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

Monday, June 22, 2026

Why Retrofitting Matters

 

Three converging trends have made retrofitting more relevant today than at any point in the last 50 years. 

Trend 1: The Longevity of Physical Assets 

Industrial machinery, commercial buildings, and heavy equipment are built to last 30, 40, or even 50 years. A bridge or a stamping press does not wear out quickly. But the controls that run them—the sensors, controllers, and software—become obsolete every 5 to 10 years. The physical asset has decades of life left. The brain needs an upgrade. Retrofitting connects the two. 

Trend 2: The Energy Efficiency Imperative 

Existing buildings and machines are responsible for a massive share of global energy consumption. Retrofitting—adding LED lighting, variable frequency drives (VFD), smart thermostats, and insulation—is often the fastest, most cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that retrofitting existing buildings could reduce global CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030—at lower cost than new construction. 

Trend 3: The Digital Transformation of Industry (Industry 4.0) 

Factories are becoming connected. Sensors, data analytics, and predictive maintenance are no longer optional. But replacing a $500,000 machine to gain connectivity is uneconomical. Retrofitting—adding IoT sensors, edge computers, and communication gateways—turns "dumb" machines into smart ones for a fraction of the replacement cost. 

Leave a comment and let me know what you think...


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