Hardware Solution
Embedded hardware architect: MCU selection, power tree, BOM risk, review — as staged proposals
Test report
- Verdict
- Tested · Works
- Score
- Tested
- Jul 31, 2026
- Environment
- Claude Code 2.x (agent harness)
- Upstream re-checked
- Aug 10, 2026 · 8a3b150
Fetched SKILL.md and spot-checked 4 referenced files via raw URLs — scripts/md_to_pdf.py, references/design-workflow.md, references/output-template.md, and agents/hardware-reviewer.md all returned HTTP 200; md_to_pdf.py is a clean WeasyPrint converter with no security smells. Installed into a temp HOME and confirmed SKILL.md lands at ~/.claude/skills/hardware-solution/SKILL.md. For output, I designed a battery BLE temp/humidity sensor node: baseline gave a flat 6-line parts list asserting a coin-cell design as fine ("should give long battery life"), while the skill-followed artifact produced a requirements table with an assumption/fact/待确认 status column, three candidate architectures with tradeoff columns, an explicit power tree, a component table that marked part links as "需联网查证" instead of fabricating them, and a separate non-empty risk list surfacing the CR2032 internal-resistance brownout-on-TX-peak failure mode the baseline missed. Downstream deliverables (web-verified pricing, datasheet/footprint downloads, PDF, EDA-MCP schematics) I could not execute, but the core architecture-proposal task completed fully in-context and beat baseline.
Scored on four weighted criteria — install, triggering, output vs. baseline, docs. How scoring works
- Installs cleanly 5/5
- Triggers reliably 5/5
- Output vs. baseline 7/10
- Docs & honesty 4/5
What Hardware Solution does
Guides embedded hardware architecture as a staged workflow: requirements freeze, three candidate architectures with tradeoffs, key-component selection with sourcing/datasheet/footprint links, power tree, interface matrix, validation plan, and risk review. Triggers when the user needs MCU/SoC selection, power design, connectivity planning, BOM risk assessment, PCB constraints, schematic-ready proposals, or a hardware design review. Emphasizes flagging assumptions vs facts and web-verifying prices, stock, and part data rather than answering from memory.
How to install Hardware Solution
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/LeoKemp223/NextBoard.git /tmp/hardware-solution-src
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -R /tmp/hardware-solution-src/skills/hardware-solution ~/.claude/skills/hardware-solution
# Optional: PDF report step (SKILL step 11) needs: pip install weasyprint markdown
# Optional: KiCad/LCEDA schematic output needs an EDA MCP server (kicad-mcp / mcp-kicad-sch-api / jlceda-mcp); falls back to a structured connection table if absent.
# Note: SKILL.md body and its references/ are largely in Chinese.
Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/
(per-project). Restart Claude Code after installing.
Commands — how to trigger Hardware Solution
-
/hardware-solutionEmbedded hardware architect: MCU selection, power tree, BOM risk, review — as staged proposals
It also activates on plain-language prompts like these:
-
Select an MCU for this embedded project -
Design a power tree for this board -
Review this schematic for hardware risks
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Hardware Solution skill free?
- Yes. The skill itself is free from LeoKemp223/NextBoard. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.
- Does Hardware Solution work with Claude Code?
- We tested it with Claude Code 2.x (agent harness) on Jul 31, 2026. Verdict: Tested · Works. Fetched SKILL.md and spot-checked 4 referenced files via raw URLs — scripts/md_to_pdf.py, references/design-workflow.md, references/output-template.md, and agents/hardware-reviewer.md all returned HTTP 200; md_to_pdf.py is a clean WeasyPrint converter with no security smells. Installed into a temp HOME and confirmed SKILL.md lands at ~/.claude/skills/hardware-solution/SKILL.md. For output, I designed a battery BLE temp/humidity sensor node: baseline gave a flat 6-line parts list asserting a coin-cell design as fine ("should give long battery life"), while the skill-followed artifact produced a requirements table with an assumption/fact/待确认 status column, three candidate architectures with tradeoff columns, an explicit power tree, a component table that marked part links as "需联网查证" instead of fabricating them, and a separate non-empty risk list surfacing the CR2032 internal-resistance brownout-on-TX-peak failure mode the baseline missed. Downstream deliverables (web-verified pricing, datasheet/footprint downloads, PDF, EDA-MCP schematics) I could not execute, but the core architecture-proposal task completed fully in-context and beat baseline.
- What is the Hardware Solution SkillProof Score?
- 8.4/10 — installs cleanly 5/5, triggers reliably 5/5, output vs. baseline 7/10, docs & honesty 4/5.
- How do I install Hardware Solution?
- Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.
- Can I use Hardware Solution with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?
- The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.