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

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The Art of Communication

Communication is key, whether it's in a relationship, workplace or between strangers. To carry on a meaningful conversation there must be some kind of common understanding and language, much like a standard protocol between the two parties.

The same goes for devices in a circuit board or client-server in a cloud or network. Information can transfer at high speed or just occasional casual exchanges, depending on the applications they are designed for. One of most commonly found communication links is the serial bus:

Even so, you may be surprised to know that there are quite a number of protocols, grouped into  two camps: synchronous and asynchronous. Of course, faster is not necessary better as it depends on your design requirements.

Still, it is good to know the popular ones if you want to make sense of the schematic you're deciphering. It's not that difficult, though. I'll show you how in this upcoming book. Don't ask me when it's coming out because I haven't the faintest idea. Maybe by the end of the first quarter next year.

Just keep a look out for my progress updates on this blog. 

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