Essential Elements

Overview

There are some essential elements you'll need for almost every circuit you make, this doc gives a brief overview of each of them so you can jump right in and get started building electronics!

Element	Description
`<board />`	The root element of a circuit, defines the size of the board and settings like the autorouting method that should be used
`<chip />`	A packaged integrated circuit (IC). The most versatile and important element — see the comprehensive section below.
`<trace />`	Represents a connection between different chips.
`<led />`	Light emitting diode, a small light often used to represent power or status indicators
`<resistor />`	Resists the flow of electrical current.
`<capacitor />`	Stores electrical charge. Often used to smooth out voltage fluctuations.
`<diode />`	Allows current to flow in one direction.

The Essential Elements

`<board />`

The <board /> element is the root container for your circuit, similar to how <body /> works in HTML. Every circuit needs a board! You can customize the size using width and height props, or even create custom board outlines for non-rectangular shapes.

export default () => (
  <board width="10mm" height="10mm">
    <resistor resistance="1k" footprint="0402" name="R1" />
  </board>
)

`<chip />`

The <chip /> element is the most versatile and important component in tscircuit — it can represent virtually any packaged electronic component: ICs, connectors, buttons, crystal oscillators, and more. You specify a footprint and pin labels, and tscircuit automatically generates the schematic symbol and PCB footprint.

Why <chip /> is the most important element: Most of the components you'll use in real designs — microcontrollers, sensors, voltage regulators, connectors — are all represented as <chip /> elements. Mastering <chip /> is key to being productive with tscircuit.

export default () => (
  <board width="10mm" height="10mm">
    <chip
      name="U1" 
      footprint="soic8"
      pinLabels={{
        pin1: "VCC",
        pin2: "DISCH", 
        pin3: "THRES",
        pin4: "CTRL",
        pin5: "GND",
        pin6: "TRIG",
        pin7: "OUT",
        pin8: "RESET"
      }}
    />
  </board>
)

Key chip features:

Any footprint: Use any JLCPCB part number or footprint string (soic8, tssop20, qfn32, 0805, etc.)
Custom pin arrangements: Control which side pins appear on in the schematic with pinSideMap or schematicPinArrangement
Internally connected pins: Use internallyConnectedPins to tell the autorouter which pins are connected inside the chip
Pin labels: Set pinLabels for beautiful schematic symbols. Prefix with N_ for active-low pins (e.g. N_RESET renders RESET with a bar)
Schematic orientation: Rotate or flip the schematic symbol with schematicRotation and schematicFlip

For a deep dive, see the full <chip /> documentation.

`<trace />`

Traces are the electrical connections between components. Traces can be created by simply connecting a pin to a net, or you can create a trace that has a specific path through pcbTraceProps.

export default () => (
  <board width="12mm" height="10mm">
    <chip name="U1" footprint="soic8"
      pinLabels={{ pin1: "VCC", pin2: "", pin3: "", pin4: "",
                    pin5: "GND", pin6: "", pin7: "", pin8: "OUT" }} />
    <resistor name="R1" resistance="10k" footprint="0805" pcbX={3} />
    <trace from=".U1 > .pin8" to=".R1 > .pin1" />
  </board>
)

`<led />`

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are small lights commonly used as power indicators, status displays, or decorative elements. tscircuit supports standard LEDs through the <led /> element.

export default () => (
  <board width="10mm" height="10mm">
    <led name="LED1" footprint="0805" />
  </board>
)

`<resistor />`

Resistors limit the flow of electrical current. They're one of the most fundamental electronic components, used for current limiting, voltage division, and pull-up/pull-down configurations.

export default () => (
  <board width="10mm" height="10mm">
    <resistor name="R1" resistance="10k" footprint="0805" />
  </board>
)

`<capacitor />`

Capacitors store and release electrical charge. They're commonly used for power supply decoupling, signal filtering, and timing circuits. The <capacitor /> element accepts a capacitance value in farads.

export default () => (
  <board width="10mm" height="10mm">
    <capacitor name="C1" capacitance="0.1uF" footprint="0805" />
  </board>
)

`<diode />`

Diodes allow current to flow in one direction only. They're essential for rectification, reverse polarity protection, and flyback suppression.

export default () => (
  <board width="10mm" height="10mm">
    <diode name="D1" footprint="sod123" />
  </board>
)

All Available Elements

tscircuit ships with a comprehensive library of built-in elements. Here's the complete list organized by category:

Passives

Element	Description
`<resistor />`	Current-limiting resistor
`<capacitor />`	Charge-storing capacitor
`<inductor />`	Magnetic field inductor
`<diode />`	One-way current flow
`<led />`	Light emitting diode
`<fuse />`	Overcurrent protection
`<potentiometer />`	Variable resistor
`<crystal />`	Quartz crystal oscillator
`<resonator />`	Ceramic resonator
`<battery />`	Battery power source
`<pushbutton />`	Momentary push button
`<switch />`	Toggle switch
`<solderjumper />`	Solder bridge jumper

Semiconductors

Element	Description
`<chip />`	Most important — any packaged component
`<mosfet />`	MOSFET transistor
`<transistor />`	BJT transistor

Connectivity

Element	Description
`<trace />`	PCB trace connection
`<net />`	Named electrical net
`<netlabel />`	Net label for schematics
`<port />`	Circuit port/interface
`<pinheader />`	Pin header connector
`<connector />`	Generic connector
`<via />`	PCB via between layers
`<jumper />`	Wire jumper
`<testpoint />`	Test point pad

PCB Features

Element	Description
`<board />`	Board outline and settings
`<hole />`	Mounting or via hole
`<cutout />`	Board cutout
`<copperpour />`	Copper fill zone
`<coppertext />`	Text rendered in copper
`<footprint />`	Custom PCB footprint
`<fiducial />`	Fiducial marker
`<breakout />`	Breakout tab
`<breakoutpoint />`	Breakout connection point

CAD / 3D

Element	Description
`<cadmodel />`	STEP/3D model attachment
`<cadassembly />`	Multi-part CAD assembly

Schematic Drawing

Element	Description
`<schematicbox />`	Schematic rectangle
`<schematicline />`	Schematic line
`<schematicpath />`	Schematic path
`<schematictext />`	Schematic text label
`<schematiccircle />`	Schematic circle
`<schematicarc />`	Schematic arc
`<schematicsection />`	Schematic section divider
`<schematictable />`	Schematic table
`<courtyardrect />`	Courtyard rectangle
`<courtyardcircle />`	Courtyard circle
`<courtyardoutline />`	Courtyard outline

PCB Drawing

Element	Description
`<pcbnoteline />`	PCB silkscreen line
`<pcbnotepath />`	PCB silkscreen path
`<pcbnoterect />`	PCB silkscreen rectangle
`<pcbnotetext />`	PCB silkscreen text
`<pcbnotedimension />`	PCB dimension marker

Structure & Simulation

Element	Description
`<group />`	Group elements together
`<subcircuit />`	Reusable subcircuit
`<symbol />`	Custom schematic symbol
`<voltageprobe />`	Voltage measurement point
`<voltagesource />`	Simulation voltage source
`<analogsimulation />`	Analog simulation config
`<autoroutingphase />`	Autorouting phase config

Overview​

The Essential Elements​

<board />​

<chip />​

<trace />​

<led />​

<resistor />​

<capacitor />​

<diode />​

All Available Elements​

Passives​

Semiconductors​

Connectivity​

PCB Features​

CAD / 3D​

Schematic Drawing​

PCB Drawing​

Structure & Simulation​