PCB Diagnostics Released!

From the initial conception to its release, PCB Diagnostics has taken me close to two years to complete, though the actual intensive writing process occurred only in the last six months. To be honest, it wasn't all smooth sailing——family commitments, financial disruption, CoVid-19 infection, and emotional turmoil from two deaths, one of a personal friend last year July, and then my aunt just last Wednesday in the midst of my final proofreading. I had to put everything aside to attend to her funeral arrangements and provide support to my aged uncle who has been very dependent on her all this while.

On a lighter and happier note, this last engineering book is finally released and available for order on Amazon, right on our anniversary date! And fittingly so, since my first engineering book was also released on the same occasion eight years ago when I started my writing journey with my wife's wholehearted support.

In appreciation, I have written the following dedication to her:

To Bernice, my beloved wife, for being so patient, supportive, and understanding in the past eight years when I started out to fulfil my dream as an author. We did not know how it would turn out, and though there were tough and uncertain times, you stayed by my side and cheered me on, knowing that my works will make a difference, however small, in the lives of my readers, and leave a lasting legacy when both of us fade into history.

I would not have come this far without you. Thank you for believing in me. With heartfelt gratitude, I dedicate this book to you, just as I did for the first.

It is my hope that readers will support this work and help spread the word, so that we can complete this journey with joy and sweet memories. I don't know if I will update this blog in the future, but if you have anything to say to me or my wife, feel free to leave your comments below. I will still drop by and check once a while, and reply any query if need be.

Ps: And oh, don't forget to leave your reviews on Amazon for my books too! They always bring a smile to my wife whenever I show her what my readers wrote.

 

Proofreading and Waiting...

Currently I am doing a final proofread of my book, PCB Diagnostics. Caught several typos and rephrase some sentences upon re-reading. Just gotten the barcode for the cover's ISBN image as well. I should complete the task by Friday but at the same time, I am also waiting for approval from a JTAG product vendor on the use of some material related to Chapter 9, which is already in place.

Here's a two-page sample that summarizes the PCB diagnostic process, with supplementary notes:

While diagnosing PCB failures is a more familiar topic than PCB-RE, it is by no means easier to write, considering the many different techniques (I covered six in detail and two in passing in this book) that are used to accomplish this challenging task. Even then, each has its own merits and challenges to take into account.

But I'm glad to be near the end of this writing journey on engineering stuff. If everything goes well, the book will be available for order end of this month. That's all for now.

 

To Sir, With Love

Today is Valentine's Day and I'm reminded of my secondary school teacher, Jonathan Chan, who despite his qualifications, chose an average neighborhood school and by his dedication left a lasting impact on his students during his short tenure there, of whom I am one. Much like the classic story of E.R. Braithwaite in his novel by the same post title.

I learned Technical Drawing from this teacher who had instilled in me a love for technical illustrations, and to pick up Microsoft Visio as the drafting tool of choice. This is also the reason for all the beautiful engineering drawings that can be found in all my books. I pointed this out so that my readers may know the contribution of a good teacher through his students. Not only that, his positive outlook and pleasant disposition remain a great influence in all that I do, especially my personal belief in giving my best and taking pride in my workmanship.

Here is a two-page sample dedicated in his honor:

I'm giving Chapter 6 the finishing touch today, much earlier than the estimated timeline I set because I labored through the past weekend. And while I could not release the book in time for Valentine's Day, I would like to say to my teacher:

Your fine example and model has made me what I am today as an engineer and a writer. To you, most respected Sir, I dedicate this book with love!

Into the Final Lap

With the long Chinese New Year holiday over, I'm back to writing Chapter 6 on the Clip-n-Learn method of PCB Diagnostics. This is the final chapter of the book I'm writing (not the last chapter) and based on the sample test report provided by my engineer friend, it's going to take at least one and a half to two weeks of work. Why is that? Because the document is in Chinese! Not only do I have to translate the content into English, but amend the text and adjust the flow so it blends well into the book. Additional effort is also needed to edit the numerous photos and screenshots so they fit nicely into the pages.

Here's a two page sample:

When can readers expect the book to be released? If everything goes according to plan, I reckon it would be end February. I still need to do a final proofread to correct grammatical errors and possible technical glitches. This book is larger than the rest in terms of file size due to the number of illustrations included. It's 50% bigger than the PCB-RE trilogy and Microsoft Word is struggling to handle it at this point. Thankfully it's the final lap.

I will follow up with another update and then round up with a summary post in the next two weeks, so stay tuned.

Kindle Versions

Since I started writing in 2014, I had published five engineering books with one still in progress and into the last chapter. All my books are available on Amazon online store in prints, and only two of the five have Kindle versions, namely The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering and PCB-RE: Real-World Examples. I was rather hesitant to offer all my books in electronic form because of the rampant piracy.

After several years of deliberating, I decided to make the remaining three titles available on Kindle as well:

It's definitely not an easy decision, but I guess I just have to believe that there are still honest and honorable people who appreciate the sweat and hard work authors put in to produce their books. If you are one of them, you will be happy to know that the above Kindle titles are on Amazon at affordable prices.

Writing is my dream and passion, not only to share my knowledge and experience, but also to leave a legacy that will make a difference to future generations of electronic engineers. And I'm glad that my wife understood and supported me in this endeavor for the past seven years. I hope to complete PCB Diagnostics by end February and then move on to something else. Writing may not be sustainable for me, but at least it gave me a sense of satisfaction that I can look back without regrets for not trying.

And that is what life's choices is all about.