Seasons Greetings!

Christmas is just round the corner following the winter solstice. It's the time of the year to gather with people you love and care about, to spend quality time and enjoy their company over heart-warming meals and moments.

It's also a time to reflect and reminiscent, and then look forward to a new year, hopeful of a better and brighter future. And while we're at it, let's not forget to go something good to help the less fortunate, be it charity or community volunteering work. For readers who have bought my books, I would like to thank you for your honest purchase, and to let you know that part of the royalties goes to support the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), so you're actually contributing to charity as well.

Here's wishing all my readers:

Stay safe and well through the season holidays!

Packaging Challenges

You might be surprised to know that electronics packaging predates the printed circuit board. Over the past 60 years, packages have continued to shrink in footprints yet increase in functionalities. Some packages are no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence.Today, there are more types of packages than ever before that can be found mounted on a given PCB. The ever expanding package acroniums is proof of this phenomenon: QFN, QFP, SOT, TSSOP, PDIP, WLCSP, BGA, FPBGA, SOIC, PoP, COF, WLP, FOWLP, and many more.

COF and WLP Packaging

This increasing trend in PCB design also presents challenges to PCB reverse engineering, especially for newbies and occasional apprentices. Identifying these components is one thing; finding related information and datasheets is another; yet still to overcome is the accessibility of probe points since most of these use BGA footprints with high-density pin-counts to reduce PCB real estate. It's a literal nightmare for manual PCB-RE work.

So unless you have the resources to do it, my advice is to steer clear of them unless it's a do-or-die mission. Remember, you have been warned.

Deciphering Components

Except for ICs and components with large surface areas which permit printing of part numbers most surface mount devices use some form of cryptic coding system to indicate their identities or values. Some basic components like resistors, resistor networks, and capacitors may also contain long strings of alphanumeric characters that require their manufacturers' references to make sense of their package and content. Take for example the two types of through-hole resistor coding:

The pair on the left uses color coding, with four and five bands of color for the top and bottom resistors, respectively. The pair on the right shows the same value in alphanumeric notation wrapped around the resistor's body. Resistor color and numerical codes are necessary for deciphering both color and alphanumeric codes found on resistors and capacitors.

Surface-mounted devices, passive and active, are becoming common place these days so it's good to keep a copy of SMD codebook at hand for easy reference and be familiar with their outlines and packaging.

Exercise: Can you identify and decipher the components on a PCB shown below?

According to their layout:

Chip Capacitor, Tantalum                                                  Chip Resistor, size 0603

1uF 35V                                                                             10 Ohms

Diode, case SOD-80               Low-Capacitance               NPN Transistor, SOT-323

Switching                                Diode Array (5V)                 BFR92AW

Chip Resistor, size 0805

4.64K                                                                                 Chip Capacitor, unknown

Chip Capacitor, unknown

How many did you manage to get right?

Ps: If you have purchased The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering, you are entitled to get a copy of the SMD Code Reference Book (500+ pages) and other goodies.

An Identity Crisis

If there is any certainty when doing PCB-RE, it is encountering 'unknowns'——components that are custom-built, without readily available information or datasheets. The proliferation of mobile devices and gadgets has seen ICs with multiple specialized functions integrated into a small wafer die,26 in a bid to reduce physical size and power consumption.

Take, for example, Apple's iPhone 5S motherboard shown below:

It's hard to imagine that so many components could be cramped within that 4.5-by-0.85 inch of physical space on both sides of the PCB, most of the chips being BGA-type and some with high pin-count footprints! This should come as no surprise, given that advances in wafer fabrication technology has already achieved under the sub 20-micron scale presently.

But don't be intimidated or become discouraged by this revelation. PCBs of this sort are an exception rather than the norm for manual PCB-RE. Truth is, it's not cost-effective to reverse engineer such boards in the first place, considering the low cost of manufacturing that arises from the high-volume production demands for these devices. It simply doesn't make economic sense.

That said, even in moderately complex through-hole or surface-mounted boards, do anticipate finding some unknown components as well. Sometimes it's not the big chips that stump you (though that is quite likely to happen) but the little discrete parts that seemingly look harmless enough until you try to identify them. Here's one example to prove my point: a reader once emailed me the following photos seeking my assistance to identify them:

Can you guess what these are? On first look, you may mistake them to be some sort of SMD resistors, except that the unique numbering and 3-terminal pinout provide tell-tale signs they are something else. Want to know what they are? Get a copy of PCB-RE: Real-World Examples and you'll learn their identity and many other useful tips.

Evaluating Your Chances

What are the chances of success in doing PCB-RE? It depends on several factors and your approach. Within each approach, the time and effort required will also increase with the complexity of the PCB, while the rate of success and the quality produced will be affected by the capability of the equipment or tool used, as well as the experience of the engineer doing the PCB-RE work. Quantifying the methods and their related factors into a single chart offers a rough but straightforward comparison as shown in the table below:

Another way of representation would be individual SWOT charts that give a sweeping view of each approach's strengths and weaknesses. The closer to the center (i.e. bullseye) a factor is, the better the weightage and vice versa.

No matter what you opt for, it is important that you have a good understanding of the process involved, not just the cost incurred. Other more specialized aspects of PCB-RE such as mobile forensics may require formal training to be proficient in performing the tasks yourself, unless you prefer to engage a professional to do the job. These exotic, CSI-like practices and many other PCB-RE methods are also covered in my best-selling book PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques.

Old but not Obsolete

Good things never die, even if they grow old. The same can be said about software, one in particular which I've fondly remembered since my early engineering days...

You might not believe me if I tell you that there's a community of PCB designers who're die-hard DOSbased OrCAD fans. For readers who've worked with the DOS version of OrCAD products, it may come as a pleasant surprise that these EDA tools, which used to cost from between $495-$1,995 individually or $3,995 for a complete suite, are now available for download complete with user and reference manuals. You'll need to register as a member first—subject to approval by the moderators of the group, though.

OrCAD ESP

OrCAD SDT

OrCAD VST

OrCAD PCB

The last DOS version is the OrCAD ESP 4.40 release which comprises the following modules:

• SDT 386+ 1.21 Schematic Design Tool
• VST 386+ 1.20 Verification & Simulation Tool
• PCB 386+ 2.22 PCB Layout Tool
• PLD 386+ 2.01 Programmable Logic Design Tool
• MOD 386+ 4.04 PLD Modeling Tool

I've worked extensively with the SDT 3.21 in my early engineering days from 1990-1995, mainly to draft schematics as well as flowcharts and 2D mechanical drawings for my test program set documents. To the hardware engineers in my company's engineering design department, this humble piece of software was just a toy compared to their powerhouse EDA suite from Mentor Graphics running on Sun's top-end graphical workstations. Perhaps, but then again there are many products out in the market which were designed and produced using OrCAD too.

So how do we run these legacy DOS software from within modern operating systems that are now the dominant landscape of most PCs today? The answer: Virtual PC or DOS emulator. And there are many flavors to choose from—Microsoft's Virtual PC, Oracle VM's VirtualBox, VMware Player, the open source DOSBox, etc. Most of these x86 machine emulators are free and they support and run different OSes such as Linux, Windows, OS/2, BeOS, and even the Mac OS X.220 I've installed and run Microsoft's Virtual PC and DOSBox with some of my favorite software of by-gone era just to re-live the good old nostalgic DOS days.

For more details and links to these resources, get a copy of The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering. The full-color and standard editions are similar in content, except the color edition costs slightly higher but hey, you get to see the illustrations and photos in their full glory!

X-Men Reverse Apocalypse

One of the best things about writing the sequel book PCB-RE:Tools & Techniques was having the opportunity to know and interact with nice and interesting people. John McMaster was one of them. I got to know him while searching for X-ray related PCB-RE information, and came upon his Twitter page on a home-brew X-ray machine which he designed and built for his IC reverse engineering work. In fact, his amazing tool was featured in a number of websites like Makezine and Dangerous Prototypes.

John was kind enough to give permission for me to include this project in my book, and he even provided me with the necessary X-ray prints of his endeavors, as well as his fun bio photo:

Of course, I was more interested in the PCB-RE aspect than the IC-RE which is his main focus. Nonetheless, being the helpful guy that he is, my requests were granted:

John went so far as to fill me in with the details of his home-brewed project through our email correspondences, which readers who bought the book would have the pleasure of learning firsthand from the 'master', Mcmaster himself. (pun intended)

So if you have not gotten a copy yet, you may want to get it here.

Manual PCB-RE: Instrumentation

Setting up an electronic lab like a commercial repair house is certainly out of the question,unless you're prepared to fork out a fortune to do so. But if you're thinking of doing PCB-RE manually, all you really need are just a couple of basic inexpensive equipment:

• Digital Multimeter (DMM)
• SMD LCR Meter
• Power Supply
• Universal Device Programmer
• Multi-Protocol Adapter

Most engineers should be well acquainted with the first three; the last two are not really for novice but can come in handy if you want to delve deeper and get a better understanding into the workings of a board.

Digital Multimeter (DMM)

The DMM is perhaps the most basic measuring instrument an engineer or technician will ever get to learn and use at work. Increasingly, digital multimeters are preferred over analog ones for their accuracy, functions and ease of operation, since they come with a numerical display that provides quick reading of the electrical entities being measured.

Choosing a DMM would seem like a no brainer but there are subtle yet important differences that separate a good model from an average one. Besides quality and reliability, resolution and accuracy are two primary factors that should not be overlooked. Though we're not particularly concerned with these traits when it comes to doing PCB-RE, it is imperative to get a DMM that has fast continuity test response.

This feature becomes apparent when you need to do a sweep on rows of connector pins to get a connectivity detection beep, so a slow response will potentially miss probe points that have valid connections. So invest in a good DMM to save yourself from this stigma.

SMD LCR Meter

Surface-mounted components are becoming popular with board designers due to the small sizes and space economy they afford. Some of these devices are so miniature there is hardly space for part numbers or even abbreviated values to be printed on them. Using the probes of a DMM to measure these devices can be challenging and frustrating. Enter the SMD LCR meter.

This remarkable and portable one-hand operated instrument identifies both marked and unmarked SMD-components with easy probing, passive or through-hole. A standard model can measure capacitance, inductance and resistance with speed and precision. Advance model can even check secondary parameters such as the capacitor's ESR, quality factor (Q),

dissipation factor (D) and impedance (Z).

SMD LCR meters come in different makes and functions. Those providing only basic functions may cost just between $20-$50 apiece, whereas more advanced models can run into $150-$300 an unit.

Power Supply

You have two choices when it comes to power supply: fixed and adjustable. Depending on what you intend to use with the power sources, you can opt for:

• Fixed power supplies with common voltages such as +5V, +12V, +3.3V, etc. which many PCBs require. A PC power supply unit will be adequate to provide these multiple outputs. But a note of caution: you will need to provide some kind of safety measures to ensure you don't fry the PCBs you're working on.

• Adjustable power supplies. These benchtop equipment are more costly but still affordable, and they provide built-in current limiting and over-voltage protections, plus you get to have a variable range of voltages at your disposal.

Manual PCB-RE: Hand and Power Tools

These days, a set of assortment hand and power toolkit can be had for between $100-$200, one would think it makes no sense to buy each item separately. While there is no harm getting one of these kits if you have the extra cash to spare, you may want to be more selective in the quality and suitability of the tools you are going to personalize and use for all your future PCB-RE works without over-cluttering your work space and spending time searching for them.

As a minimum, I would recommend the following:

The wire stripper may seem like an odd addition to the manual tool set, but it does have a role to play in the PCB-RE process when required.

Two other hand tools I can think of that's good to add to the above list are a set of fine grain hand files and a small hammer or mallet. The hand files come in handy when you need to scrap off stubborn lacquer conformal coating from the tip of component pins to facilitate contact probing during continuity check. The hammer or mallet is used in conjunction with the flat-head screwdriver to loosen screws with tops that are rounded out.

One last versatile tool is the power drill set. The motorized drill can either be battery powered or cabled. Different sets of drill bits, screwdriver bits and nut drivers permit drilling or screw and bolt locking and loosening with ease.

Manual PCB-RE: Equipment & Tools

Every trade has its expert, and every master craftsman has his tools. PCB-RE engineers are no exception, more so when it comes to doing PCB-RE manually. In my fifteen years of experience reverse engineering printed circuit boards (PCB) and modular electronic units, I've come to appreciate the importance of having a good set of tools on hand to get the job done. Not just the basic toolkit, but the essential ones.

A typical electronics workbench setup (courtesy of Mitch Haile)

If you want to do serious manual PCB-RE, whether in a workshop setting of your employment or in the comfort of your own workspace at home, some form of electronic equipment and hand tools are indispensable. Depending on how comprehensive a level of PCB-RE you intend to engage in, it will determine the outcome of your inventory and acquisition. Generally, there are four categories to consider:

 1. Hand and power tools

 2. Instrumentation

 3. PCB-related equipment

 4. Diagramming tool

The first three are hardware and safety related while the fourth is software, though strictly speaking, the line of distinction is not that concise in some cases.

The Magic Bullet

Some while ago, I came across a query in Reddit regarding my books:

There are a few books on Amazon authored by Mr. Keng Tiong Ng that cover the topic of reverse engineering PCBs. Anyone in the know find them useful? 

Here's one reply:

They're an enjoyable read, but nothing exactly earth-shattering...

Well, any hacker—hardware or software—would tell you in the face, there's no shortcut to doing reverse engineering. Those in the engineering industry know that the work of an engineer is never easy, right from the start when you take up this field of study to the day you learn and master the trade and become good at what you do. Temple Grandin puts it succinctly when he said:

People are always looking for the single magic bullet that will totally change everything. There is no single magic bullet.

PCB-RE is no exception. In my 15 years of reversing PCBs and electronic modules as part of doing repair and diagnosis of circuit boards, I had to literally 'bite the bullet' and refused to call it quit if ever the schematic diagrams were to materialize in the end. Of course, knowing the techniques of doing PCB-RE and the kind of tools available to ease the process will be a great help to reduce the learning curve and become proficient quickly. Which is why one reader, a 65-year old retired engineer, commented:

Books on this topic are as rare as hens teeth.The first book The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering was mainly about RE techniques and ways to keep the extracted data organized. It was really well written and an enjoyable read. The sequel PCB-RE book is about the tools (hardware and software) that can be made or purchased to ease the RE process. Again it was really well written and a good read. I've been doing RE for years mainly to help in the repair undocumented products and yet I still found some very useful stuff in these two books. The reader should be aware that RE takes a lot of time and no book is going to be a magic bullet that will give instant results. However learning to be organized and to correctly document the results can be learned from these books and that means you get to waste less time. You can also reuse and expand a well documented partial RE when tackling a different fault on the same product. Have no fear of Mr Ng's English; it is really good.

That said, there IS only one 'magic bullet' but do you have the courage to bite it? Here it is...

One thing the person who replied is right though—my books are an enjoyable read. And if I may add, they're also informative and worth your time and money for all the heart and sweat I put into writing them, including the contributions of fellow engineers who shared their expertise and valuable experiences.

Getting Started with PCB-RE

If you're like me, most likely you're self-taught in the PCB-RE skillset out of necessity. Maybe you've developed your own methodology and even have the luxury of automated equipment to help cut down the time and effort in doing those menial tasks of connectivity probing. Well, good for you!

For the majority of PCB-RE engineers, however, it is the manual route using the digital multimeter (DMM). Whether you've come out with a streamlined process of doing it, that varies from one person to another and also the kind of resources and drafting tools you use. 

What about budding enthusiasts who've never done it before and decided to give it a try? Or perhaps some had already done so but quit halfway due to lack of know-how. Until four years ago, the only way to get a good peek of this coveted art was via online articles and postings by engineers who've 'been there, done that' and were kind enough to share their experiences and advice. But these gems are usually scattered and at best bits and pieces that require much time to search and sift out from the tons of jumbled information.

The good news is, there is currently three books published that allow a beginner to be properly introduced to this niche topic, namely, The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering, PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques, and PCB-RE: Real World Examples. So which book should you read first? This post will hopefully answer that question and point you in the right direction.

The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering covers the basics of doing manual PCB-RE and employs Microsoft Visio as the tool of choice for drafting schematic diagrams. It has six chapters and five appendices that guides the reader through a systematic process of doing preparation work in analyzing the PCB for accessibility, creating a bill of materials, determining the type of conformal coating to be removed, if present, and extracting the right information from datasheets.

A large part of the book goes into the details of helping the reader develop good schematic drawing habits for consistency of style and good readability. A real-world example using a SCSI host adapter card is provided with a step-by-step guide. For those familiar with Microsoft Visio, there is even a chapter on advanced techniques that will further sharpen your skill with this versatile drafting tool.

The appendices contain many useful references and charts that will cut down time and effort in looking up for the needed information while engaging in PCB-RE work.There are also freebies such as Visio templates and drawings, SMD and IC Master references, IC packaging and dimensions, etc to get you up to speed. Additional bonuses are also available for readers who leave a positive review on Amazon.

Click on the photo to order on Amazon.

PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques is a sequel book which showcases the works of several renown industrial experts such as Joe Grand (aka Kingpin), Bill Loving and Jeff Rupert of ScanCAD International, Bob Elder of TEEL Technologies, and Dr Sergei Skorobogatov of Cambridge University, etc.

This book is aimed at readers who want to have a better overall understanding of the equipment and methodologies used in the PCB-RE industry. Both automated and semi-automated processes are discussed, from the amazing flying probe tester (FPT) to the compact Clip-N-Learn benchtop workstation, from brute force deconstruction techniques to the elusive X-ray de-layering, and from board-level boundary scan to the microscopic chip-level and chip-off forensic. You name it, the book has it!

Besides the usual useful appendices, there is a separate section on PCB-RE resources that you can either buy or build on your own, as well as a rich list of freeware and online resources which you can refer to build up your own library of knowledge and know-how.

If you're not ready to take on the PCB-RE challenge just yet, perhaps this is the place to start your journey and get a peek into the fascinating world of hardware reverse engineering.

Click on the photo to order on Amazon.

PCB-R: Real-World Examples is the trilogy to the PCB-RE collection and like the sequel book, it also has several contributing authors who shared their invaluable insights and experiences. What better way to learn PCB-RE than to learn it from real-world engineers?

In this book, I show readers how the manual PCB-RE approach is done with a complex board, detailing the steps to divide-and-conquer a hybrid PCB. You will see first hand the process and methodology that I developed and used in my 15 years of reverse engineering work.

Readers will also be treated to some behind-the-scene information used by one of the most successful PCB-RE service providers, ENA Electronics Inc., in their industry practices and processes. Game for a round of firmware hacking? Then let our hacker specialist, Juan Carlos, take you for a spin inside a Huawei wireless router! And if that does not whet your PCB-RE appetite, how about X-ray on an Arduino UNO, breakdown on a quadcopter drone, and come face to face with the innards of a Rigol digital oscilloscope?

Of course, there's still the ever informative appendices, reviews on essential tools you can add to your PCB-RE arsenal, and additional case studies to pore over.

Click on the photo to order on Amazon.


Latest Update!

The fourth and final book on the PCB-RE subject is now available. It covers primarily on the Manual PCB-RE methodology and demonstrates how to reverse engineer a Gigabyte GeForce 8600GT graphics card. You can click on this link to go to the post for more details.

All my books are written in an engaging style to afford readers an enjoyable reading experience, complete with plenty of informative footnotes and humorous personal anecdotes. Need I say more?

Personal Contemplation on My Writing Journey

Back in 2013 when I started out to write my first engineering book, The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering, while working part time, I had only one thing in mind—to document my own experience in this niche skillset which I've developed over the span of 15 years. After two years of grit and sweat, the book finally went online in all Amazon bookstores.

Little did I realize that it not only created a stir in the PCB-RE community because no one had ever attempted putting this much coveted topic into print, it launched me further into deep waters as readers prodded me on to give the PCB-RE subject a more thorough treatment. Of course, besides being delighted, I was painfully aware of my own inadequacy since my expertise lies mainly in the manual method, although I had limited exposure to semi-automated approach using the clip-and-learn equipment in my workplace, and explored with industrial equipment provider on the flying probe platform as a plausible alternative which, unfortunately did not materialize due to cost justification.

After few months of extensive research and intensive read-ups, I was convinced that if I were to have any success in writing a sequel book addressing other PCB-RE techniques, I would need the help of engineers with the relevant experience and knowledge. One of the first person I looked up was none other than Joe Grand aka 'Kingpin', the legendary hardware hacker of the Boston-based hacker group L0pht Heavy Industries who achieved mainstream popularity at the age of 33 after appearing on a Discovery Channel series Prototype This! In all honesty, I was just trying my luck but never in the world did I imagine that Joe not only responded to my email and request, but heartily endorsed the book in his own website! So two years after 'The Art' book was published, PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques was released with much anticipation, albeit without any fanfare. But it made big waves with the PCB-RE community, thanks to the many well-known contributors who supported my daring endeavor.

I would have easily called it a day after the dust settled over the initial excitement but somehow the nagging feeling that a third book—a trilogy, would be fitting to complete the PCB-RE reading experience, something of a practical nature to show those picking up this skillset how it's really done in the real-world. And so, PCB-RE: Real-World Examples came into being a year later.

With three PCB-RE books now available to any aspiring PCB-RE engineer wannabe, perhaps one question remains to be answered—which book should I start first? Well, I'll leave that to another post for now...

ScanCAD News Update

Readers who bought my sequel book, PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques, will be familiar with the ScanCAD product featured in one of the chapters, The Art of Perfect PCB-RE. The contributors, Bill Loving (CEO) and Jeff Rupert, presented many aspects of this niche skillset and weighted the pros and cons of the various industry practices. It's a comprehensive eye-opener for those beginning on this engineering endeavor and provides a concise summary for amateurs and professionals alike.

Recently, I was alerted to a new update on ScanCAD's core software release version 8.80 which spots a much improved interface that promises a far better user experience and workflow.

I believe the basic process involved using different tool or equipment with this software should still be similar, but with a more simple, intuitive and streamlined workspace as stated. Readers interested to find out more can visit their web page here.

Have a great weekend!

Fifth in Top 20

Blogger has this neat feature which informs me where the traffic to my blog comes from, though I seldom take note of it. Today, out of curiosity, I clicked on one of the links and discovered to my surprise that my blog came in fifth in the top 20 PCB blogs and websites in 2019:

Pretty cool, huh?

100 Countries and Counting...

As of today, my blog has hit over 14,700 views with visitors from over 100 countries. Not surprising most are from the USA, and Singapore coming in second followed by France, UK and India. Based on sales of the trilogy books, again Amazon US comes in first, followed by UK and then the EU.

Without the help of readers with good engineering community spirit, this blog would not have achieved such success in less than two years. But I'm sure more can be done to get engineers interested in PCB-RE aware of these resources, if readers can help spread the word in forums and discussion groups.

If you have found my works to be beneficial, all I ask is that you recommend my books or this blog to your friends, colleagues or the engineering community which you belong. It would encourage me to blog more often and even write about my other engineering experience in PCB testing, automated test platforms, diagnostics skills, etc.

Thanks much!

Excerpts from the Trilogy

Below is a short quip from Chapter 3 of the trilogy:

The layout diagram for the control logic card is drawn with the help of Microsoft Visio, a versatile 2D technical drafting tool. The whole illustration may look rather complex but if you break it down, each component is really made up of a group of basic shapes (circle, line, rectangle, triangle, etc.) that can be arrayed or aligned easily with Visio's shape manipulation functions. In fact, you can use layering technique to place a photo of the control logic card on one layer and then superimpose the component layout symbols you created on top, taking reference from the photo for quick placement.

You'll notice that there are plenty of footnotes provided to give greater details and interesting notes or observations for an enriching read, without burdening the main text for those who just want a quick first-read-through experience, and then savoring the additional information later.

This feature is found in all my three books on the coveted subject on PCB Reverse Engineering (PCB-RE) which till date, is available only in printed form with treatment on its fundamentals, tools & techniques, and real-world examples, with contributions from various experienced industry experts.

Freebies are available for download to those who purchase 'The Art of PCB-RE' and bonuses are given out to readers who leave their reviews on Amazon. Get your copies today!

Additional Trilogy Preview Pages

Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature usually limit the interior preview to the preface, content and first few pages of a book, plus the end pages which are part of the Appendices. Below are additional sample pages:

To obtain your copy, simply go to your country's Amazon website (US, CA, DE, etc.) and key in the book title 'PCB-RE Real-World Examples' to locate and order.

Joe Grand's CV

Was browsing through Grand Idea Studio website and noticed Joe Grand put up his Curriculum Vitae (CV) for download. Out of curiosity, I did just that and scrolled through his impressive references of qualifications, product portfolio, patents, publications and presentations. Something caught my eyes:

Yep, my sequel book was mentioned in the list of publications, alright! That really make my day...

Ps: You can go to his website to view and order the book. Click here.

Trilogy Rhapsody

This post has nothing to do with Elisabeth Haydon's fantasy-romance series, The Symphony of Ages. Rather, it is a celebration of the third milestone in my writing journey since completing the trilogy book to the PCB-RE subject.

Since its release less than two weeks ago, sales of the book is climbing steadily, thanks to the support of readers. And while it is not as abrupt as the sequel book, it too has achieved the No. 1 spot on Amazon's New Book listing much like its predecessor:

Since I started out to write my first engineering book in 2013 while working part-time, the journey has been both challenging and rewarding. Compared to other well-known authors in the electronics discipline, I'm still far from a best-seller author (and I don't think it'll probably happen any time soon...). Still, I'm happy how it has turned out and shaped my appreciation for the many kind people out there who supported me through honest purchase, and in return expressed their appreciation for my engaging and entertaining writing style.

I don't think I will be writing a fourth book on PCB-RE, though I had mentioned one by name out of enthusiasm in an earlier post. Likelihood it'll be put on hold indefinitely unless there is enough demand or request from readers on specific topics of interest, which I doubt since the sequel book already covers much of what tools and techniques there are out there.

So yes, the PCB-RE trilogy works is a complete collection. Perhaps some other engineers may take up where I left off to write their stories and experiences in days to come. I would gladly look forward to that day!

Meantime, I'll be taking a break from writing engineering stuff for now...

Intermission Interview

For readers who wondered about the ScanCAD edition of PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques, it's not been formally published but wholly reserved as a marketing and distribution material for ScanCAD's use. If you managed to get your hands on a copy at one of these exhibitions the company participated, count yourself lucky!

Still, I would like to fill my readers in on a rare email interview I had with the CEO, Bill Loving, the details of which was recorded in the said edition. Here is the transcript:

It's not often you get the chance to talk to someone in the PCB-RE industry with a wide portfolio in terms of exposure and experience, much less to share what they know about their tools and trades. So when I was fortunate enough to get in contact with William Loving, the CEO of ScanCAD International Inc., I was tempted to ask him a few questions:

Me : Why is PCB-RE fast becoming an important and indispensable industry?

Bill : PCB-RE is a respected and much needed business activity in the world today. The tools and processes covered in this book are used globally by many companies and even governments to keep legacy systems running and to recover design data that has been lost.

Me : Do you think PCB-RE tools are susceptible to abuse for piracy purpose?

Bill : Any tool or process can be used for good or bad——it's a function of the user. We like to think that our family of customers are working for the good of all concerned. Sure, there will be some bad apples in the group, but we think it's very, very rare in our crowd. Like your good self, we do not condone illegal or unethical activity that will hurt the interest of any individual, company or organization.

Me : How do you think ScanCAD can benefit the PCB-RE community or companies?

Bill : Having been in the business for 27 years, I see PCB-RE as having a greater impact and positive influence not just on a community or company. Having worked with over 1000 companies across 48 countries, I dare say that our products contribute to the overall well-being of our environment. How, you ask? By keeping legacy systems running, we are extracting more value from our earth's limited resources that have already been used to produce existing electronics and systems. Keeping them out of landfills and in operation is a good steward thing to do. This helps on several levels: reduces the waste, extends use of resource and productivity, reduces air and water pollution since new systems do not need to be made to replace the old, etc. In some cases, a PCB may represent only a fraction of the mass of a large system, yet this PCB can cause the entire system to be scrapped if it can't be replicated. Now, that's a big multiplier effect!

Me : Do you foresee yourself and your team doing PCB-RE for the next 30 years?

Bill : ScanCAD will be around for a long time for sure. Like my colleague Jeff said, we have a dedicated and very capable team, with very good people who strive to be a positive influence in the world and do what's right. If I might add, they are also fun to work with! PCB-RE is a strange little niche——one that we enjoy doing——and one that your book has given us some interesting perspective to look at too.

There you have it! End of intermission.

Trilogy Controversy (Part 3)

The rocky mountains of Colorado are not only a majestic sight to behold, situated in the midst of this scenic setting is the office of a remarkable company that has as its mission to help other companies manage the precious resources of our planet by means of PCB-RE. If you haven't guess it, ScanCAD International is what I'm talking about.

I had not the faintest idea what I was getting myself into when I posted my request via the company's online portal, without any particular expectation that it would get read or answered. Just one day after ScanCAD auto acknowledgement of my request, I received a courtesy email from Jeff Rupert, the director of sales and business development of the company. Wow... did I strike gold or what...? I went into overdrive and wrote a reply with a more formal and detailed introduction of myself and the sequel book I was writing, indicating the areas of interest for the PCB-RE subject.

Jeff, as I began to call him, became interested and got his CEO, Bill Loving, into the picture. Before the dust settled, I was already corresponding with these two heavy weights of the company that has a long history in the PCB-RE practice, with businesses spanning 1000 companies in 48 countries. That's pretty mind boggling to say the least.

Incredibly, Jeff took on the challenge to write the chapter dedicated to ScanCAD's diverse approaches with Bill overseeing the progress. There were discussions back and forth as we exchanged ideas and views on the content and presentation. When the first draft was done, Bill roped in his team of staff to do a thorough proofreading, listing out grammatical and typos so meticulously and stringently you'd thought we were doing audit on a major contractual document! When we were finally done and satisfied, the chapter had not only become the largest in the book but also the most informative on their product ever assembled. It's a win-win situation which both parties could walk away with a great sense of satisfaction.

As usual, I included Bill and Jeff's bios to give them credit with acknowledgement to their staff as well for doing a fantastic job. At my request, they submitted the following portfolio photos:

In appreciation for their tremendous contribution to my sequel book, I produced a ScanCAD edition featuring their chapter as a promotional material which they are free to reproduce and distribute to customers and at international exhibitions.

Bill was kind enough to pen the Foreword to both books and even bulk ordered my books as additional giveaway gifts and bonuses. What set out as a humble request from an obscured author ended up as a windfall that rekindled my passion in writing and confidence in knowing there are people who not only believed in what I do but went further to support my works. I felt deeply indebted to these wonderful people who made writing the book worth every bit of toil and sweat.

And if I may add, they ARE the motivational force behind my writing the trilogy book...

(To be continued)

Trilogy Controversy (Part 2)

Sometime in October 2016, I came across a blog that featured a reader's personal review of The Art of PCB-RE, which in my opinion was well-written and fairly objective. On the good side, this is what he wrote:

The book guides you throughout the whole process (of PCB-RE) ranging from all necessary preparations, documentation, tools needed to the final document visualizing the PCB. 

One could argue that it is more a book on Visio than a book on reversing PCBs. It is! But this may perhaps also be one of its strengths as it describes the importance of documentation of the process. I personally find it a good feature being a friend of thorough and easy to read documentation and all. I was thus quite positively surprised to find the extensive documentation used throughout the reversing processing. Many underestimate the importance of documentation, which ironically is one of the reason why this book was written in the first place.

Of course, he did lament the lack of other PCB-RE techniques which would be nice to include in the book (I did mention a little here and there, but The Art of PCB-RE is primarily focused on the manual approach with the average engineers in mind who do not have access to expensive or exotic equipment):

Throughout the book I could however not get rid of the feeling that I wanted more on the PCB reversing techniques... As the author is trying to revive/repair old or undocumented hardware, his process is quite non-destructive. I would like to see some other tricks discussed like for example delayering a PCB, a subject that Joe Grand, a dedicated hardware hacker at Grand Idea Studio writes about in a few great presentations and papers. 

It would also be nice to see more advanced topics like chip-off techniques as this in many cases is a very necessary process in order to be able to both document and interact with parts of the PCB or its components. This is especially true when it comes to BGA – Ball Grid Array components. There is a bunch of cheap and easy to use tools available for this purpose. 

Perhaps way out of scope and a bit too advanced as it may be out of reach for many, it would be nice to mention methods like computer tomography 3D scanning or fluoroscopic techniques available which may be available at university campuses for example.

Well, I heard him loud and clear. Be careful what you wish for! So after some deliberation, I started researching various industry PCB-RE practices and papers. However, real detailed information was rare, if much, to be found online. And though I came from a test engineering background and worked on quite a number of high-end test platforms, to undertake the task of writing a sequel book that covers these PCB-RE methodologies and equipment was way over my head. The more feasible way is to invite experienced engineers to contribute their knowledge in the fields of their expertise.

Since he mentioned the big name of Joe Grand, I decided to take a gamble and write to the kingpin as a first attempt. Guess what? He replied! I simply couldn't believe it... Not only did Joe gave me his permission to reproduce his work, he even vetted and edited the draft and inserted additional stuff to make it more up to date. To top it off, when I asked Joe for a photo to put it in the author bio section of the chapter, this was what he provided:

Was I flattered and floored or what! Of course, there was no prize for guessing which of the two I selected for his bio (grin!). But wait... another big surprise was awaiting me as I pondered and sent out several other invitations...

(To be continued)

Trilogy Controversy (Part 1)

George Lucas' iconic Star Wars Trilogy was a big hit with loyal fans the world over, yet there are always critics who read the original novels by Alan Dean Foster and felt strongly that the order of screening did not conform to the actual story line depicted in the books. Lucas, of course, had his reasons to film series IV (Star Wars), V (The Empire Strikes Back) and VI (Return of the Jedi) as the classic trilogy in the pre-90s...

before going on to produce series I (The Phantom Menace), II (Attack of the Clones) and III (Revenge of the Sith) as the next set of Trilogy films.

Similarly, there are people who may be confused about my series of PCB-RE books and perhaps questioned the need for a trilogy instead of just one volume. I'll have to admit that when I first started out to write about this topic, a trilogy is far from my mind, let alone a sequel book. After all, I was just starting out as a relatively unknown indie author with a passion to share my knowledge of 15 years in this niche field, something which other PCB-RE engineers might not want to do or thought it too big an undertaking to worth their time or effort.

To be honest, The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering was published without any fanfare or advertising, and with much trepidation. Thankfully, the response was encouraging with readers who posted their comments on Amazon, one by a J. Ryan I thought was pretty cool:

Reverse engineering PCB's is to electronic circuit boards what hacking is to computer software... something people do, but no one admits to doing it, LOL. 

Mr Ng not only does it, but he lays out a very clear and systematic approach to the entire process. I am self-taught in this field, and it was a real joy to find that someone had actually written an entire book on the subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic.

Even now as I look back, the emotions still run high to know that there are those who do appreciate my hard work, though admittedly I made an early blunder as an inexperienced author to have my book published in full-colors, and consequently priced beyond the reach of the average reader due to high printing cost. I realized it soon enough and went to work to produce a non-color edition that seen a wider readership.

I was quite content to leave things as is and went to write some other genre of books, co-authored with my wife as a way of saying thanks to her for supporting me in pursuing my lifelong writing passion. But as fate would have it otherwise...

(To be continued)

Twitter Chatter

Since posting the release of my new book on Twitter, there has been quite some flurry of feedback and following:

It remains to be seen just how well received the trilogy will be as I have not advertised nor promoted it, but simply depend on my loyal readers to spread the word around.

The book is priced affordably and filled with many hand-crafted schematics, drawn and re-drawn using Microsoft Visio for the best visual appeal and overall learning experience, and photos are carefully selected and edited for quality and clarity, coupled with an enjoyable literary style of writing and sprinkled with generous and informative footnotes. It should be worth every cent and time invested.

Trilogy Available Now

To all readers who have been following the progress of my third book, PCB-RE: Real-World Examples, I am happy to break the good news that the wait is finally over. The trilogy to my PCB-RE series of books is now available on Amazon for purchase. Here is the book covers, front and back, with its updated look and feel:

You can click on the image above to order your copy on the Amazon website. Appreciate if you can help spread the word to those who are interested in this subject as well.

Many thanks and happy reading!

Into the Final Lap...

Have not been updating my blog for quite a while as I was busy working on the final chapter of the trilogy book. There were plenty of schematics to draw and re-draw just to make sure readers get the best bang for their buck, besides writing the chapter content.

After over a month of hard work, I'm happy to announce that the first draft of the book was finally submitted for proofing with a new book cover artwork (click here for a preview). Keeping my fingers crossed to release it on my 10th wedding anniversary just like my first book four years ago...

Here's another two-page sample of chapter 7:

Do help to spread the news so that people who are interested in this subject will also get a chance to learn the practical aspect of this niche skillset through the contributions of like-minded engineers in the book. Much appreciated!

Tea with Wesly Lo

Met up with Wesly Lo of ABI Electronics for afternoon tea during his business trip here. It was eight years since he came over to my workplace to give training on two testers which we ordered from him. Good time catching up. He even brought my book along to get my personal signature. ;)

Quadcopter RE

Completed the chapter on X-Ray PCB-RE about two weeks ago, and now beginning with the chapter on quadcopter RE.  Progress is a bit slow as the Chinese Lunar New Year is just two weeks away and there's a lot of preparation to be done including the annual spring cleaning.

Here's a two-page sample:

While there are four categories of drone types, I will focus on the more popular and widely deployed, the quadcopter. Of course, there are many articles and write-ups on this drone model but I hope to cover more grounds in a systematic way of analyzing its design and parts.

The DJI developed models, in particularly the Mavic Air, is of interest to me. I may not be able to post its schematic diagrams even if I reverse engineer it as there are legal implications if I do. However, a detail inspection into its components should be no issue since there are teardown videos on various drones online.

To be sure, a good understanding of how a commercial drone is put together certainly helps any drone enthusiast appreciate his or her kite better and who knows, it might come in handy for troubleshooting and repair when a fault develops.

Anyway, it's too early to know how the chapter will go. Hopefully, it will be worth my time to write and for my readers to read.

A Shred of Sliver Lining

Continuing from my previous post on the setbacks encountered during the writing of my trilogy book, just when things seem dark and despondent despite my best effort to keep on working, I received an email out of the blue from the president of Elgris Tecnologies, Inc., Igor Luvishis.

He wrote:

First of all, let me thank you for the work you do writing about PCB reverse engineering. As our company is working in this field for many years, I really appreciate your effort.

We got both of your books with the PCB-RE Tools and Techniques book arriving just few days ago. This second book is devoted to the PCB-RE tools available on the market.

It's a pity that Elgris Technologies and our tool (E-studio For Test) are not mentioned in the latest book. 'E-studio For Test' is one of the major tools used by customers for schematic generation from netlists for boards that are being reverse-engineered. 

We will be glad to work with you and to help/participate in any possible way by writing, providing material, sponsoring a section or chapter devoted to Elgris Technologies tools.

We would also be happy to discuss other potential business arrangements with you.

I look forward to your response.

It's definitely a game changer with this surprise voluntary contributor knocking on my door. I see a shred of silver lining breaking through the dark clouds, and that's a good thing indeed!