The latest articles on DEV Community by Gal Ofel (@galgal). https://dev.to/galgal https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3864441%2Fd07ea7b1-61e1-439c-8611-6d5547812d49.png https://dev.to/galgal en Gal Ofel Mon, 06 Apr 2026 19:10:53 +0000 https://dev.to/galgal/built-an-ai-tool-that-generates-wiring-diagrams-and-code-for-arduino-projects-heres-what-i-5879 https://dev.to/galgal/built-an-ai-tool-that-generates-wiring-diagrams-and-code-for-arduino-projects-heres-what-i-5879 <p>I'm not an electrical engineer. But I kept wanting to build smart devices - a mosquito trap for the garden, a nightlight my kid controls with claps, a smart dog collar.</p> <p>Every time, I'd hit the same wall: which components are compatible? What pins do I connect? What libraries do I need?</p> <p>So I built <a href="https://make-it.ai" rel="noopener noreferrer">Make-it</a> - you describe a device in plain English and it generates:</p> <ul> <li>A complete parts list with specs</li> <li>A wiring diagram with pin assignments </li> <li>Working Arduino/ESP32/Raspberry Pi code</li> <li>A step-by-step build guide</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgawvz67fyuczbq4jo8pj.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgawvz67fyuczbq4jo8pj.png" alt=" " width="800" height="465"></a></p> <h2> The technical challenge </h2> <p>The hard part isn't generating code - any LLM can do that. The hard part is making the output <strong>actually buildable</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>GPIO pin conflict detection across multiple sensors</li> <li>Component compatibility validation (will this sensor work with this board?)</li> <li>Correct library dependencies and imports</li> <li>Pin assignments that match the physical wiring</li> </ul> <p>A raw LLM will confidently tell you to connect a sensor to a pin that doesn't support analog input. The domain layer on top catches that.</p> <h2> Real-world testing </h2> <p>I've been dogfooding by posting actual builds on Reddit:</p> <ul> <li>An automated mosquito trap hit <strong>339K views</strong> and #1 on r/homeautomation</li> <li>A clap-activated nightlight for kids got <strong>25K views</strong> on r/arduino</li> <li>People are actually ordering parts and building these projects</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F77qxnfh5aeum5fboaqyk.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F77qxnfh5aeum5fboaqyk.png" alt=" " width="800" height="465"></a></p> <h2> What's next </h2> <p>I'm working on multi-board communication (Arduino + RPi over serial), better PCB-level layouts, and eventually simulation.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fjyhbxai70fs004lkupoi.jpg" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fjyhbxai70fs004lkupoi.jpg" alt=" " width="800" height="600"></a></p> <p>Would love feedback from anyone who's tried using AI for hardware projects. What works? What breaks?</p> <p><a href="https://make-it.ai?utm_source=devto&amp;utm_medium=organic&amp;utm_campaign=first_post" rel="noopener noreferrer">Try it here</a></p> ai arduino diy showdev