Seeking feedback on my component selection + block diagram generation website - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: spencer_19
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 22, 2025, 01:26:50 am
content: I'm seeking feedback on this web application that I made to reduce time spent selecting components for circuits.Users can input their requirements in plain English, then the tool will generate a design that meets the user's requirements. Each design includes:A list of componentsA block diagram showing how the components work with each otherAvailability of each componentPricing for each componentA link to the datasheet for each componentThe tool is called DeTec, and the website is here:https://detec-systems.com/Please try it out and let me know what you think!

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2025, 03:13:49 am
content: TPS62160-Q1 is a 3-17V 1A Step-Down Converter with Iq=17 uA and Fsw = 2.25 MHz, and not whatever your AI crapped out.And MCP41HV21 does not exist at all. And even if it did, using digital potentiometer in a feedback path is questionable.

author: NNNI
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2025, 05:24:06 am
content: I tried it with the rather obscure example of a multislope ADC, and the results were, as expected, way off.What people fail to understand is that LLMs, despite being heavily marketed as such, are not "AI", they only generate the most statistically likely output for a give set of input keywords/tokens. The only attractive property about them is the natural language input, which can save the effort of trying specific keyword combinations and other search tricks.As user ataradov has already pointed out, this statistical method of generating outputs is not designed to be accurate, so it's going to takemoretime trying tocorrectthe LLM's output than actually spend productive time designing something based on research and reading actual good resources available freely on the internet, as well as via books, papers, etc.Here is my input:I want to design a multislope ADC, which is supposed to be highly linear. I'd like the following properties:- A composite integrator with fast settling- stable ±references- self-calibration capability- simple microcontrollerAnd here is the output:System DescriptionTPS62120 and TPS60403 generate ±5 V rails. REF5050 provides a low-drift +5 V reference, which OPA2188 channel B inverts to −5 V. OPA2188 channel A uses the ±5 V rails to implement the fast-settling integrator for the multislope ADC. PIC16F15323 drives the integrator switches, measures timing, and performs self-calibration routines against the stable reference.Requirements StatusA composite integrator with fast settling (addressed by secondary regulator (−5 V rail): TPS60403)stable ±references (addressed by secondary regulator (−5 V rail): TPS60403)self-calibration capability (addressed by secondary regulator (−5 V rail): TPS60403)simple microcontroller (addressed by secondary regulator (−5 V rail): TPS60403)Block diagram attached.Of course, this output iswayoff, and there is no real useful information about designing a multislope ADC here, none of the parts are what you'd typically use. Sure, you might getsomethingout of it, but is it something that you need or a good, working design? You could move the goalposts here by saying that it's a "basic" design that can be refined later, but what's the point if you can already get working designs from various open-source projects, or by taking inspiration from application notes and journals (the famous April 1989 edition of the HP Journal, for example)? That is why I dislike prompt "engineering" - you're trying desperately hard to get what is basically fancy autocorrect to do what you want it, and in the end, you spend more effort in trying to describe the task in various ways just to see what you expect to see, which I find highly unproductive. Somehow people who expect ChatGPT to just spit out an accurate, working circuit diagram end up on online forums with no clue as towhythe circuit does not work, orwhy"AI" is not good at reading datasheets, and expect to be helped with very little useful material to go on.To be very fair to the system, I tried again using the same input and got the following output:System DescriptionThe multi-slope ADC uses a composite integrator formed by OPA188AIDBVT (precision) in parallel with OPA847AIN (fast), integrating the input signal on a summing capacitor. REF5045AIDGKR provides stable ±5 V reference rails that drive the integrator for charge balancing. PIC16F15386-I/P controls integration and de-integration phases, uses its internal DAC and comparator to measure the integrator voltage, and executes self-calibration to correct offsets and gain errors.Requirements StatusA composite integrator with fast settling (addressed by Composite integrator precision stage: OPA188AIDBVT)stable ±references (addressed by Composite integrator precision stage: OPA188AIDBVT)self-calibration capability (addressed by Composite integrator precision stage: OPA188AIDBVT)simple microcontroller (addressed by Composite integrator precision stage: OPA188AIDBVT)Block diagram, once again, attached.Sure, there are bugs in the system, but if the entire system is based on the premise that LLMs and other statistical engines are actually useful for proper engineering tasks, I am not sure about actual productive utility.I doubt these statistical models will get "better" with time, unlike what hype- and feamongering-based marketing is trying to push on us, to make us adopt "AI". It's funny how a few very rich people just keep coming up with things that no one (or group) explicitly asked for, and the rest of the world just has to find a way to deal with it. Although this is probably not the right platform to vent personal opinions on.Credit where credit is due: I like the design of the website, and everything looks and feels polished.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2025, 05:36:27 am
content: This thing really likes TI parts.In the first picture REF5050 will not produce stable 5.0V with 5V power supply. This is really pointless. I would not even call it close. It is not much better than just throwing random part numbers from a list into boxes and connecting them with arrows.