# Altium File Parsing, AI Design Reviews & PCB Viz Tools

- Show: [OnTrack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack)
- Published: 2026-04-21
- Length: 49m
- Episode: 339
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools
- Listen: https://podcast.altium.com/e/altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools/

## Summary

Eli Hughes, principal at Wavenumber LLC, demonstrates his open-source 'Altium Cruncher' toolset, which parses Altium project files to generate BOMs, net lists, and 3D HTML viewers without opening the CAD software. He explains how he feeds these parsed net lists into AI models like Claude and Codex for automated design reviews, power tree analysis, and Zephyr device tree generation, drastically reducing manual effort. Hughes outlines his vision for a next-generation, AI-queryable knowledge store that ingests decades of schematic history and reference designs from companies like TI and NXP to facilitate design reuse and supply chain validation.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools#t=0) Introduction and Eli Hughes' Background
- [8:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools#t=517) The Philosophy of Open Source Hardware and Libraries
- [17:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools#t=1032) Altium Cruncher and Mega Maid Data Extraction
- [23:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools#t=1413) 3D PCB and Schematic Visualization Tools
- [26:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools#t=1569) AI-Assisted Design Reviews and Device Tree Generation
- [35:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools#t=2106) Vision for an AI-Queryable Knowledge Store and PDM
- [41:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools#t=2479) Supply Chain Integration and Future of Footprints

## Topics

- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Altium (company)
- Wavenumber LLC (company)
- Altium Cruncher (tool)
- Mega Maid (tool)
- Claude (tool)
- Codex (tool)
- Zephyr (tool)
- NXP (company)
- TI (company)
- Octopart (company)
- Cadence (company)
- KiCad (tool)
- OrCAD (tool)
- Digi-Key (company)
- Super Monkey Board (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [251. Michael Corr & Justin Sears on How Altium & Duro Are Fueling the Next Generation of Hardware Startups](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2026-09-28-251-michael-corr-justin-sears-on-how-altium-duro-are-fueling-the-next-generation) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [#440.3 - Interviews with Anool Mahidharia, AJ Keller, Uriel Guy, Ste Kulov, and Craig Bishop at KiCon 2019](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-05-04-440-3-interviews-with-anool-mahidharia-aj-keller-uriel-guy-ste-kulov-and-craig-b) (The Amp Hour)
- [Layout Review with Zachariah Peterson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-03-11-layout-review-with-zachariah-peterson) (The Amp Hour)
- [T-25-010 :  Ioannis Papamanoglou and Narayan Powderly - Engineers transforming how we design, test, and build hardware with atopile](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-01-01-t-25-010-ioannis-papamanoglou-and-narayan-powderly-engineers-transforming-how-we) (TRADEOFFS)
- [20: Soldered Together By Monkeys](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-09-26-20-soldered-together-by-monkeys) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-04-21-altium-file-parsing-ai-design-reviews-pcb-viz-tools. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to OnTrack.