Dear Reader

The Preface is an introductory section that explains the story behind a book's creation, and is written by the author. In all my engineering books, I always include one with my motivation for writing, the scope of the subject covered, and sometimes the relevance of my experience.

In writing my own memoir, I decided to use the personal address "Dear Reader" in place of the usual term. And there are good reasons. Firstly, it is about my life story. Secondly, it is directed to my readers. And thirdly, it is a meant to be a gift—an impartation of something personal and dear to me—the memories of a journey forged in adversities, uncertainties, yet much to be grateful about.

Here is a fragment of what I have written, a foretaste if you may:

Dear Reader

The book you hold in your hands began not as a book at all, but as a series of moments—small decisions, unexpected turns, challenges faced and overcome. For much of my life, I did not think of my journey as remarkable. I was simply doing what needed to be done: learning my craft, supporting my family, solving the problems that landed on my workbench.

It was only later, after thirty years in the engineering trenches, after I had written six technical books and begun to reflect on the path that brought me there, that I realized my story might have value beyond the circuits and schematics.

This is a book about electronics. But it is also a book about life. The two, I have come to understand, are not so different.

A circuit is a system of connections. Components linked by traces, signals flowing along paths designed for purpose. When the system works, we barely notice it. When it fails, we must face and resolve the issue—tracing the broken connection, identifying the failed component, understanding why the expected behavior has stopped.

Life is the same. 

We are all systems of connections: to family, to work, to dreams and duties and the people who depend on us. Life's circuit has a way of completing itself—not always as we expected, not always along the path we would have chosen, but in ways that can surprise us with their wisdom and their grace.

I hope this glimpse will create an anticipation for the upcoming memoir, just like the six engineering books before it, one that is engaging and filled with words of inspiration to learn from my trade, but this time, from my own life. For the past ten years, I have found much joy in writing and sharing my knowledge in electronics, whether it's reverse engineering a PCB, deciphering a schematic, or diagnosing a failure. I hope you, my readers, have found the joy of reading them too.

In gratitude.

 

A Memoir in the Works

It's been almost three years since I wrote "PCB Diagnostics", the last of my engineering books. After diverting to writing sci-fi and other genre of faith-related books, I felt it's time to retrace my life's journey from a high school electronic hobbyist to a full-fledge engineer. 

Few engineers write their own memoirs and I can understand why. Writing is hard, Writing about your engineering knowledge (and expertise) is harder. But writing about your own life's journey on this aspect? Believe me, it's much, much harder.

So what prompted me to write my own biography? Well, age is catching up on me and my health isn't as good as it's used to be. So before I pass off the scene, I thought, "Heck, why not tell the story of my life and how I arrive at where I am now?" I'm sure readers of my engineering books would love to know the intricate details of those personal anecdotes which I mentioned in passing in several of my works.

Here is the book cover concept and back blurb:

As most readers are aware, I have the habit of creating the book cover and blurb to give me a handle before I start out to write the content. It helps me focus on my task better——in this case, my life story.

This work is of a different nature, though. It will have a mixed of engineering and emotional stuff weaved into a personal narrative. Readers who enjoyed my engaging style of writing will most certainly not want to miss out on this opportunity to know, really know the author behind the books they found helpful in learning the black art of PCB-RE.

So keep a look out for the progress. And leave a comment if you are a fan of my books. I would love to hear from you and be inspired to write more, if health permits.

Stay well and safe, my friends!

Book Cover Makeover

Recently, I've given my first sci-fi novel book cover a major makeover. That's when I revisited the question:

Why did I write HAVAH?

The idea came about sometime in mid-April of 2023, while I was finishing my last engineering book. Spurred by a spade of news on the advances in AI algorithms, quantum computers and humanoid robots, I pondered the possibility of merging these elements into a coherent sci-fi narrative.

We're living in changing times where many distinctions are beginning to blur the lines. What used to be taboos and out of bounds are becoming the norm in a highly polarized world. This is the reason why I chose to write a novel of this genre—not only to bring the readers to a realization of the rapid changing landscapes in a world we used to know and yet is fast becoming unrecognizable, but to confront pressing questions that demand serious considerations and what their implications will be for our future.

Being human is a given; but keeping our humanity is a choice. The question, though, is what really defines our humanity? Readers can appreciate this paradoxical dilemma and more as they immerse themselves in the honest exchanges between man and machine in this intriguing novel.

 

An Author's Thought

Not everyone loves to write, and fewer still take writing as a calling. In a world where literacy is on the rise, more and more people are able to read. This is especially true now that mobile technology has become an indispensable part of our modern lifestyle.

What does it take to be an author? Besides the ability to put into words what you wish to convey, passion and determination are two necessary qualities. To be honest, these days it's getting harder to become a successful author, even if you have a writing style that is engaging and can produce books that are enjoyable to read. So, why do I still want to go on writing? Perhaps, Anais Nin said it best:

Life passes on too quickly and many experiences we have are either quickly forgotten because our brains start to fail, or lost when we are gone. That's why it's important to put these precious memories into words while we still can, and in the process leave a legacy for future generations to learn and remember us. And I suspect that those who carry on writing believe in this fact:

I'm now into my 60s and I don't know how much time I have left. One thing is for sure: when it's time to go, I don't want to look back with regrets to have live in vain when I could make a difference in someone's life, or impact others for the better by sharing my life's experiences and the invaluable knowledge I gained.

So yes, I will keep on writing, until the day I breathe my last.

 

Gold Book Award

BREAKING NEWS! 

My first science fiction novel "HAVAH" has just been conferred the Gold Book Award by Literary Titan!

This award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. It celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.

As an indie author who self-publish, this award is a great endorsement to my first attempt at writing a fiction book genre. It is also a positive step towards writing a sequel, which I will probably begin sometime after my Japan trip with my wife who has been so supportive of my writing endeavors. 

Reader's Favorite 5-Star Review!

I submitted my novel to Reader's Favorite for review a week ago and today they came back to me with the following 5-star review:

The need for a rapid response to global threats leads to the development of the STRATOS team, an elite unit of combat-ready operatives prepared to take on and eliminate hostile targets at short notice. Keen to maintain the upper hand in a changing world, the country's top brass took it upon themselves to include an artificial intelligence project to assist in STRATOS operations. David Friedman is the mind behind EVE, the artificial intelligence program. With the personnel yet to get fully behind this new initiative, David takes it upon himself to perfect his creation, which leads to unforeseen consequences in the manifestation of an entity named HAVAH.

Keng Tiong's science fiction novel focuses on the battle for human supremacy over machines. He establishes the story's context well, explaining the need for an extra edge in the rapidly evolving fight to protect the country from international and domestic terrorism. The character creation is balanced and well thought out, as each STRATOS team member has a unique origin story and motivation for participating in the project. One of the main character in particular, Captain Wolfson, whose reaction to being forced to work with EVE reflected some people's distrust of artificial intelligence. 

With each unfolding chapter, the anticipation grows as David's clandestine upgrades to EVE take shape. While some of the story focuses on how the AI entity affects the STRATOS team’s outcome, the author balances the action with a subplot that follows the unusual developing romantic triangle between David, Amanda, and a rapidly evolving EVE. Keng Tiong's storytelling style encourages the reader to think about the effects of the increased use of AI in our daily lives. HAVAH is a scintillating debut novel that science fiction genre purists will enjoy reading.

Below are the ratings of a mini critic by Reader's Favorite on the various aspects of the novel:

1. Appearance - 5
2. Plot - 5
3. Development - 5
4. Formatting - 4
5. Marketability - 5
6. Overall Opinion - 5

I couldn't be more happy that my modest first attempt would garner such a good review and ratings from a highly acclaimed book review and award site. Hopefully the novel will garner enough reader attention and interest to warrant a sequel and perhaps even a trilogy!

 

Release Announcement

I'm happy to announce that my first sci-fi romance novel is finally released and ready for order. It is available on Amazon in print and Kindle editions. Click on the book cover above to go to the Amazon bookstore to place your order,

I look forward to your support and hope that this first attempt at writing a different genre will bring a new level of reading experience for all my readers,

 

Sci-Fi Extravaganza!

(Click on picture above to go to the blog)

I've been away from this blog for quite a while, but I'm not completely disengaged from it, nor do I have the intention of abandoning it. Truth is, I've been busy with something else——writing a book of a totally different genre. As the post title suggests, I am currently writing a hard sci-fi romance novel. And now that I'm near finishing, I thought it is time to announce it to my readers who're following this blog. 

This is my first attempt at sci-fi narrative. Readers may wonder why I chose this seemingly unrelated path in my writing endeavor. Well, for one thing, this has also been my dream all along. But being an engineer by trade, my interest and focus is in passing on my knowledge to the engineering community, to leave a legacy if you will for future generations of engineers who want to take up this niche skillset of PCB reverse engineering.

But after finishing my sixth and last engineering book (PCB Diagnostics) some time last year in February, I felt quite burned out on this genre of writing. Not that I do not have any other skillset or knowledge to impart, but eight years writing the same kind of related stuff can be quite stifling even for any prolific writer, much less an indie author like me. 

Recent years have seen advancements in the fields of AI, quantum computing, and neurosciences. I've kept myself abreast on these development and wonder if there is a way to integrate these elements into a coherent sci-fi narrative. That's when I suggested to my wife and she seemed quite excited at the prospect. So, after some deliberation, I decided to give it a go.

The result——HAVAH, a love that transcends the metaphysical realm. Readers who bought my engineering books would have been familiar with my writing style. The novel will be no exception, except (pun intended) that you can expect more of my creative demeanor in the storyline and the colorful characters. And it's not just a sci-fi romance. Through engaging dialogues in the novel, readers will be exposed to a plethora of issues and questions accompanying these technologies that are shaping and changing the world we're living in.

My primary purpose for writing this novel then, is to create awareness of the changing landscapes and encourage healthy, constructive discussions that will prepare us to embrace the inevitable future, and not be caught off-guard and find ourselves being left behind. 

I hope to release it by end of this month. As usual, there will be a print edition to be followed by an electronic edition later on. Readers can keep track of my progress by simply clicking on the banner on top of this post to go over and take a look.

Do spread the word around to family or friends who enjoy reading science fiction. Cheers and take care in the new year!

 

Book Reviews (Deciphering Schematics)

These days, book reviews are hard to come by. So when there's one from a reader, it's always a joy to share. Here's two recent ones for Deciphering Schematics:

Good ratings and reviews encourage and motivate authors to continue writing, and even excel in the work of sharing their invaluable knowledge. It just take you only five minutes of your time, but it means a great deal for the one putting months of hard work in solitude.

So be generous, readers, especially during this season of thanksgiving. Show your gratitude and appreciation to those who have enriched your life through their writings. What goes around comes around!

Scarier Than Halloween?

For the most part of my engineering career, I performed repairs (surgeries) on countless PCBs. It didn't dawn on me that one day, I would have to undergo one myself. Warning: graphic image in this post, so be warned!

Recently I had a regular dental visit to clean my teeth. My dentist friend noticed the gum above my front top left incisor was darkened and inflamed. She did a check and found recesses of 5mm and 9mm around the affected tooth. X-ray revealed the foundation of that incisor had eroded, and she advised me to see a gum specialist.

She cautioned if I leave it untreated, the incisor would slowly loosen and ultimately come off. Moreover, periodontal disease is known to likely affect the brain and heart. After giving it some thought, I accepted her advice. She recommended me a gum specialist and I made an appointment for consultation the following week.  

The day came and I visited the specialist's clinic for a more thorough examination, after which he proposed a perio guided tissue regeneration (GTR) procedure to help secure and save the incisor and the neighboring teeth. A quick discussion with my wife and I went ahead with the surgery on the same day. The surgeon administered about ten jabs of anesthesia around the area before carrying out the procedure (I will spare you the gory details). It was over in about 45 minutes and I was prescribed two courses of antibiotics, anti-swelling medication, mouthwash, and painkillers.

The surgery set me back $1500 but in view of the risk of loosing my incisor and possibly my health, it's a price worth paying. Thankfully, the wounds are healing well and I didn't end up looking like a hamster. Will be going back for review in two weeks' time. 

Meanwhile, I'm taking baby food and resting as much as needed...

 

Steal and Escape

Two days ago, I received an email from a guy by the name Jason Richard out of the blue.  Here are his words:

A few months ago, I sent Joe a picture of the hardware hacker library I was building at work and asked him to do the same. After a few messages he felt that I needed your new books for the collection, so he sent them to me.

Things were unfamiliar, but not daunting... Until I got to page 149. That might have been scariest thing I've seen as I imagined someone asking me to RE it. After a few minutes of terror and intense imposter syndrome, I settled down and thought about it. Afterwards, I kept reading to understand how you would tackle the problem. Once again, I'm loving the information you are providing and am wondering if you ever thought someone would classify your books as a thriller? 

Don't ever say, "this is my last book"! For a 40-year-old man just getting into this subject, I need your knowledge. Thank you again. 

I was somewhat taken aback when I read that he classified my books 'as a thriller'. Who is this Jason Richard, anyway? After doing a Google search, I found a man by that name that matched his email address, and who owns the following company:

With so many online scams going on these days, I felt a need to exercise some caution. Since he mentioned he knew Joe (Grand, I suppose), I wrote an email to the Kingpin to check if he had indeed sent him my books. This morning, I received Joe's reply:

Thanks for checking - Yes, Jason is a friend of mine. I sent him a few of your books to add to his ever-growing bookshelf. He's hungry and eager for knowledge! 

Hmm... A founder of a high-tech escape room business in San Diego interested in PCB-RE? That's odd but interesting. But at least now I understand why he'd consider my books on this niche skillset 'a thriller', coming from his adventure games background. That figures. Maybe I'll write a reply and suggest to him the possibility of including reverse engineering skill into his escape room adventure. I'm sure it will be the next big hit!

Well, just a thought, anyway...

 

PCB-RE: A Niche Skillset

A novice starting out to learn PCB reverse engineering usually begins with a multimeter and the simple notion that it's all about finding the interconnection points between components on the circuit board. In truth, it's not entirely correct. If it were that simple, electronic engineers the world over would be doing it.

Like the game of Go, the basic rules of PCB reverse engineering is easy to pick up, but mastering the skill requires time and certain know-how, if you want to shorten the learning curve and avoid costly mistakes and pitfalls. That's the reason I set out to write the sequel book PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques. To some measure, I was prompted by readers to give this niche topic a more complete treatment; also, I was driven by the desire to enhance my own learning journey by leveraging from the expertise of engineers who are willing to share their knowledge in their own peculiar field and experience using equipment and approaches I might or might not have heard of.

Here is the table of content for this book:

While it is by no means complete (which book can claim that?), it's nonetheless thorough in the fields of interest presented. As one reader aptly commented: 

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It has many chapters on all sorts of techniques to reverse engineer printed circuit boards, with the intent of either replacing them with identical boards that no longer exist or determining the schematic for debugging a faulty circuit.

So take it from the likes of renown individuals and companies like Joe Grand (aka Kingpin), John McMaster, Bill Loving and Jeff Rupert (and their remarkable team from ScanCAD International, Inc.), Bob Elder (Teel Technologies), Fraser Castle (a seasoned engineer in multiple disciplines), Dr. Sergei Skorobogatov (University of Cambridge), etc. It is my firm belief that:

The best experiences of our engineering careers and endeavors can become a lasting legacy for future generations of engineers.

If the Art of PCB Reverse Engineering is the de facto reference for PCB-RE, this book is definitely the companion supplement to it!

Diagnosing PCB Failures

One of the questions I often get asked during my tenure as a test and repair engineer in my former company was: what's the most difficult thing about PCB repair. My reply: intermittent faults and erratic failures. I'm sure those in the PCB repair industry would readily agree with me on this. And it's not getting any easier anytime, given the increasing complexity of today's PCBs in terms of their designs and functionalities.

That's one reason I embarked on writing PCB Diagnostics, a book that attempts to address not only this thorny challenge faced by the PCB repair community, but to promote a greater awareness on the available tools and techniques to help them get the job done. For readers who want to know what is discussed in this book, here's the table of content:

Beyond the basics, I've included some rather esoteric approaches and methodologies, along with real-world examples and interesting case studies, to give readers a taste of how repairs are carried out using benchtop equipment and testers that they only heard or dreamed of, but have never gotten the chance to work on.

Some of the processes are laid out in detailed steps while others are covered only in enough depth, either due to the nature of the technique that is self-explanatory, or the scope of work involved which would overrun the book length. This is especially true of automated testing which I would love to devote specific coverage on a book series basis (see Conceptual for an idea of what I mean).

It's still too early to say how well PCB Diagnostics will be received by the repair community, but I hope that those who have bought it would leave their reviews on Amazon so I know if it has served the intended purpose when I started out to write it. Thanks!

Bestseller Title in the Netherlands

Soon after Antrisksh and Aseem's recent visit to Singapore and our meetup, I noticed an increase in sales of my books in the Netherlands. In fact, one of the titles got into the bestseller category:

This is not surprising, since The Essentials is priced lower than the other engineering books. But I believe there is more to it. While The Art of PCB-RE is still the best overall consistent seller, what it lacks in real-world application (after all, it is an introduction to PCB-RE for those learning this niche skill, albeit a good book to start with detailed step-by-step guidance), The Essentials filled in with a complex example (which can be overwhelming for beginners who're thinking to jump into the deep end of the pool).

So, if you intend to take the manual PCB-RE route, these two books would be your safest bet to get you up to speed. As one reader, Michael Boewe, puts it:

Want to know how to reverse engineer a PCB? Buy this book. The book gives a very thorough explanation of how to reverse engineer a printed circuit board. It discusses different techniques that can be utilized with real world applications.

Click on the book cover and secure your copy today!

A Special Meetup

A few days before I flew off to Taiwan for holiday with my wife, I received a message from Antriksh, founder of Hardwear.io, via LinkedIn. He told me he'd be coming to Singapore on a business visit and would like to meet up with me, and have me sign my books. I was delighted, of course.

Soon after returning from my overseas trip, I fixed a lunch date with him on July 18 at City Hall station which is central. Well, he didn't come alone but had a friend, Aseem, the co-founder of Hardwear.io, in company. Being the host, I treated them to lunch at the Coffee Club in Raffles City.

We had a good time sharing our personal stories in the career journey we undertook. I also got to know about the nature of their business proposals to the various government agencies on IoT security solutions. As a surprise, Antrisksh brought some souvenirs from the recent Hardwear.io USA 2023 conference for me, two T-shirts,  two luggage tags, a tout bag and a mini hand carrier.

It was an hour-and-a-half meetup and they were off to meet Bunny Huang, author of The Hardware Hacker book. Before we parted ways, Antrisksh asked if I would be interested to give a four-hour presentation and workshop at the next Hardwear.io conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands sometime in November. I felt honored to be invited and told him I will work out something and plan my schedule. It's still preliminary at this stage, though my incentive for going will be to meet Joe Grand in person there.

Maybe someday,  I will link up with Bunny Huang and meet him over coffee. After all, we're both living in the same city-state, though our paths have not crossed so far. Life is full of surprises, so who knows...?

My Profile as an Engineer

Formerly, I worked as a test engineer in the home-grown defense industry, Singapore Technologies under the Engineering arm. I was privileged to be trained and had worked on the following automated test equipment (ATE), and developed over 30 test program set (TPS) projects:

1. Schlumberger S700 Series Testers

 a. S720 Functional Tester
 b. S730 In-Circuit Tester
 c. S750 Combinational Tester
 d. CADAT concurrent fault simulator
 e. CATS 10000 hardware modeller
 Programming language: Mediator

2. Teradyne Testers

 a. Spectrum 8851 In-Circuit
 b. Spectrum 8852 Combinational
 c. M910 Digital Test System
 d. Inline Device Programming (ILDP)
 Programming language: C

3. F5E Tiger Aircraft

 a. AITS Test System
 b. P200 Power Supply Tester
 Programming language: ATEasy and 
 PowerBasic

4. F16 Fighting Falcon

 a. DATS/2000 Test Station
 b. LASAR simulator
 Programming language: ATLAS-716

5. AS332 Super Puma

 a. Apodis SDC/CCU Test Station
 Programming language: ATEasy

Of course, no test station is standalone or self-sufficient on its own, and I had the opportunity to work on the following test and repair equipment:

 1. Data I/O 3900 Device Programmer
 2. Altera Device Programmer
 3. Acugen ATGen Test Vector Generator
 4. Pinpoint Workstation
 5. QMax QT150 and QT200 Testers
 6. Polar Toneohm 950 Short Locator
 7. Polar PFL780 Fault Locator
 8. ABI System 8 Test Systems
 9. PACE Soldering & Rework Station
10. ERSA SMT Rework Station

In retrospect, it was an exciting and fulfilling engineering career I had which allowed me to put my valuable experiences into print, though the current six engineering books cover less than half of what I knew and did. It's a shame that my seven years endeavor could not afford me the luxury of full-time writing to continue imparting my knowledge. Perhaps one day, if there is a turn of fortune, I may return to complete what I left undone. Hopefully it will not be too little, too late...

 

My Profile as an Author

In my seven-and-a-half year as a writer, I have written a total of thirteen books, half of which are engineering related while the rest are of personal and religious nature. Most of my readers are interested in PCB-RE and diagnostic stuff, so it's no surprise that my engineering books fare better in sales. But if you really like my writing style, and have a knack for theology or eschatology, then please take a look at my other book titles, which are available in e-book edition as well.

Self-Published Author

Jan 2016 - Present · 7 yrs 7 months

Authored the following books:

Engineering
1. The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering
2. PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques
3. PCB-RE: Real World Examples
4. Manual PCB-RE - The Essentials
5. Deciphering Schematics
6. PCB Diagnostics

Memoir
1. Love's Chronicles (English and Chinese)

Family
1. The Marriage Puzzle (English and Chinese)

Theology
1. Volume 1 - NT in 77 Days
2. Volume 2 - OT Law & Prophets in 157 Days
3. Volume 3 - OT Writings in 87 Days

Eschatology
1. Revelation - A Concise Study
2. NFS Laboratory

Available on Amazon and other online bookstores.

I'm still doing part-time writing at present, as I explore other options. In particular, I hope to write on fiction novel and politics. If you are interested in such topics, keep a look out in my Amazon store.

As always, stay safe and well, my friends! 

The Art of PCB-RE

Since it's debut in November 2015, The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering has been a consistent best seller among my books, though not the best seller on Amazon (far from it). It underscores the point of having a good textbook resource on this niche topic which sadly, is still quite lacking after nearly eight years since I penned my experiences.

While PCB-RE has not received the attention it needed, I believe that with the emphasis on 'Repair Don't Waste' to encourage recycling instead of discarding to save the earth, perhaps more people will see the importance of this special skillset in the repair and refurbish industry in the not too distant future.

For those who have yet to get their copy of this now de-facto and classic work on PCB-RE, here is a breakdown of the chapters:

To many engineers PCB-RE is a black art because of its coveted nature (not many in this field are willing to share their knowledge and know-how). However, I can assure you that it's not as difficult as you think, though some pre-requisites are essential to avoid pitfalls when you start out on the journey.

Chapters 2-4 make up the bulk of the book and teach you how to identify and organize the component data necessary to begin PCB-RE on a board without documentation. The drafting tool of my choice is Microsoft Visio, though if you are good at another 2D CAD software, it works just as well. It's the process that's important and that's what I emphasize in the book. Drawing the PCB layout and schematic diagram is really a matter of personal style, and I really encourage you to develop your own that works for you.

That said, I hope you would at least give Visio a try and see for yourself how versatile and powerful its features are. There are some things that will only connect when you learn it first hand, and I can tell you from personal experience that no other 2D drafting tools even come close to Visio. Don't believe me? Get the book and go through the examples in chapter 5 and you'll wonder why you didn't take up Visio sooner.

Then, of course, I will point you to other resources that can enrich your PCB-RE journey, one of which is the darling of the DOS era: the OrCAD suite of engineering software tools (SDT, VST, PCB, PLD, and MOD), which once sold for $4,995 but is now free for download at one of the Old DOS Communities.

The Art of PCB-RE took me almost a year to write while working part-time. It's one of the most challenging book I took on but I'm glad I did, with the support of my understanding wife. At least I know that I now have a legacy for future generations of engineers who will make a difference to the world when they apply what they learn to reduce wastage and increase the operational life of the equipment they're servicing.

Speakers and Books

This year's Hardwear.io event featured nearly thirty speakers from various fields relating to hardware and security:

Interested readers can go over to YouTube and subscribe to the channel to be notified when the videos for this event is uploaded.

Incidentally, all my engineering books were showcased alongside other renown authors writing on similar subject matters:

I'm sure some of the winners at this event would have been delighted to receive a copy for a prize in their participation. But don't just wish or wait for the next event to come by and try your luck. The books are available as print and ebooks on Amazon for order. Just click on the covers displayed on the right side bar to preview before purchase.

 

Hardwear.io USA 2023

Just last Sunday, Antriksh Shah from Hardwear.io contacted me on LinkedIn and expressed interest in procuring two sets of my PCB-RE books, hoping to give them away as prizes for participants in the upcoming Security Training & Conference at Santa Clara Marriott:

I was delighted with this first encounter and readily offer the books at a discounted price, along with complimentary copies of two other books, Deciphering Schematics and PCB Diagnostics. I am sure the winners would be excited to receive these books should they come out top among the competitors.

If you have not yet signed up for the event, you can go to this link to find out more about the talks and trainings offered. Who knows, you may be one of the lucky winners!

 

A Pleasant Email Surprise

Just this morning, I received an email from someone who attended Joe Grand's Basic Hardware Hacking course and was given a signed copy of Manual PCB-RE: The Essentials:

Here's the content (partial) of the email (reproduced with permission):

Subject: Thank you for the knowledge

I received your book from Joe Grand after his "Basic Hardware Hacking" course (I'd like to think he gave it to me because I was the best) at hardwear.io 2022. I've been into hardware for quite a while (I own a tech heavy escape room that uses a large amount of Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's). I recently retired from the Navy and attended Joe’s course because I wanted a deeper understanding for my new job.

Currently I work for a small company that does RE and penetration testing. While everyone has their unique skill set, I fancied myself the "hardware hacker" of the group. In the last 10 months I have learned so much and would frequently thumb through your book for answers. It wasn't until three months ago that I brought your book home and read it from cover to cover. Then I picked up two more of your books.

To be frank your books scared me into taking anything apart...initially. I realized that although I was doing a great job on my tests, I could be doing a much better job. I lacked the methodical approach you take with your projects. The way you have written your books makes it seem as if you were sitting next to me teaching me the ways of the trade. I plan to get all your books as I create a "hardware" section for our company.

I want to sincerely thank you for making such amazing books. I find myself re-reading the same sections because there is so much information. Some of your ideas seem so simple and obvious, but I know it's because you learned them the hard way and are saving me years by not learning the same lessons through pain. 

It certainly made my day and my wife's as well.

I reckon that many readers felt the same way (the red highlighted text above), because I believe in engaging my readers on a personal level through my style of writing. This is my method of 'coaching' to transfer my knowledge as a fellow engineer and friend, not a lecturer or instructor.

As this reader told me, he had wanted to write to me earlier but could not find my email address, until he bought The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering and found it in the ending of the Preface section. So if you have something to say to me, and have a copy of this book, look it up and have your say. My wife and I would love to hear from you too!

Take care and stay safe, as always.

Review from Down Under!

Again, Amazon doesn't seem to post reviews by readers from other countries across its online platforms. This time, it's a review for The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering from Australia:

I suppose what this reader, an Australian, meant by "one of only books" is really "one of the few books" that deals with this subject (PCB-RE). The Art of PCB-RE book is an introduction to this niche and coveted topic, while the sequel PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques gives a comprehensive coverage on the available methodologies in this industry. The trilogy, PCB-RE: Real-World Examples shows how engineers carry out their trade in real-life experiences. Finally, Manual PCB-RE: The Essentials, is an extension of The Art of PCB-RE by teaching advanced techniques on doing PCB-RE manually using the GeForce 8600GT video card from Gigabyte.

Together, these four books provide ALL the necessary information needed to get any engineer  quickly started on the PCB-RE journey with the proper tools and methods, while avoiding potential pitfalls and mistakes at the same time.

If you want to know which book to order first, read the following post on the trilogy. If you are already quite seasoned in this trade, then the fourth book (Essentials) might be what you need to bring your skillset to another level.

Take hold of the discounted offer before it expires in mid-May.

Deciphering Schematics (Kindle Full-Color Edition)

Following closely on the heels of PCB Diagnostics, I have released the full-color Kindle edition of Deciphering Schematics. Here are some sample pages:

You can go to this link to preview more pages before placing order, if you have the Kindle app installed on your tablet devices. 

Happy reading!

Ps: While I have the desire to convert all my engineering books to Kindle full-color editions, I do not foresee doing it that soon. The recent attempt on my latest two books had taken quite a toll on my health and I was out of action for a week. But I will inform my readers as and when I complete the remaining three.

PCB Diagnostics (Kindle Full-Color Edition)

Just when I thought I'm done with updating this blog, about three weeks into releasing my final engineering book, PCB Diagnostics, two readers who bought the print edition emailed me and asked if it is possible to send them color photos of certain pages. They cited having difficulties making out certain details from the black and white photos due to their poor eyesight conditions.

I promptly sent what they requested and then thought it might be good to come up with a color Kindle edition. One of the advantages, besides full-color, is the ability to zoom in for greater details. It took me about a week to replace all the photos and illustrations with color versions. Here are a few sample pages:

You can go to this link to preview more pages before placing order, if you have the Kindle app installed on your tablet devices. It may take a while for Amazon to update the preview content to the color edition though, but rest assured that it is in full-color.

Happy reading! 

Hidden Review

Just felt a need to include the following review from an UK reader who downloaded Deciphering Schematics from Kindle Unlimited, which did not get posted across all the Amazon platforms except in the UK (strange!):

My intention for writing this book is not so much to go into the mathematical analysis of typical electrical or transistor circuits. Many books have already done that. Rather, I want to help readers understand enough of the various elements and topologies that make up digital, analog, hybrid and power circuit designs to be able to decipher (or interpret, if you prefer) them. Even so, the book does include some fundamental formulas and circuit characteristic graphs as and when necessary so readers can grasp the concepts behind their designs.

Sometimes we can fail to see the forest for the trees when we try to go into too much analytical details. This is something which I wanted to avoid and simply get to the essential points, while maintaining a balance between theoretical models and real-world examples. And rather than doing a quick, slip-slop work to get this book out, I took great pains to draw most of the circuits and illustrations using Microsoft Visio, for example:

Readers who bought my book can be confident they are getting the best quality content for their money. That's my personal guarantee.