Why you should start designing your PCB from a template

Here's how to take advantage of it.

Finding What You Need in 30 Seconds

Here's a quick reference for discovering content:

1. Search bar — Use the search bar at the top of Flux to find templates, reference designs, components, modules, or public projects by name or keyword.
2. Tags — Search for hashtags like #reference-design, #template, or #manufacturer-design-rules to browse curated categories.
3. New project dialog — When you create a new project, the template picker lets you browse and search all available templates and reference designs.
4. Component library — In the editor, the left-side component library panel lets you search for components and modules to add to your project.
5. Fork or clone — Found a public project you like? Fork it to get your own editable copy, then customize it for your needs.

Start With a Reference Design

This is one of the biggest time-savers we see. Many users search for a microcontroller, like an ESP32 or an ATmega328P, and drop the bare chip into a blank project. Then they spend either the next hour wiring up peripherals manually or ask AI to add the crystal, decoupling caps, voltage regulator, USB-to-serial bridge, and boot circuitry that every design needs.

A smarter move: start with a reference design that already has all of that done.

The most popular reference designs on Flux right now are:

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ESP32 is far and away the most searched term on Flux. If you're building with an ESP32, starting from the ESP32-WROOM-32E Reference Design or the ESP32-S3 Reference Design will save you significant setup time.

Use the search bar at the top of Flux and search for your microcontroller name, or try the tag #reference-design to browse all reference designs in the library.

You can also select a reference design directly from the template picker when you create a new project.

Once you've cloned a reference design, you can modify it for your needs with Flux, just tell it what you want to add or change, and it'll update the schematic for you.

Use Manufacturer Templates to Avoid DRC Issues

If you already know which fabrication house you're going to use, start with a manufacturer template. These come pre-configured with the correct design rules (trace widths, via sizes, clearances) for that specific manufacturer, so you don't have to manually configure them, and you won't get hit with DRC violations right before you export.

The most popular manufacturer templates on Flux:

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Search for #manufacturer-design-rules in Flux, or select a manufacturer template from the new project dialog.

Fork an Example Project to Learn by Doing

Some of the most-used content on Flux is fully built example projects that teach you how to use specific features. These projects have been cloned and forked tens of thousands of times because they let you learn hands-on.

The most popular projects:

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Open any of these, click Fork, and you'll have your own editable copy in seconds.

Your Projects Can Save Someone Else Hours

The reference designs and templates in this post exist because someone published their work. If you've built something reusable, a template with manufacturing spec rules, and a clean reference design, publish it. The next person searching for your exact use case will find it.

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