pcb-retrace/README.md
2025-12-21 00:31:26 +02:00

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# PCB ReTrace
**Digitize, document, and reverse engineer printed circuit boards entirely in your browser.**
[**Launch PCB ReTrace**](https://pcb.etaras.com/studio.html)
---
## 🔍 Overview
**PCB ReTrace** is a local-first web application designed for electronics engineers, repair technicians, and hardware hackers. It helps you move from a physical PCB to a digital representation (BOM & Netlist) using only photographs.
It runs 100% client-side using HTML5, Vanilla JS, and WebAssembly. **No data is ever uploaded to a server.**
## ✨ Key Features
* **BOM Management:** Map components on board photos to a digital Bill of Materials.
* **Visual Inspection:** View multiple board layers (Top/Bottom) simultaneously.
* **Computer Vision Stitching:** Automatically align close-up macro shots with wide-angle reference photos using OpenCV.
* **X-Ray View:** Manually stitch Top and Bottom images to trace vias and through-holes across layers.
* **Netlist Tracing:** click-to-trace connectivity and export to **KiCad** compatible netlists (`.net`).
* **Integrated Tools:**
* Resistor Color Code Decoder (3-6 bands)
* Inductor Color Code Decoder
* Air-core Coil Calculator
* **Privacy First:** All data is stored in your browser's IndexedDB.
## 🚀 Getting Started
### Online
Simply visit the [GitHub Pages deployment](https://dev-lab.github.io/pcb-retrace/).
### Offline / Local Development
Since the project uses no build tools, you can run it directly from the source:
1. Clone this repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/dev-lab/pcb-retrace.git
```
2. Navigate to the `docs` folder (where the source code lives):
```bash
cd pcb-retrace/docs
```
3. Open `index.html` in your browser.
* *Note: Some features (like Camera access) require a secure context (HTTPS) or `localhost`. For best results, use a simple local server like Python's `http.server`.*
## 📂 Project Structure
This project follows a "Build-Free" architecture. All source code is located in the `/docs` folder to support GitHub Pages directly.
* `docs/studio.html`: The main application entry point.
* `docs/studio.js`: Core controller and logic.
* `docs/cv-core.js`: Computer Vision & Homography logic (OpenCV wrapper).
* `docs/inspector.js`: Visual trace tracking logic.
* `docs/nets.js`: Netlist management and KiCad export.
## ⚖️ License & Commercial Use
This project is **Dual Licensed**:
1. **Open Source (AGPLv3):** Ideal for hobbyists, educational use, and open-source projects. You are free to use and modify the software, provided that any modifications are also made open source under the same terms.
2. **Commercial License:** For proprietary use, internal corporate deployment without copyleft restrictions, or integration into closed-source workflows, a commercial license is available.
Please see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
For commercial licensing inquiries, please contact: Taras Greben <taras.greben@gmail.com>.
## 📦 Third-Party Libraries
* **OpenCV.js:** Computer Vision (Apache 2.0 License)
* **JSZip:** File compression/decompression (MIT License)
See [THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md](THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md) for full text.