knew we had to think bigger, which is why we came up with Flux Copilot: the industry’s first and only AI PCB design assistant.
When we introduced Copilot, its capabilities were unprecedented, and the response from YOU was fantastic. Over 15,000 users have now worked with Copilot, and it’s tackled a whopping 130,000 questions.
But we didn't stop there. Copilot evolved to not just provide feedback but to take action for you. With Copilot’s ability to wire up schematics for you, users were finally able to avoid the tedium of wiring schematics and spend more time on what really matters. We want to put the magic back in hardware design, and generative AI with Copilot has been one huge step toward that goal.
Meet Gerald, a software engineer behind Vendo King Manila, a vending machine business in the Philippines. Before Flux, he struggled with jumbled boards and too many jumper wires. With no prior PCB design experience, Gerald dived into Flux and crafted his own board. He says, “With Flux, I made our PCB easily. No more wire mess or production problems!” That's a big win! 🚀
Then there's Robert, a software engineer who loves computers, old-school games, web development, and 3D printing. He's the guy behind ControllerAdapter.com, making cool stuff for game controller fans. Thanks to Flux, Robert easily designs and shares his creations.
Looking back at the last four years, it’s amazing to see how far this community has come together.
While what we’ve done has been transformative, what’s really exciting are the infinite possibilities that lie ahead of us. We’re currently exploring the very edge of AI's capabilities in hardware design, and who better to do it with than our incredible community?
We have some exciting things planned for the future, and one thing is for sure: the best has yet to come.
If you want to help Flux continue to grow and change hardware design, tell your friends about us! Let them know about Flux and encourage them to sign up and get involved.
Today, we’re excited to share the preview of AI Auto-Layout, powered by Flux Copilot. This is the next step toward full layout automation. With just one click, Copilot tackles the repetitive task of routing your board, delivering clean, human-like results that are easy to work with and iterate on.
Learn how smart vias in Flux automates the selection, placement, and configuration of vias during the PCB design process. This automation reduces the manual effort involved in via placement and significantly lowers the risk of misalignment and other common errors associated with traditional via management.
Copilot new access to Flux’s live pricing and availability tools so that it can do the supply chain and cost analysis for you. Read on to learn about how we’re leveraging AI to give you the power of an entire supply-chain team right at your fingertips.
Today, we're proud to announce a significant upgrade to Flux Copilot: Copilot can now understand datasheets and reference them in its responses. This means you get more accurate responses when asking Copilot questions about specific parts. This enables you to directly utilize the wealth of data often hidden in the layers of these dense technical documents.
Streamline component research with Flux Copilot. Copilot links to components for quick part research, offering multiple options tailored to your needs, and find part alternatives effortlessly without switching between tabs and platforms.
KiCad revolutionized PCB design by making it accessible to everyone. Flux builds on that foundation, offering a browser-based, AI-powered platform that takes your PCB design experience to the next level.
We’re launching our Stackup Editor: a new and improved way to select your PCB stackup that requires less time, less effort, and is less prone to errors. This is another massive step towards creating a single place where designers can collaborate with each other and the industry as a whole.
If you’re using EasyEDA and are thinking of making the switch to Flux, learn how the two platforms differ and why Flux might be the next step in elevating your PCB design experience.
