AI-driven hardware hacker arm built from duct tape, an old cam, and a CNC machine

AutoProber is a flying probe automation stack for hardware hackers. When you load a new target, the agent checks the equipment status, performs homing and calibration, then scans the plate with a microscope to map pads, pins, and chips.

• Controllable via web dashboard, Python script, or agent alike.
• Designed to build a target map and have probe candidates approved/rejected on the dashboard.
• Performs controlled pin probing only on approved targets.

The safety model is the core piece. GRBL's probe pin is not a trusted endstop, so an independent safety endstop is read via oscilloscope Channel 4. Channel 4 is continuously monitored during motion, and the system immediately switches to a STOP state if any of the following occurs: a trigger, ambiguous voltage, a CNC alarm, or an actual X/Y/Z limit pin event. There is no automatic recovery — the operator must check the status manually.

The hardware stack consists of a GRBL-compatible 3018 CNC, a USB microscope, a Siglent oscilloscope over LAN/SCPI, an optical endstop, and an optional network power outlet. It is a source-available release candidate that includes CAD files, the dashboard, control code, and documentation, but the runtime calibration files and lab-specific settings needed to operate on actual hardware must be generated on-site.

Exclusions are also specified. Test captures, stitched target images, runtime logs, calibration caches, and personal environment files are not included in the release. Commercial use requires a separate license.