A Hilstart Tracer connected by a braided cable to an embedded circuit board
Backed by Combinator

Hardware development, on autopilot.

Automate your electronics bring-up, validation, and firmware development. Connect Tracer to your hardware, and let Hilstart write firmware, run validation tests, and debug while you sleep.

TRACER_01 · OnlineEarly access
How it works

Agent driven, human verifiable.

Design context is converted to a specification and strict test limits that you approve. Our agent writes hardware tests for board bring-up, firmware development, or design validation. Once approved, Tracer runs tests autonomously, on real hardware.

  1. 01 · Context

    Single source of truth.

    Inferred from your design files, confirmed by you.

    Hilstart reads the schematic, layout, netlist, BoM, I/O summary and your requirements into one specification. Once approved, this context becomes the source of truth for everything downstream, setting the constraints for hardware interaction.

    Agent
    reads and drafts
    You
    edit and approve
  2. 02 · Test plan

    Generate hardware tests.

    Hand over a requirements document, an existing test plan, or simply ask for bring-up. Our agent writes out automated hardware tests accordingly, grounded in the specification and board context.

    Read them, change a threshold, delete what you don't want. Tests remain in the project for future runs, and can even be triggered during a CI process on a firmware change.

    Agent
    writes the files
    You
    read, edit, approve
  3. 03 · Execution and results

    Run tests on real hardware.

    Reading is always allowed: scopes, logic analyzers, meters, etc. Anything that drives an output needs approval in the test plan. Tracer drives its own channels alongside the USB and networked instruments you already own.

    Each report links the exact test scripts that produced it. Reports push into your tracker over the API, tied to the test file and the firmware build.

    Agent
    runs the plan and reports
    You
    monitor, or walk away
A failed enable check in run #0007 of a motor-driver stall bench test, with every finding openable to the record behind it. The EN/FLT net reads 0.02 volts at TP9 against the 3.9 volts expected from the schematic and datasheet, a delta of minus 3.9 volts, and the evidence is 3 records with a link to open the check in detail. The board view can be read as a schematic, a waveform, telemetry or a run log. Two candidates are ranked, R1 missing or the wrong value as likely and U2 pin 13 soldered low as possible, with the full reasoning available. Three recommended steps are shown out of seven, each naming the condition that leads to the next: measure R1 in place with an ohmmeter across its pads powered down, reflow U2 only if R1 measured good, then re-run the test so the bench re-verifies it. Three of six previous runs are listed, all passing the same test near 3.9 volts. The expected value is approved against motor-driver revision B, one of fourteen specifications.
Tracer specifications

The hardware interface.

Flexible and powerful hardware test equipment supporting timing-critical execution, with no setup required.

Analog input
8 channels4⁠×⁠0⁠–⁠5 V · 4⁠×⁠0⁠–⁠24 V
Analog output
4 channels2⁠×⁠0⁠–⁠5 V · 2⁠×⁠0⁠–⁠24 V
Power
0⁠–⁠48 V at 3 APlus fixed 5 V and 3V3, both 3 A · per-rail current limit · V and I telemetry at 1 kHz · one USB-C connection powers the whole system
Digital I/O
10 bidirectional GPIO1V8 / 3V3 / 5 V selectable in software · on timer channels for PWM
Isolated I/O
2 in, 2 outOpto-isolated inputs · galvanically isolated SSR outputs at 2 A
Buses
CAN FD or ClassicalCAN FD at 5 Mbit/s · on-board transceiver, termination switched in software · SPI, I²C and UART at selectable voltage

ProtectionOn every external pin:

  • ESD
  • Overcurrent
  • Overvoltage
  • Negative voltage
Ways to work

Run it in our cloud, or from your own environment.

Both reach the same hardware layer, with the same capabilities. Use whichever one fits how you already work.

Sandbox

Everything in the browser.

Bring your own design files, or link to a repo. The environment is already set up, the agent can drive the bench, write & flash firmware, and bring up boards - all in your browser.

Your own environment

Your editor, your agent, your build.

Reach the same hardware from your own machine over an API. Probe a net, enable a rail, author and run a test, pull earlier runs.

Either wayHardware is read-only by default; actuation asks for your grant. Everything durable lives against the board, versioned. Every report is written back against the test file and the firmware build that produced it.

FAQ

Will this work for my setup?

What do I need to get started?
A board, a Tracer wired to it, and whatever design files or requirements you already have.
What board data can I upload?
Schematics, PCB layout, netlist, BoM, I/O summary, requirements and datasheets. KiCad and Altium projects import directly. Everything becomes one specification, which you approve before anything runs on hardware.
How can I trust AI to control a power supply?
No outputs are activated until the spec and test plans are approved. The agent can only operate nets within a specific voltage range as determined by the spec. By default during debugging Tracer is restricted to read-only operations, requiring explicit approval for power supply or DAC control.
Can the same test run again later?
The test files stay in the project and run against a new firmware build. Where the bench, wiring, calibration or binary has changed, the report records that the two runs are not comparable.
How much supervision does it need?
How much autonomy you allow is always up to you. However, once the specification is approved Hilstart can run fully autonomously, creating test scripts, writing firmware, and validating on the hardware without user input.
How does Tracer connect to my board?
Probes and clips for bring-up, a board header for a permanent fixture, or a pin jig. Custom harnesses are available on request.
What external instruments can I connect?
USB instruments connect to Tracer, LAN instruments join over the network, and the agent drives them alongside Tracer's own channels.
What are the real-time guarantees?
Tracer can coordinate across internal peripherals with sub-millisecond accuracy.
What about production-line tests?
Tracer is built for R&D: bring-up, debug, validation, regression. The same architecture scales to production line tests, and we are investing in this use case.
Get in touch

Close the loop on your hardware.

We're working with a small group of teams putting Tracer into real board bring-up and validation workflows. If your agents write firmware while your engineers still babysit the bench, we should talk.

founders@hilstart.io
STATUS · onboarding early teams