Blog
Notes on what we are building, what we measured, and what it means for the board on your desk.
Bare Boards or Fully Assembled? How to Order Your First PCB Run (2026)
When you order your first PCB run you pick one of two things: bare boards, or boards with the parts already soldered on. Here is what each really costs at 5 and at 50 in 2026, what gets slower, and the catch nobody warns you about.
Can AI Write Embedded Firmware? What Works and What Doesn't (2026)
Yes, and not reliably enough to leave alone. What the benchmarks actually measure, where AI written firmware falls over, and how to use it without getting burned, from someone shipping it.
What Does Embedded Firmware Development Cost in 2026?
Embedded firmware development cost in 2026 runs about $2,000 to $20,000 for most first products. Here is how that number gets built, what sits outside the quote, and how to estimate your own before you ask for one.
What to Check on Your PCB Before You Order It
Six checks worth running on your PCB before you spend money on it, in the order they bite, with what a respin actually costs if you skip them.
What a Hardware Design Firm Costs and How Long It Takes (2026)
What a hardware design firm actually charges to take a proof of concept from idea to working board in 2026, how many weeks each stage really takes, and an honest comparison with every other way to get there.
How to Write the Requirements for Your First Circuit Board (2026)
Before you pick a single part, write down what your board has to do and what it has to survive. A plain-English guide to hardware requirements, with the four questions that decide most of the parts.
Who Writes the Firmware for Your Custom PCB?
Your board is only half the job. The four realistic ways to get firmware for a custom PCB in 2026, what each one costs, and how to pick.
Proof of Concept vs Prototype vs MVP in Hardware
Proof of concept vs prototype vs MVP: what each one proves, who it is for, and what it really costs in 2026. With verified tooling and certification numbers.
Does Your Prototype Actually Need a Custom Enclosure?
When a custom enclosure for a PCB prototype is worth it, when it is not, and what every option really costs in 2026.
GPT-6 Astra routed a PCB. Here's what it takes to get an actual prototype.
The GPT-6 Astra PCB demo is real and impressive. It also covered one step out of ten. Here is what independent testers found, and what the other nine involve.
Tovan Now Writes the Firmware for the Boards It Designs
New in Tovan: it now writes the firmware for the boards it designs, sends it over USB, and tests it on the real hardware. Board, enclosure and firmware, all from one chat.
How Long Does It Take to Make a Custom PCB? (2026 Timeline)
How long does it take to make a custom PCB? A realistic 2026 stage-by-stage timeline with verified fab, assembly and shipping lead times.
How to Add a Battery to Your Hardware Product: LiPo, Charging, and Runtime (2026)
A plain-English guide to adding a battery to your hardware product: picking a LiPo cell, charging, LDO vs buck, runtime math, and shipping rules.
What to Do When Your Board Arrives (Before You Plug It In)
Your board just arrived. Before you plug it in, Tovan now generates a bring-up guide tailored to your design, so you know exactly what to check first instead of guessing.
How to Build a Hardware Proof of Concept on a Small Budget
Four ways to build a hardware proof of concept, with real 2026 costs and timelines for dev boards, in-house EE time, design firms and AI design tools.
The AI PCB Design Tools of 2026, and Which Part of the Job Each One Does
A founder's guide to the best AI PCB design tools in 2026: what ProtoFlow, Flux, Quilter, DeepPCB, KiCad, Altium and Tovan each actually cover.
How to Pick a Microcontroller for Your First Product: ESP32 vs RP2350 vs STM32 (2026)
ESP32 vs RP2350 vs STM32, with real September 2026 prices. A plain-English guide to picking a microcontroller for your first hardware product.
Do I Need FCC Certification for My Device? A Plain-English Guide for Founders (2026)
Do you need FCC certification for your device? Which path applies, what testing costs in 2026, timelines, and how pre-certified modules save money.
How to Order PCBs From JLCPCB: A Step by Step Beginner's Guide (2026)
A screenshot walkthrough of ordering assembled PCBs from JLCPCB in 2026: uploading Gerbers, choosing options, BOM and CPL files, fixing part shortages, and what it really costs.
How Much Does It Cost to Make a Hardware Prototype? (2026 Breakdown)
What does a hardware prototype really cost? A 2026 breakdown of every expense: circuit boards, parts, firmware, enclosures, certification, and tooling, with example budgets.
How to Make a Custom Circuit Board Without Being an Engineer (2026 Guide)
Want a custom PCB but aren't an engineer? Compare 6 ways to make a circuit board in 2026, from DIY KiCad to freelancers to AI tools, with real costs and timelines.
From Arduino to Custom PCB: How to Turn Your Dev Board Prototype Into a Real Board
Your Arduino or ESP32 prototype works. Now what? A step by step guide to turning a dev board and jumper wires into a custom PCB, with common mistakes to avoid.
Tovan Can Now Test Your Board Before You Order It
Tovan can now run real circuit simulations on your design, checking things like voltages, power-up behavior, and filter response, so you catch mistakes before you pay to fabricate the board.
You Can Design a Full Circuit Board From Your Phone
Hardware ideas rarely happen at your desk. Tovan runs entirely in your phone's browser, the same tool as desktop, so you can go from idea to routed board without waiting to get back to your laptop.
Why Your Autorouter Keeps Failing (It's Not the Autorouter)
Most failed autorouting jobs aren't the autorouter's fault, they're the layout's fault. Meet Layout Engine: the deterministic algorithm now powering Tovan's agent, cutting board layout from a slow trial-and-error loop down to seconds or minutes, and setting every board up for a clean route on the first pass.
New Features
Things were breaking, so we finally built the upgrades we had been putting off. New work modes, project linking, and a fix for context rot.
What We've Been Building: A Tovan Product Update
Tovan has come a long way in the past six months. Here is what we have been building, and why our families finally have something to tell their friends.
Do You Still Need to Learn KiCad?
Building Your First Prototype with Tovan
Tovan exists to take some of that burden off your shoulders, so more ideas can see the light of day, faster. Inventors can iterate quicker, and more things actually get made. The point of this post is to show you how easy it is to get an idea out of your head and into your hands in under an hour.
Prompt to PCB: a wireless bike speedometer
There are plenty of bike computers I could have bought and nothing is wrong with them. I built it because I wanted to see if the idea in my head could turn into a real thing. So I built it. Or more accurately, I described it to Tovan.