For an AI hardware startup · Reviewed in Shenzhen
A hardware startupstarts with a board you can hold.
Tell us the board you wish existed. The $149 Proto Kit includes AI design, engineer review and five assembled, tested 2-layer boards within the kit scope. Ships 10–15 working days after engineer approval; courier transit is additional.
One free board per account. Preview online; order to receive files and prototypes.
- Proof
- $149 · 5 tested 2-layer boards
- Review
- Factory engineer, every order
- Bench
- Shenzhen · ships 10–15 working days after engineer approval
Proto Kit
Engineer review, five assembled 2-layer boards and a written test report for each board.
per order
$149
Why now
The first board shouldn't require a factory contract.
A purchasing department can wait for a volume quote. A founder cannot. Ohmbo helps you start with a $149 Proto Kit: engineer review and five assembled, tested 2-layer boards within the kit scope.
Ships 10–15 working days after engineer approval, plus courier transit. Shipping and import duties extra. No minimum order beyond the five.
How it works
Four steps from a sentence to five tested boards.
01
Describe the dream in one paragraph
Say what the board should do, which parts you want, and any size or connector limits. Plain English is enough.
02
Check the draft
You get a schematic, layout, 3D model and BOM. Ask for changes in the same plain language.
03
An engineer reviews it
After you order the Proto Kit, a factory engineer checks manufacturability and electrical errors and sends a written report.
04
Five boards, tested
The factory builds five boards, tests each against the written plan and ships them with test reports. Ships 10–15 working days after engineer approval, plus courier transit.
One order. Five assembled, tested 2-layer boards.
Shipping and import duties extra, quoted before payment. Four- and six-layer designs require engineer review and a separate quote.
See what's included- AI design
- One board from your description
- Engineer review
- DFM and electrical checks, written report, up to 2 rounds before fabrication
- Boards
- Five 2-layer FR-4 boards, 1.6 mm, green solder mask, up to 100 × 100 mm. Single-sided SMT, up to 5 through-hole parts; up to $10 in components per board included.
- Test
- Each board: power-on, rail voltages and functional checks using test firmware against a written test plan, with a test report.
- Time to shipment
- Ships 10–15 working days after engineer approval. Courier transit is additional.
Who it's for
A founder with an idea, not a hardware department.
- A hardware founderYou can say what the product should do. You do not have a layout engineer on payroll.
- A two-person startupYou need five boards for a demo or a first user, not a production quote.
- A builder beside the codeYou already write firmware. The board should start in the same conversation.
- Not a fitMains power, medical, automotive, or high-speed designs. We say no before you pay.
Design demos
Each one started as a sentence.
OHM-0001
ESP32-C3 USB-C Sensor Dev Board
ESP32-C3 board with an SHT40 sensor and USB-C, 2 layers
OHM-0007
ESP32-C3 LED Strip Controller
ESP32-C3 based WS2812 addressable LED strip controller powered from USB-C (5 V).
OHM-0008
ESP32-C3 Soil Moisture Node
Battery-powered ESP32 soil moisture sensor node: capacitive soil moisture sensing with a PCB electrode on a probe about 100 x 25 mm, an I2C temperature/humidity sensor (e.
OHM-0009
ESP32-S3 Micro Quadcopter Controller
Original brief (condensed): ESP32-S3 micro quadcopter flight controller on an exact 40 × 40 mm, four-layer PCB.
OHM-0002
16-LED Addressable Ring
Circular PCB with 16 WS2812B addressable RGB LEDs arranged in a ring.
OHM-0003
I2C Environment Sensor Breakout
I2C breakout board with SHT40 temperature and humidity sensor and BMP280 barometric pressure sensor.
Builders
You can start without a hardware department.
The passionate part is the product you want in the world. The practical part is a file set you own, a written review, and five boards that already passed a test.
- You keep the filesKiCad, Gerber, BOM, STEP — any factory later
- Someone checks the dreamEngineer review before copper is ordered
- Prototype orders include testingFive boards are tested before shipment
MCP
Start the board next to your firmware.
Ohmbo runs as an MCP server. Describe the board in the same place you write code. The engineer review still happens before any Proto Kit is built.
Read the MCP docs{
"mcpServers": {
"ohmbo": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://mcp.ohmbo.com/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <your key>" }
}
}
}FAQ
Questions founders ask first.
How much does a first custom board cost?
Your first board design is free to preview online. The $149 Proto Kit covers engineer review and five assembled, tested 2-layer boards within the kit specifications. Design and manufacturing files are released after payment review. Shipping and import duties are extra and quoted before payment.
How long until the boards ship?
Ships 10–15 working days after engineer approval. This is time to shipment, not delivery; courier transit is additional. We confirm the current estimate before payment.
Do I need to know PCB design?
No. You describe what the board should do in plain English. You get a schematic, layout, 3D model and BOM to check. An engineer reviews the design before fabrication.
Is this only for companies that already manufacture?
No. Ohmbo is for a founder or a small team that needs a first board. There is no volume contract. You still get a factory engineer review and a test on each of the five boards.
Can I trust a design the AI drafted?
Not on its own. An AI draft is a starting point; a factory engineer reviews manufacturability and electrical issues before fabrication. Each physical board then receives power-on, rail-voltage and functional checks using test firmware against a written test plan, with a test report. We confirm the test scope, acceptance criteria and who supplies the test firmware before payment. Design checks do not replace physical testing.
What boards will you not build?
The $149 kit covers low-voltage DC, 2-layer boards up to 100 × 100 mm within the listed assembly and component limits. Four- and six-layer designs are outside this kit and require engineer review and a separate quote. We do not take mains-powered, medical, automotive or high-speed designs.
What board do you need?
Create one board for free and preview it online. Order the Proto Kit when you are ready.