The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering: Tools & Techniques: June 2023

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

Saturday, June 24, 2023

The Art of PCB-RE

Since it's debut in November 2015, The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering has been a consistent best seller among my books, though not the best seller on Amazon (far from it). It underscores the point of having a good textbook resource on this niche topic which sadly, is still quite lacking after nearly eight years since I penned my experiences.

While PCB-RE has not received the attention it needed, I believe that with the emphasis on 'Repair Don't Waste' to encourage recycling instead of discarding to save the earth, perhaps more people will see the importance of this special skillset in the repair and refurbish industry in the not too distant future.

For those who have yet to get their copy of this now de-facto and classic work on PCB-RE, here is a breakdown of the chapters:

To many engineers PCB-RE is a black art because of its coveted nature (not many in this field are willing to share their knowledge and know-how). However, I can assure you that it's not as difficult as you think, though some pre-requisites are essential to avoid pitfalls when you start out on the journey.

Chapters 2-4 make up the bulk of the book and teach you how to identify and organize the component data necessary to begin PCB-RE on a board without documentation. The drafting tool of my choice is Microsoft Visio, though if you are good at another 2D CAD software, it works just as well. It's the process that's important and that's what I emphasize in the book. Drawing the PCB layout and schematic diagram is really a matter of personal style, and I really encourage you to develop your own that works for you.

That said, I hope you would at least give Visio a try and see for yourself how versatile and powerful its features are. There are some things that will only connect when you learn it first hand, and I can tell you from personal experience that no other 2D drafting tools even come close to Visio. Don't believe me? Get the book and go through the examples in chapter 5 and you'll wonder why you didn't take up Visio sooner.

Then, of course, I will point you to other resources that can enrich your PCB-RE journey, one of which is the darling of the DOS era: the OrCAD suite of engineering software tools (SDT, VST, PCB, PLD, and MOD), which once sold for $4,995 but is now free for download at one of the Old DOS Communities.

The Art of PCB-RE took me almost a year to write while working part-time. It's one of the most challenging book I took on but I'm glad I did, with the support of my understanding wife. At least I know that I now have a legacy for future generations of engineers who will make a difference to the world when they apply what they learn to reduce wastage and increase the operational life of the equipment they're servicing.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Speakers and Books

This year's Hardwear.io event featured nearly thirty speakers from various fields relating to hardware and security:

Interested readers can go over to YouTube and subscribe to the channel to be notified when the videos for this event is uploaded.

Incidentally, all my engineering books were showcased alongside other renown authors writing on similar subject matters:

I'm sure some of the winners at this event would have been delighted to receive a copy for a prize in their participation. But don't just wish or wait for the next event to come by and try your luck. The books are available as print and ebooks on Amazon for order. Just click on the covers displayed on the right side bar to preview before purchase.

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