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

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Planned Obsolescence


How many ever heard of this term? If you hear remarks like, "They don't make things like they used to." and "Things don't last as long as they did in the past."—then you'll know what I mean.

Planned obsolescence is a profitable but short-sighted strategy: it drives repeat sales by intentionally limiting a product's lifespan, yet it shifts hidden costs onto consumers and the environment. While it can sustain business cycles, it often undermines trust, encourages waste, and runs counter to more sustainable, circular approaches to design and manufacturing.

The term gained currency in the 1950s, but the concept is older. Manufacturers discovered that durable products—products that lasted decades—limited repeat sales. The solution was to design products with intentionally limited lifespans. This is accomplished through one or more of the mechanisms listed in the above table.

Refurbishing directly counters systemic and functional obsolescence by keeping products in service. It does little against psychological obsolescence—you cannot refurbish a status symbol back into fashion. 

What is your take on this manufacturer-related issue?

 

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