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Placement Checkpoint
Current outcome — local routing-unblock placement
The approved local placement/cleanup batch is complete; 18 internal components moved, with 50 Top / 45 Bottom remaining. U1, all external I/O, U2/U3, MOSFETs and buck clusters stayed fixed. D1 is now (6.000,-29.000) mm / 90° / Top. Full current coordinates, cleanup inventory and scope status are in Local Routing-Unblock Placement.
Routing had been added between earlier placement work and this batch. Only stale local copper was removed: 151 traces / 18 smart vias, leaving 886 traces / 99 smart vias; no new routing was performed. Fresh selected checks at 2026-09-17T19:45:38.376Z show no body-overlap, bounds, keepout, edge, power-stage or pad-access findings, with 44 airwire Errors, 3 unrelated baseline copper-overlap Errors and 2 baseline redundant-copper Warning groups still present. No new copper overlap or redundant group remains. This supersedes older no-copper statements, side counts and D1/BMS/gate-support coordinates below; the U1/J4 mechanical limitations and latest buck coordinates remain applicable. The board is not manufacturing-ready.
Historical outcome — U1 / fixed USB-C mechanical separation
U1 moved 2.000 mm north to (-10.950,-18.500) mm, 0°, Top. J4 and J13 remain fixed. No routing. Fresh full Placement Checks at 2026-09-17T17:51:34.108Z returned no findings; selected bounds/body/keepout/edge/power-stage/copper/pad-access checks at 2026-09-17T17:52:24.877Z also returned no findings. Exact remaining placement warnings: 0. This section supersedes every older U1/support coordinate and antenna-reservation location below; the last power-stage coordinates remain unchanged.
Mechanical evidence and clearance qualification
The initial top and oblique 3D renders showed U1 very close to J4's rear shell/contact region, even though footprint checks were clean. The current replacement connector's housing/model must be considered separately from the footprint rectangle; a footprint-only gap is not adequate mechanical sign-off.
The datasheet verifies U1 module dimensions 15.4 × 20.5 × 2.4 mm. J4's drawing gives shell width 8.94 mm and depth 7.35 mm. The extraction of J4's rear-shell offset from its pad datum was not verified and was not used as an exact mechanical operand.
Minimum U1-to-J4 housing gap is visually estimated at approximately 2 mm in the final orthographic 3D render, not an exact mesh measurement or tolerance-qualified minimum. The module-to-contact-tip gap is smaller than the shell gap. Both final top and oblique views show positive separation, with U1 behind the connector rather than in front of its mouth. Two attempts to read actual exported GLB/OBJ vertices failed because the compute tool did not receive the supplied asset attachments; exact 3D minimum-distance certification therefore remains blocked. Do not replace this qualification with the larger nominal footprint gap.
J4 remains outward-facing at the -Y short edge. The plug approaches from outside the board along +Y into the -Y-facing mouth; moving U1 north increases its distance from that approach. No USB plug or cable MPN/overmold dimensions were supplied; the retrieved receptacle drawing does not specify an overmold keepout envelope. Straight approach to the mouth is visually unobstructed; universal plug-overmold, right-angle cable and enclosure clearance are not certified.
Final moved components
Coordinates are footprint origins, mm, board-center datum, CCW rotation.

Table


ComponentXYRotationSide
U1-10.950-18.5000°Top
C13-17.500-14.0000°Bottom
C14-17.500-16.0000°Bottom
R7-17.500-18.0000°Bottom
C15-5.000-12.0000°Bottom
R6-2.500-12.0000°Bottom
C16-8.000-25.5000°Bottom
D210.000-4.5000°Top
Six U1 support passives moved by the same +2 mm Y displacement, preserving their pin-relative decoupling and signal geometry. D2 moved +0.5 mm Y to clear the new checker-reported 0.02 mm² U1/D2 intersection. Power clusters were not moved. Side counts remain 54 Top / 41 Bottom, total 95; no layers or parts changed.
Fixed anchors read back unchanged: J4=(-2.500,-33.200) mm / 0°, J13=(-2.7508,-1.3273) mm / 180°, J1=(10,1), J2=(11.646,34)/180°, J3=(-9.56,33.273)/180°. All are Top. Switches and USB ESD D1 were untouched.
Updated antenna reservation and body bounds
The local U1 footprint outline and known module dimensions translate to nominal body X=[-18.650,-3.250], Y=[-26.225,-5.725] mm; courtyard X=[-18.900,-3.000], Y=[-26.475,-5.475] mm. The body remains entirely inside the board, 1.350 mm inboard from the left edge, with the antenna end toward +Y in the left-edge lane. The fresh top render confirms that edge relationship.
Carry the 5.500 mm-deep all-layer/both-side reservation to X=[-20.000,-3.000], Y=[-10.975,-5.475] mm. The module antenna outline lies inside it at Y=[-10.775,-5.725] mm; its top GND-pad edges remain below it at Y=-11.100 mm. Moved bottom support stays below the reservation. Fixed J13's footprint housing/sidewall outline stops at approximately Y=-3.737 mm, outside this strip. This preserves the prior project placement reservation, not a new claim of manufacturer RF qualification or a persistent copper-exclusion object. Do not route until that all-layer reservation is enforced.
Scope status

Table


ItemStatusEvidence / blocker
Inspect actual housing/model and move U1 away from fixed J4Completed for placementBefore/after top and oblique 3D inspections show improved positive body separation.
Keep J4/J13 and other external anchors fixedCompletedExact inline placement readback above; no external connector moved.
Keep U1 in bounds and preserve antenna reservationCompleted for project placement requirementNominal body extents and shifted 5.5 mm reservation above; no keepout/bounds findings.
Move U1 support and clear resulting checksCompletedSix support parts translated with U1; D2 correction; zero selected and full placement findings.
Exact minimum 3D housing clearanceFailed measurementGLB and OBJ attachments unavailable to compute tool; approximately 2 mm image estimate only. Exact mesh or physical measurement required before tolerance sign-off.
Check plug accessCompleted qualitatively; exact envelope unattemptedStraight approach is clear in 3D; chosen plug/overmold not specified.
No routing / checkpoint updateCompletedOnly eight component placements changed; no schematic/copper/routing/rule changes.
Final 3D views

Final top mechanical inspection

Final oblique mechanical inspection


Historical outcome — final power-stage placement cleanup
Completed: all four switching-stage warnings are cleared. Fresh Placement Checks at 2026-09-17T17:33:18.938Z returned no findings: 0 Errors and 0 Warnings. No routing was performed. The previous correction record below is historical; its buck coordinates and four-warning status are superseded by this section.
Assigned cleanup status

Table


ItemStatusEvidence
C6.P1 → C7.P1 common 3V3 railCompletedBoth capacitors at 270°, same Y=-20.500 mm; P1 rail Y=-19.550 mm, P2 ground rail Y=-21.450 mm.
U4.SW → L1.P1 clear switch corridorCompletedL1 X=15.385 mm aligns P1 X=14.200 mm with U4.SW; neither BST nor GND obstructs the evaluated exit.
C10.P1 → C11.P1 common 5V_LIDAR railCompletedBoth capacitors at 270°, same Y=-8.400 mm; P1 rail Y=-7.450 mm, P2 ground rail Y=-9.350 mm.
U5.SW → L2.P1 clear switch corridorCompletedL2 X=15.385 mm aligns P1 X=14.200 mm with U5.SW; switching-stage review clear.
Preserve compact input/output/bootstrap geometryCompleted for placementC5/C9 turned to face VIN; C8/C12 remain directly beneath BST/SW; output banks parallel to the regulator pin edge. No power-stage advisory remains.
Resolve new local overlaps without moving anchorsCompletedBoth coherent buck clusters shifted south to clear J1; zero body-overlap, bounds, keepout or edge-placement findings.
Preserve fixed I/O, J13 and U1CompletedExact anchor readback matches historical anchor tables below; no anchor movement or schematic changes in this batch.
Stop before routingCompletedNo trace/via/fill/zone mutation invoked. Final read-only scene query found no routeSegment, via, smartVia, fill or zone nodes.
Update checkpoint and countsCompletedFinal inline placement rules read back; 95 components remain, 54 Top / 41 Bottom; Bottom count independently queried.
Routing, full RF/height/manufacturing sign-offUnattempted; outside this batchRetained limitations below still apply. Clean placement checks do not certify assembled height or manufacturability of a routed board.
Final power-stage coordinates
Footprint origins in mm, X right/Y up from board center; rotations CCW. These replace the historical buck rows below.

Table


ComponentX (mm)Y (mm)RotationSide
U414.200-21.70090°Top
L115.385-16.7000°Top
C5 input17.000-23.6000°Top
C6 output17.000-20.500270°Top
C7 output18.760-20.500270°Top
C8 bootstrap13.700-20.4000°Bottom
U514.200-9.60090°Top
L215.385-4.6000°Top
C9 input17.000-11.5000°Top
C10 output17.000-8.400270°Top
C11 output18.760-8.400270°Top
C12 bootstrap13.700-8.3000°Bottom
U1 remains (-10.950,-20.500) mm / 0° / Top, J4 (-2.500,-33.200) mm / 0° / Top, and fixed J13 (-2.7508,-1.3273) mm / 180° / Top. J1/J2/J3/SW1/SW2 remain at the exact historical anchor coordinates below. The documented antenna reservation is untouched.
Final verification and limits
  • Selected fresh read-only reviews at 2026-09-17T17:32:57.456Z returned no findings for component outside board, component-body overlap, keepout, switching power stage, edge placement, pad-access clearance, overlapping copper, protected intrusions and stackup validation.
  • Full Placement Checks at 2026-09-17T17:33:18.938Z returned no findings. Exact remaining placement warnings: none. No rules were weakened or findings suppressed.
  • Switch-to-inductor pad-center air distances are approximately 3.700 mm; aligned capacitor-bank power pad-center distances are 1.760 mm. These are placement geometry, not routed lengths. Later routing must retain short SW copper, direct output/GND banks and very short bootstrap vias.
  • The summary's routing-aware density advisory still estimates 104.4% with its nominal 1 mm clearance assumption. This is not a remaining Placement Checks finding, and zero placement findings are not a guarantee of routing success.
  • Existing height, connector cable-envelope, persistent antenna-keepout and silkscreen limitations below remain open; this scoped cleanup does not certify them.

Historical record — preceding focused correction
The four requested placement gates now pass: outside board = 0, component-body overlap = 0, keepout = 0, and J4 edge-placement findings = 0. No routing was performed. This supersedes the previous J4/U1 failed-placement outcome in this document. It is not complete layout, RF, height, or manufacturing sign-off.
Read-only selected checks at 2026-09-17T17:23:38.728Z returned no findings for outside-board, body overlap, keepout, edge placement, overlapping copper, pad access, protected intrusions, and stackup validation. The complete Placement Checks review at 2026-09-17T17:22:25.364Z returned 0 Errors and 4 Warnings, all switching-stage geometry advisories listed below.
Assigned scope status

Table


ItemStatusVerification / limitation
Preserve fixed J13CompletedReadback: (-2.7508, -1.3273) mm, 180°, Top; untouched.
Move U1 clear of J13 and keep it in boundsCompletedFinal origin (-10.950, -20.500) mm, 0°, Top; both outside-board and body-overlap checks clear.
Maintain approximately 5.5 mm antenna reservationCompleted for current placementUpper antenna-end reservation described below is clear of other component bodies/pads and board copper on both sides. A persistent new exclusion zone and full manufacturer RF validation are not included in this result.
Fit replacement J4 to its actual edge datumCompletedFinal origin (-2.500, -33.200) mm, 0°, Top; outward -Y, exact footprint edge line Y=-37.500 mm. All lands are on the board.
Preserve J2/J3/J1 and other external I/OCompletedPositions/orientations read back below. No external connector or switch was moved except authorized J4. No schematic or BOM changes.
Resolve newly introduced local body overlapsCompletedZero remaining overlaps after moving ESP32 support, USB/LiDAR ESD, and two internal buck clusters. No footprint or clearance rule was weakened.
Run requested placement checksCompletedAll four requested gates clear in fresh read-only review. Four other placement Warnings remain, not Errors.
Do not routeCompletedNo routing, trace/via creation, or fill generation invoked. Final scene-tree query found no routeSegment, via, smartVia, fill, or zone nodes.
Update checkpoint / exact coordinates / side countsCompletedCurrent document and layout readback: 95 components, 54 Top / 41 Bottom.
Resolve every switching-stage advisoryFailed full closureFour Warnings remain after bounded, geometry-based attempts; see specific paths and proposed next action below. These do not invalidate the four requested zero-finding gates, but prevent an unconditional placement/routing sign-off.
Full RF qualification, assembled height certification, cable-envelope certification, global silkscreen cleanup, routing and manufacturingUnattempted in this focused batchPrevious height and RF limitations are retained below.
Exact U1 and J4 placement
Coordinates are footprint origins, millimeters, board center (0,0), X right/Y up; rotation is CCW as stored in the layout. Explicit positionX/positionY overrides take precedence over older combined position values.

Table


ComponentX (mm)Y (mm)RotationSide
U1 ESP32-S3-MINI-1-N8-10.950-20.5000°Top
J4 TYPE-C-31-M-12-2.500-33.2000°Top
J4 edge/pad evidence
The live 2D footprint explicitly reports edge-placement offset 4.3 mm, faces down / 270°, and its required edge line at Y=-37.500 mm, coincident with the board edge. The nearest shell-pad copper extent is Y=-36.570 mm, leaving 0.930 mm to the straight -Y edge; the corresponding plated-slot extent is Y=-36.370 mm. Its body polygon reaches Y=-38.300 mm (0.800 mm body overhang), which is the intentional edge-receptacle position, not an off-board solder land. J4 remains centered at the established X=-2.500 mm interface.
U1 bounds and antenna reservation
The live U1 courtyard polygon is X=[-18.900,-3.000] mm, Y=[-28.475,-7.475] mm. The module is fully inside the board and alongside the left edge; rotating it to 0° puts its antenna end toward +Y in that left-side lane. This avoids both fixed J13 and J4 without moving either external anchor other than the authorized J4 edge correction.
Reserve the 5.500 mm-deep strip Y=[-12.975,-7.475] mm, X=[-20.000,-3.000] mm at the antenna end, on every copper layer and both assembly sides. The footprint's antenna outline lies inside this strip, at X=[-18.650,-3.250], Y=[-12.775,-7.725] mm. Its nearest top-row GND lands stop at Y=-13.100 mm, below the reservation. Other support parts are below or to the right of the strip; C15 is at (-5,-14), R6 at (-2.5,-14), and decoupling is farther south. No board traces, vias, fills or zones exist at this checkpoint. This is a documented clear placement reservation, not a newly authored persistent keepout object. Carry it into the later all-layer routing constraints before adding copper.
The module datasheet verifies 15.4 × 20.5 × 2.4 mm dimensions but delegates exact base-board RF guidance to separate hardware design guidelines; the approximately 5.5 mm project reservation is not a claim of full manufacturer RF compliance or measured antenna performance.
Preserved external anchors

Table


ComponentX (mm)Y (mm)RotationSide
J13 GPS — untouched-2.7508-1.3273180°Top
J2 battery — untouched in focused correction11.64634.000180°Top
J3 actuator — untouched-9.56033.273180°Top
J1 LiDAR — untouched10.0001.0000°Top
SW1 BOOT — untouched10.000-34.0000°Top
SW2 RESET — untouched16.000-34.0000°Top
Changed internal placements
All values below were read back from final element placement. Zero means the default orientation where no explicit rotation override is stored.

Table


ComponentX (mm)Y (mm)RotationSide
C13 ESP32 decoupling-17.500-16.0000°Bottom
C14 ESP32 bulk-17.500-18.0000°Bottom
R7-17.500-20.0000°Bottom
C15 EN support-5.000-14.0000°Bottom
R6 EN support-2.500-14.0000°Bottom
C16-8.000-27.5000°Bottom
R8 USB CC-8.500-34.0000°Bottom
D1 USB ESD5.000-32.0000°Top
D2 LiDAR ESD10.000-5.0000°Top
U4 3.3 V buck14.200-21.10090°Top
L115.300-16.5000°Top
C5 input17.000-22.10090°Top
C6 output18.700-17.700270°Top
C7 output18.700-21.100270°Top
C8 bootstrap13.700-19.8000°Bottom
U5 5 V buck14.200-9.00090°Top
L215.300-4.4000°Top
C9 input17.000-10.00090°Top
C10 output18.700-4.500270°Top
C11 output18.700-7.800270°Top
C12 bootstrap13.700-7.7000°Bottom
C8/C12 are now directly behind each regulator's BST/SW pair. Later routing must use very short adjacent via connections; no such vias have been created. All power ICs, inductors, MOSFETs, shunts, bulk capacitors and mechanical parts remain Top.
Side-count verification
Final filtered layout summary explicitly reports 41 Bottom elements; the complete element scene has 95, leaving 54 Top.
Bottom inventory: C1–C4, C8, C12–C16, C19–C23; R1–R3, R5–R27. All remaining components are Top. Two-sided assembly cost and the effect of bottom components on total height remain relevant.
Remaining placement warnings — all four
These are the checker's prospective routing-geometry estimates, not actual routed traces. No power-stage Error remains.

Table


SeverityPathExact reported geometry / concern
WarningU4.SW → L1.P1, SW_3V3Estimated route 3.9 mm for 3.3 mm air, detour ×1.18; U4.BST is reported in the corridor.
WarningU5.SW → L2.P1, SW_5VEstimated route 3.9 mm for 3.3 mm air, detour ×1.18; U5.BST is reported in the corridor.
WarningC6.P1 → C7.P1, 3V3Estimated route 5.9 mm for 3.4 mm air, detour ×1.73; necked to 0.8 mm, no room for 1.0 mm. C6.P2 lies between output pads.
WarningC10.P1 → C11.P1, 5V_LIDAREstimated route 6.2 mm for 3.3 mm air, detour ×1.87. C10.P2 lies between output pads.
Further identical moves are not recommended. A subsequent placement refinement should put each output-capacitor bank's output pads on one parallel rail with GND on the other, and independently inspect the SW/BST exit corridor before routing. This may require more internal buck-bank rearrangement; retain J13 and all external anchors. No clearance was reduced, no warning suppressed, and no generic routing was used to conceal the estimates.
Preserved board and upper functional blocks
The 40 × 75 mm, 2 mm corner-radius, Standard 4 Layer (standard-4-layer) board remains unchanged; prior readback gives 1.29936 mm (~1.30 mm) total thickness. Inner layers in this template are typed Signal; ground/power planes have not been generated.
Battery/protection remains U6=(5,22), Q1=(10,26.5)/180°, Q2=(10,21)/0°, RS1=(15.5,23.5)/90°, U2=(12,13), all Top. R33=(6.5,27.5), R34=(12,17.5). U6 remains autonomous gate controller; monitor architecture and logical connectivity are untouched.
The H-bridge remains U3=(-7,17), Q3=(-8,26), Q4=(-8,21.5), Q5=(-14,26), Q6=(-14,21.5), RS2=(0,15), all Top. Bulk C24=(-4,26), C25=(-18,26), C18=(0,22.5), D3=(0,28). Gate support remains largely Bottom. No 10 A copper-current or thermal sign-off is implied.
Retained mechanical and manufacturing limitations
  • ≤10 mm total assembled height is not certified. Earlier J3 evidence gives 8.5 mm body height above PCB and 3.5 mm solder-pin length. With a roughly 1.30 mm board, only roughly 0.20 mm remains below the PCB in a strict 10 mm envelope, before pins, solder and bottom components. An approved assembly-envelope interpretation and qualified treatment or mechanical/BOM change are needed. This focused correction does not resolve that issue.
  • The earlier J2 height query failed with DS-INTERNAL; no new height certification was obtained. J4 placement is verified against the current footprint and edge rule, not a new independent manufacturer height extraction.
  • J1/J13 mating plug and cable-bend envelopes are not fully certified. External functions and positions are preserved.
  • Global silkscreen cleanup is not completed. Readable/clear labels require a separate pass after placement is accepted.
  • Historical note: the prior wholesale rebuild removed 1,240 obsolete trace segments and 170 smart vias, preserving schematic nets. It then reported 266 airwires. This focused correction made no copper edits and no new routes. Final read-only scene inspection confirms no route/via/fill/zone nodes.
  • The complete PCB is not manufacturing-ready. Resolve mechanical acceptance, persistent RF constraints, remaining power-stage advisories, routing/current/thermal integrity and final manufacturing DRC before release.
  • Current outcome — local routing-unblock placement

  • Historical outcome — U1 / fixed USB-C mechanical separation

  • Mechanical evidence and clearance qualification

  • Final moved components

  • Updated antenna reservation and body bounds

  • Scope status

  • Final 3D views

  • Historical outcome — final power-stage placement cleanup

  • Assigned cleanup status

  • Final power-stage coordinates

  • Final verification and limits

  • Historical record — preceding focused correction

  • Assigned scope status

  • Exact U1 and J4 placement

  • J4 edge/pad evidence

  • U1 bounds and antenna reservation

  • Preserved external anchors

  • Changed internal placements

  • Side-count verification

  • Remaining placement warnings — all four

  • Preserved board and upper functional blocks

  • Retained mechanical and manufacturing limitations