To My Readers



If this is the first time you're visiting my blog, thank you. Whether you're interested or just curious to find out about PCB reverse engineering (PCB-RE), I hope you'll find something useful here.

This blog contains many snippets of the content in my books to provide a more detailed overall sampling for my would-be readers to be better informed before making the purchase. Of course, the book contains more photos and nice illustrations, as evidence from its cover page. Hopefully, this online trailer version will whet your appetite enough to want to get a copy for yourself.

Top Review

I started doing component level repair of electronics with (and without) schematics more than 40 years ago, which activity often involves reverse-engineering of printed circuit boards. Although over the years my technical interests have shifted into particle beam instrumentation, electron microscopy, and focused ion beam technology fields, till this day——and more often than not——PCB repairs have returned multiple multi-million-dollar accelerators, FIB, and SEM instruments back to operation, delivering great satisfaction and some profit.

Many of the methods described by Keng Tiong in great details are similar to the approaches I've developed, but some of the techniques are different, and as effective and useful as efficient and practical. Systematic approach and collection of useful information presented in his books are not only invaluable for a novice approaching PCB-level reverse engineering, but also very interesting reading and hands-on reference for professionals.

Focus on reverse engineering instead of original design provides unique perspective into workings of electronics, and in my opinion books by Keng Tiong (I've got all three of them) are must-read for anybody trying to develop good understanding of electronics——together with writings by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill, Phil Hobbs, Jim Williams, Bob Pease, Howard Johnson and Martin Graham, Sam Goldwasser, and other world's top electronics experts.

Valery Ray
Particle Beam Systems Technologist

Friday, December 29, 2017

Xmas? X-Ray!!!

Just learnt from my friend, Fraser Castle from the UK, that recently he's been struggling with some health issues, as well as tending to his father who is undergoing terminal illness. He's a great guy to know and one of the first few to buy my book, The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering, and left a glowing review on Amazon.

I felt kind of sorry that he has to go through so much in life, especially in Apr-May period this year when he lost a close family member. As an active member in the EEVblog forum, he had shared countless engineering topics based on his years of industrial experience, and is most helpful and inspirational to many engineers who seek his advice and assistance.

Chapter 10 of my book, PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques, is adapted from his knowledge on X-ray which he discussed in the forum. He was generous in allowing me to include his writings and the many interesting X-ray photos which he took with his personal Facitron MX-20 machine. Here's a two-page sample:


His good friend Mike also owns one of these machines, and has uploaded several videos on Youtube too. How cool is that?

I wish him good recovery and quality time with his dad as he tends to his needs. Keep yourself in good cheer and spirit, my friend!

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