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

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Hardwear.io USA 2023

Just last Sunday, Antriksh Shah from Hardwear.io contacted me on LinkedIn and expressed interest in procuring two sets of my PCB-RE books, hoping to give them away as prizes for participants in the upcoming Security Training & Conference at Santa Clara Marriott:


I was delighted with this first encounter and readily offer the books at a discounted price, along with complimentary copies of two other books, Deciphering Schematics and PCB Diagnostics. I am sure the winners would be excited to receive these books should they come out top among the competitors.

If you have not yet signed up for the event, you can go to this link to find out more about the talks and trainings offered. Who knows, you may be one of the lucky winners!

 

Thursday, May 4, 2023

A Pleasant Email Surprise

Just this morning, I received an email from someone who attended Joe Grand's Basic Hardware Hacking course and was given a signed copy of Manual PCB-RE: The Essentials:

Here's the content (partial) of the email (reproduced with permission):

Subject: Thank you for the knowledge

I received your book from Joe Grand after his "Basic Hardware Hacking" course (I'd like to think he gave it to me because I was the best) at hardwear.io 2022. I've been into hardware for quite a while (I own a tech heavy escape room that uses a large amount of Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's). I recently retired from the Navy and attended Joe’s course because I wanted a deeper understanding for my new job.

Currently I work for a small company that does RE and penetration testing. While everyone has their unique skill set, I fancied myself the "hardware hacker" of the group. In the last 10 months I have learned so much and would frequently thumb through your book for answers. It wasn't until three months ago that I brought your book home and read it from cover to cover. Then I picked up two more of your books.

To be frank your books scared me into taking anything apart...initially. I realized that although I was doing a great job on my tests, I could be doing a much better job. I lacked the methodical approach you take with your projects. The way you have written your books makes it seem as if you were sitting next to me teaching me the ways of the trade. I plan to get all your books as I create a "hardware" section for our company.

I want to sincerely thank you for making such amazing books. I find myself re-reading the same sections because there is so much information. Some of your ideas seem so simple and obvious, but I know it's because you learned them the hard way and are saving me years by not learning the same lessons through pain. 

It certainly made my day and my wife's as well.

I reckon that many readers felt the same way (the red highlighted text above), because I believe in engaging my readers on a personal level through my style of writing. This is my method of 'coaching' to transfer my knowledge as a fellow engineer and friend, not a lecturer or instructor.

As this reader told me, he had wanted to write to me earlier but could not find my email address, until he bought The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering and found it in the ending of the Preface section. So if you have something to say to me, and have a copy of this book, look it up and have your say. My wife and I would love to hear from you too!

Take care and stay safe, as always.