PCB Diagnostics

While my fourth and final book on PCB-RE is awaiting Joe Grand's Foreword, I have decided to write on a new topic: PCB Diagnostics. Why 'diagnostics' instead of 'troubleshooting', 'fault-finding' or 'repair'? Well, this word encompasses a much broader sense than the usual, and more accurately conveys what my thirty years of experience entails. Here is the front cover design:

Like PCB-RE, PCB diagnostics is a skill that is developed and refined overtime. Nothing can replace the knowledge and know-how of troubleshooting different types of PCBs. It requires not only hands on experience but in-depth exposure to a wide variety of faults to understand the dynamics involved.

I'm still in the initial phase of organizing my thoughts and materials. Once these are sorted out, I will be able to come out with a draft outline of the chapters to define what I want to write. Hopefully it will not take too long, barring any unforeseen interruption or situation arising.

Draft Copy (Proofing)

I've just completed the draft for my fourth and final book on the PCB-RE topic. Here's a snapshot of the front cover:

A draft copy has been sent to Joe Grand for vetting before he writes the Foreword. Currently, he's busy with an important project so I don't expect to get back from him any time soon. Here's what he has to say, though:

I haven't been able to read through it yet but it looks great! I'm in the middle of a pretty significant project for the next few weeks, and will only be able to focus on writing that Foreword after that.

Readers will probably see the book on Amazon store some time in late April, earliest. So keep a look out for it and check back on my blog for any latest news.

What's in a Label?

Most commercial ICs are labelled with their common part numbers in full on top of their packaging, so it's not too difficult to identify them at first glance. Military parts are a bit more tricky because most of the time they are designated with the 16-digit NSN references beginning with '5962'. This requires additional step of cross referencing to make out what they are.

In the case of NVidia's graphics processing unit (GPU) which is the highlight of my latest PCB-RE related book, I have deciphered the top plate label on this 820-pin monolithic IC:

Bet most readers didn't realize that there is so much information present on this piece of real estate. After all, it's meant for designers and manufacturers and not the casual users of the end product. Of course, you can expect to find even more interesting and valuable information in my upcoming book, which should debut sometime in late March this year.

The good news is it will be priced very affordably so every keen apprentice of this coveted skillset can get a personal copy. Keep a look out for it!