User Manual
The browser-based circuit simulator with 2D, 3D, schematic, and breadboard views, a live oscilloscope, and an AI circuit assistant.
1. What Is VoltForge AI
VoltForge AI is a browser-based circuit simulator built for students, hobbyists, and educators. Build a circuit once and instantly see it in four representations — 2D canvas, 3D scene, schematic diagram, and breadboard layout — all backed by one live simulation engine. Snap a photo of a hand-drawn or textbook circuit to have it built for you, or describe a circuit in plain English to Volt·AI, the built-in AI assistant.
No installation required — VoltForge runs at voltforgeai.com and can be installed as a Progressive Web App (PWA) on desktop or Android.
2. Getting Started
- Go to https://www.voltforgeai.com.
- Sign up with email, or use Continue with Google.
- Complete the short onboarding quiz — it tailors Volt·AI's tone and depth to your experience level. Change it later in Settings.
- Land in the assistant view with a starter prompt ready, or skip to a blank canvas.
Every account starts on the Free tier — no payment details required.
3. The Interface at a Glance
| Area | What it does |
|---|
| View switcher | Toggle 2D, 3D, Schematic, Breadboard — same circuit, four views. |
| Component palette | Drag resistors, batteries, LEDs, switches, capacitors, etc. onto the canvas. |
| Canvas | Main working area for the active view. |
| Simulation controls | Play/pause, reset, adjust speed. |
| Oscilloscope panel | Live voltage/current traces for probed points. |
| Volt·AI panel | Chat-style assistant for building, editing, explaining circuits. |
| Import button | Upload a circuit photo to auto-generate it (Pro/Premium). |
4. Building a Circuit
Manually
- Drag a component from the palette onto the canvas.
- Click-drag between terminals to wire components together.
- Click a component to edit its properties (resistance, voltage, capacitance, etc.).
- Select and delete components or wires as needed.
With Volt·AI
Type what you want — e.g. "Build a series circuit with a 9V battery, a 220-ohm resistor, and an LED" — and Volt·AI places and wires it for you.
From an image
Upload a photo of a circuit diagram and VoltForge reconstructs it automatically.
All views share the same circuit graph — a component placed in one view exists immediately in all the others.
4b. Editing & Manipulating Components
- Select: Press and hold a component briefly (without moving) to select it. Selected components show a rotate and delete button.
- Move: Drag a component — it snaps to the grid as you move.
- Rotate: With a component selected, tap the ↻ button at its top-left corner to rotate 90°.
- Delete: Tap the ✕ button at the top-right of a selected component.
- Precise positioning: When a component is selected, a transform bar appears at the top of the canvas with numeric fields — type exact values and they apply live as you edit.
- Drag to highlight (multi-select): Drag across empty canvas to draw a selection box — every component and wire it touches gets selected. A quick tap on empty canvas clears the selection.
- Move multiple: With items selected, use the ↑ ↓ ← → arrows in the selection toolbar to nudge everything at once.
- Copy / paste / delete multiple: Use the toolbar buttons that appear alongside the arrows.
- Pan & zoom: Pinch to zoom; drag with one finger to pan while a selection is active.
Adjusting a potentiometer (Pot) on the canvas
Every Pot on the 2D canvas has a knob control right under it: − and + buttons around a glowing ring that shows how far the knob is turned (5%–100%).
- + turns the knob up 5% → more resistance → less current (an LED dims, a motor slows).
- − turns it down 5% → less resistance → more current (an LED brightens).
- Changes apply live while the simulation runs — watch your meters update as you turn it.
- It never goes below 5%, so the pot can't become a dead short. Still keep a fixed resistor in series with LEDs.
- Prefer typing an exact value? Select the Pot and open INFO → Wiper (0–1).
Wiring tip: for a dimmer, use the outer leg A and the middle wiper, and tie leg B to the wiper so no terminal is left open.
5. The Four Views
2D View
Top-down canvas — the default and fastest view for building and wiring.
3D View
Rendered 3D scene showing components as physical objects — helpful for visualizing assembly and current flow.
Schematic View
Standard schematic symbols and conventions — closest to a textbook diagram.
Breadboard View
Auto-lays your circuit onto a virtual breadboard — use this when planning a physical build.
Switch views from the top bar; selection, wiring, and simulation state carry over automatically.
5b. Exporting to PCB (Premium)
Available on the Premium plan.
From the 3D View, the PCB button (top-right) opens two export options that turn your circuit into a physical board layout:
- KiCad (.kicad_pcb): Opens directly in KiCad 6 or 7. Includes component footprints and net assignments (ratsnest) — copper traces are not routed automatically; use KiCad’s autorouter or route by hand.
- Gerber (.zip): Industry-standard RS-274X Gerber files plus an Excellon drill file, ready to send to a PCB fab. Includes top copper pads and the board outline — no routed traces or silkscreen text.
Before exporting, VoltForge checks the layout and may show warnings (for example, unusually dense component placement) — you can choose to export anyway or go back and adjust the circuit first.
Free and Pro accounts see a locked PCB button that links to the pricing page.
6. Running a Simulation & Using the Oscilloscope
- Build or import your circuit.
- Press Play in the simulation controls.
- Watch current flow, LED brightness, and meter readings animate live.
- Click a wire or terminal and choose Add Probe to open a live trace in the oscilloscope panel.
- Pause to freeze for inspection, or Reset to return to starting values.
Multiple probes can run simultaneously for side-by-side comparison.
VoltForge's solver is a resistive DC path-tracing engine with a time-stepping loop — built for clarity and speed on typical learning circuits, not full SPICE-level analog simulation.
6b. Common Ground (⏚ GND) & the 555 Timer
Common Ground toggle
The ⏚ GND button in the top bar (next to SNAP) controls how ground symbols behave during simulation.
- ON (default, “chassis” mode): every ground symbol on the canvas is one shared node, and every battery / supply negative is automatically tied to it. Wire any part to a ground symbol and the circuit completes — no return wire back to the battery needed, just like a car chassis.
- OFF (independent): ground symbols connect only through wires you draw. Use this for floating or isolated circuits, or to practise wiring every return path by hand.
- The setting is remembered on your device and applies to every circuit. Your wires are never changed — only how the simulator reads them.
- LED or load won’t turn on? Check the GND button. With it OFF, a ground symbol that isn’t wired back to the battery negative leaves the circuit open.
555 Timer
The 555 has seven pins: VCC, GND, DIS, THR, OUT, TRG (trigger) and RST (reset). It picks its mode from how you wire it.
- One-shot (monostable): tie DIS and THR together, put a resistor R from VCC to DIS/THR and a capacitor C from THR to ground. Pull TRG up to VCC with a 10 kΩ resistor and add a push button from TRG to ground. Each press holds OUT high for t = 1.1 × R × C (e.g. 270 kΩ × 10 µF ≈ 3 s).
- Blinker (astable): R1 from VCC to DIS, R2 from DIS to THR, C from THR to ground; leave TRG open. High time = 0.693 (R1+R2) C, low time = 0.693 R2 C.
- RST: connect to VCC (or leave open) for normal operation; wiring it to ground forces OUT low.
- Drive an LED from OUT through a current-limiting resistor (about 330 Ω at 9 V) to ground.
7. Volt·AI — Your AI Circuit Assistant
- Build: "Make a parallel circuit with two 100-ohm resistors and a 6V battery."
- Modify: "Add a switch in series with the LED."
- Explain: "Why isn't the LED lighting up?"
- Ask concepts: Ohm's law, component behavior, circuit theory.
Volt·AI never clears your canvas — it only adds to or modifies what's already there, and self-corrects miswired connections automatically.
Free tier: 5 calls/month. Pro/Premium: higher/unlimited usage.
8. Importing a Circuit from an Image
Available on Pro and Premium plans.
- Click Import.
- Upload a photo or scan of a circuit diagram.
- VoltForge identifies components and connections and reconstructs the circuit.
- Freely edit the result afterward, just like a manual build.
Free-tier users are prompted to upgrade when clicking Import.
9. Account, Plans & Pricing
| Feature | Free | Pro ($4.99/mo) | Premium ($9.99/mo) |
|---|
| All four views | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Live oscilloscope | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Volt·AI assistant | ✅ (5/mo) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Image-to-circuit import | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| PCB export (KiCad / Gerber) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Manage your plan from Settings → Subscription. Full pricing: voltforgeai.com/pricing.html. Billing runs securely through Stripe.
10. Installing VoltForge as an App (PWA / Android)
- Android (Chrome): voltforgeai.com → menu (⋮) → Add to Home screen / Install app.
- Desktop: Install icon in the address bar, or browser menu → Install VoltForge AI.
PWAs cache aggressively. If the app looks out of date after an update, fully close and reopen it, or reload in a private window.
A dedicated Android app is also in closed testing on Google Play.
11. Troubleshooting
LED or component isn't responding: check for a complete loop, correct polarity, and that simulation is playing.
Volt·AI wired something wrong: describe the fix in plain language — it corrects without wiping the rest of your circuit.
Import missed a component: use a clearer, higher-contrast photo, then manually finish the result.
App looks outdated: hard-close and reopen, or try a private window.
Hit the Free-tier AI or Import limit: see Account, Plans & Pricing above.
12. FAQ
Is VoltForge free? Yes — Free includes all four views, the oscilloscope, and limited Volt·AI access.
Do I need to install anything? No — it runs in-browser; installing as a PWA is optional.
Full SPICE-level simulation? No — a resistive DC solver with time-stepping, tuned for educational circuits.
Do views share my work? Yes — all four views share one circuit; edits appear everywhere instantly.
Can Volt·AI erase my circuit? No — it only adds to or modifies existing circuits.
13. Keyboard Shortcuts