JITX Aims to Provide Superpowers to Circuit Design Engineers

JITX Aims to Provide Superpowers to Circuit Design Engineers

Author: All About Circuits December 20, 2022 Duration: 1:00:36

Duncan Haldane has always approached problems a little differently. In high school, he scavenged auto parts to build robots. In college, Haldane was mimicking biology to create two Guinness world-record robots: the speedy, slightly disturbing X2-VelociRoACH (video) and the crazy, jumping Salto (video).

Now he is leading JITX as it builds a new design flow process to automate circuit board design. 

I think the motivation is, how do you take the best of how we as a species know how to design hardware and apply it to every single design? How do you make the world's most expert knowledge reusable, repeatable, scalable, in the way that software is?

They generate designs with code rather than schematics and use AI to help automate the flow and improve rule checking.

According to Haldane, JITX software is targeted at senior engineers to make them more productive. The goal is to automate routine tasks like pin assignments, design checks, and even help users' identify suitable parts that are in stock at distributors. 

Haldane recounts how they began designing for customers using early versions of their tool and kept improving by "noticing what didn't work and what was really bad." He added that they are "making a tool for experts," so it must "meaningfully help them very quickly, or it's not worth anything at all."

Other highlights from this Moore's Lobby interview of Duncan Haldane include:

-Why "robots suck pretty bad as compared to animals"

- How simple errors in mass distribution calculations can result in robots that "spin like a maniac"

- Discussion of the data challenges that circuit and PCB designers still face

- Advice for tech entrepreneurs who are pursuing venture funding


In the world of electronics, the real story is often found in the people who design, innovate, and push the boundaries of what's possible. Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits is a monthly podcast that goes beyond datasheets and schematics to explore the human element driving technological progress. Host Daniel Bogdanoff sits down with a diverse range of guests-from hands-on engineers and visionary technologists to the executives steering major organizations-for conversations that are as much about personal journey as technical achievement. Each episode delves into the practical engineering and the broader industry trends shaping our future, but always through the lens of the individual's experience. You'll hear firsthand accounts of breakthrough moments, the challenges of bringing complex ideas to life, and the philosophies that guide leaders in this demanding field. This podcast from All About Circuits connects a global community of professionals who share a deep curiosity for how things work and who makes them work. It’s a space for nuanced discussion that aims to inform, inspire, and provide genuine insight into the circuit-driven world we inhabit. The dialogue here is for those who appreciate the substance behind the innovation, offering a blend of technical depth and narrative that you can naturally integrate into your own perspective.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits
Podcast Episodes
Sensors Insights: Bridging Hardware Collection and Software Analysis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:31
The "old school" way was simple: a sensor sees a part, tells the controller, and the actuator moves. It was pure hardware logic, and it worked. But in today's smart factories, that's only half the story. Modern sensors a…
Powering EVs: Microgrids & DC Charging Solutions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:25
In this episode of the Moore's Lobby podcast, we sit down with Antonio Di Vaira, Senior VP for Power Product of Schneider Electric to discuss the massive shifts happening in the world of energy distribution. The conversa…
Generative AI for Dirty Jobs—The Next Industrial Revolution? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:05
Christopher Savoie, the founder and CEO of Zapata Computing, has had a fascinating career journey. After beginning as a young programmer working with early computers, he switched gears to immunology and biophysics in Jap…
GaN Powers Up in AI, Robotics, and Our Lives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:41
In this fascinating interview, Alex Lidow discusses his early exposure to semiconductors through his father and grandfather, who founded International Rectifier. Initially pursuing aeronautical engineering at Caltech, he…