Command line

The falcad command runs the same engines as the app, headless. It is suited to CI pipelines, scripts and batch work.

falcad new ./led --template led
falcad validate ./led
falcad erc ./led                 # exit code 1 when the ERC has errors
falcad netlist ./led --format spice
falcad sim ./led                 # exit code 1 when a simulation assertion fails
falcad drc ./board && falcad fab ./board --out fabrication/
falcad hdl-synth ./fpga --top counter --target ice40
falcad pack ./led --out led.falcadpack
falcad capabilities

Add --json to any command for machine-readable output.

Use it as a CI gate

- run: falcad validate .
- run: falcad erc .
- run: falcad sim .      # regression assertions defined in simulation documents
- run: falcad drc .

A pull request that breaks electrical rules, design rules or a simulated specification fails the build. Simulation documents can carry assertions such as “V(OUT) between 3.2 V and 3.4 V at 1 ms”, so circuit behaviour is tested like code.

Manufacturing output

falcad fab writes Gerber X2, Excellon drill, BOM and pick-and-place files plus a SHA-256 manifest. It refuses to write files when the design rule check reports errors, unless --allow-drc-errors is passed.

Check the files in a Gerber viewer and with your fabricator’s DFM check before ordering. FalCAD’s exports are validated with independent parsers in tests, but no fabricator has accepted them yet.