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

Monday, September 13, 2021

Layout Diagram (Fast Track)

Microsoft Visio is such a piece of versatile 2D drafting tool it's not difficult to create complex illustrations and diagrams using simple geometric shapes. Take for example the Gigabyte GeForce 8600GT graphics card featured in Manual PCB-RE: The Essentials:

At one glance, it seems impossible but if you were to go through Chapter 5 of the book, you will be given a fast track into how such a complicated PCB layout diagram can be created. Well not effortlessly but certainly not difficult either.

But if you are the type that needs to be held by the hand and taught step-by-step, then I would suggest getting The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering, where you will literally go through a detailed exercise in creating a SCSI host adapter card, complete with the mechanical fittings.

Don't take my word for it; you've got to really hands on to believe it. Click on the titles of the books to go to Amazon and start drawing some amazing stuff with Microsoft Visio!

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