About Circuit Board Identifier
Circuit Board Identifier reads one photo of an electronics board, from a TV, a power supply, a radio or a computer. It reads markings at any angle, names parts where their marking allows, decodes resistor codes and printed capacitor values, and links datasheet searches. Reads it is unsure of say Check, Can't read, Can't tell or Not identified. On photos it had not seen, it named 27 of 35 legible full part numbers and 3 of 19 short codes. Add Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581 or BOM files to check each designator.
What it does
- Reads markings at any angle: chip crops are straightened from the full-size photo and read at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees
- Full part numbers with the maker, and datasheet search links that open in a new tab
- Short SMD codes looked up in makers' marking tables: ranked candidates with sources, or Not identified with a datasheet search
- Resistor codes decoded with the working: 3-digit, 4-digit, EIA-96 and R-notation, plus resistor networks; electrolytic capacitor µF and V read from the can
- Honest output: Check, Can't read and Can't tell states, faint characters shown as ?, codes cut off at the photo's edge flagged, and 'value not printed' for parts that print none
- Date codes decoded (year and week), with a hedge when the maker's format is not documented; camera date stamps are ignored
- Design check: Gerber X2/X3, ODB++, IPC-2581, BOM and placement CSV; each designator matched by position and value, BOM part numbers checked against their footprint
- Parts grouped by type, identical passives in one row, search and filter, keyboard stepping, and a phone layout with the photo always in view
- Export an annotated full-size PNG and a CSV parts table with confidence and sources
- Works offline after the first use
How to use Circuit Board Identifier
Photograph the board
Open or drop a photo, paste one, or take one with your phone. Light it from the side without flash; laser-etched markings read best that way. Try the sample board to see it work first.
Let it read the board
The first use downloads the text reader and the part detector once (about 47 MB). It then finds the parts, reads the markings at four angles from the full-size photo, and sorts part numbers, codes, values and dates.
Check each part
Pick a row or a numbered pin. The detail shows the crop beside the read, the decoded value with its working, candidates for short codes, and datasheet search links. Amber and grey rows say why they are unsure.
Add the design files
Drop the Gerber zip, ODB++ archive, IPC-2581 file or BOM and placement CSV. Each designator is matched to its part, and parts or BOM lines that disagree are flagged.
Frequently asked questions
Which parts can it identify?
Any part with a printed marking: chips by their full part number or, where its table lists it, a short top-mark code, transistors and diodes by their SMD code, resistors by their 3-digit, 4-digit or EIA-96 code, electrolytic capacitors by their printed µF and voltage, and crystals by their frequency. Parts that print nothing, such as small ceramic capacitors, say 'value not printed', and the design files can supply the value.
Why does a short code show several candidates?
Short SMD codes are reused by different makers and differ by one letter between parts (AH-16 and BH-16 are a PNP and an NPN transistor). The tool ranks candidates by the maker's logo and the package and shows look-alikes, so you can check the code against the datasheet.
What do Check, Can't read and Can't tell mean?
Check means the read is likely but not certain: a faint character, a code at the photo's edge, or a number the maker table can't confirm. Can't read means the marking couldn't be read at all. Can't tell means the read allows more than one value, for example a code that reads differently upside down. None of them is shown as a certain answer.
How accurate is it?
We test it on photos it never saw, and count. In the latest test it named the right part for 27 of 35 legible full part numbers, about three in four. Short codes are often not identified: 3 of 19 were named, because most makers' code tables are not in it yet; those say Not identified, with a datasheet search. Of the parts it found, it typed 24 of 27 chips, 70 of 84 electrolytic capacitors, 82 of 82 resistors and 89 of 165 other parts correctly. Every sure answer we could check against a known answer was right: on photos it never saw, 6 part numbers, 2 resistor values and 2 crystal frequencies; on the photos we tuned it on, 23 part numbers, 13 resistor values, 1 capacitor value and 3 crystal frequencies. Sure values with no known answer to check against are not counted here. When it is unsure, the row says Check, Can't read, Can't tell or Not identified.
Which design files can I add?
A Gerber X2 or X3 zip, an ODB++ archive (.tgz), an IPC-2581 XML file, and BOM or pick-and-place CSV files from KiCad, Altium, EasyEDA or a fab house. Gerber files without component data need the BOM or placement file beside them.
Does it work offline?
Yes, after the first use. The first use downloads about 47 MB: the text reader (about 31 MB, shared with Loft's other reading tools, so about 15 MB if one of them already has it) and the part detector (about 15 MB). After that boards read with no connection. Datasheet search links need a connection.