FAQ

What if routing fails?

We don't guarantee 100% routing success, but routable results are close to manual routing quality. If routing fails, try the following:

  • Design rules are too strict - try relaxing constraints
  • Component placement is too dense - consider optimizing layout
  • Set smaller trace spacing for easier routing
How to change units?

PCB Auto Router uses the unit settings directly from your CAD file. To change units, modify them in your CAD software and re-export the file.

Why doesn't trace spacing change take effect?

Because nets have their own routing clearance rules with higher priority, it is recommended to modify the net's routing clearance in your CAD source file, or enable the "Override Net Rules" option in PCB Auto Router.

How to optimize routing quality?

You can improve routing quality by:

  • Setting appropriate routing priorities
  • Reserving enough space for critical signals
  • Using differential pair rules to protect high-speed signals
What's the difference between Subscription and Perpetual?

The free version supports basic routing, AI routing, and differential pairs, with limits primarily on project scale: guests and registered free members have separate restrictions on net count, pad count, layer count, and board size. Registered free members are users who have signed up and logged in but have not subscribed to the Pro version. The Pro version offers higher or unlimited project scale.

EDA Tool

PCB Auto Router supports importing Specctra DSN format routing files. KiCad and JLCEDA have been tested and confirmed compatible. Other EDA tools that support DSN export (such as Altium Designer, Eagle, etc.) may also be compatible but have not been fully tested.

I previously used freerouting, can I switch over?

Yes, PCB Auto Router reads the standard Specctra DSN format just like freerouting. The workflow is identical—no need to change your EDA process. Simply open the same DSN files directly.

Why do vias get larger or traces get thicker after importing into EasyEDA?

EasyEDA does not strictly restore the SES import as-is — it modifies the result according to its own DRC constraints. PCB Auto Router generally follows EasyEDA's rules and restricts users from overriding them directly. If you still encounter this issue, the recommended workaround is to manually correct the result inside EasyEDA.

The GPU meets the requirements, but the software still won't open or reports a Vulkan initialization failure?

This usually happens on Windows PCs with dual graphics cards: on startup the system often defaults to the integrated GPU, and some integrated GPUs have incomplete Vulkan support, causing the software to fail to launch or throw an error. To force the use of the discrete GPU:

  • In Windows "Settings → System → Display → Graphics", add PCB Auto Router and set it to "High performance" so it runs on the discrete GPU; or right-click the PCB Auto Router shortcut and choose "Run with NVIDIA / AMD discrete graphics".
  • If the Vulkan initialization failure persists, open the "Advanced Settings" menu in the software and manually select the discrete GPU as the Vulkan device.