Top Post

It may surprise my readers that the most popular post on this blog is not about PCB reverse engineering, but a suite of old EDA software that is now available for free, from a community of die-hard fans who are still using it.

That's right. It's the DOS-based OrCAD design tools (SDT, VST, PCB, PLD, and MOD). I believe many of us have used it at one time or another in a past era, when MS-DOS was still the only dorminant operating system available on the PC-AT running off an 80286/80386. With the advent of Windows, these DOS applications were relegated to the PC museum. Fortunately, DOS emulators like DOSBox and VirtualBox continue to give these valuable resources a new lease of life.

Those interested in OrCAD can click on this link to read and learn how to get a free copy. 

Book Reviews (Deciphering Schematics)

These days, book reviews are hard to come by. So when there's one from a reader, it's always a joy to share. Here's two recent ones for Deciphering Schematics:

Good ratings and reviews encourage and motivate authors to continue writing, and even excel in the work of sharing their invaluable knowledge. It just take you only five minutes of your time, but it means a great deal for the one putting months of hard work in solitude.

So be generous, readers, especially during this season of thanksgiving. Show your gratitude and appreciation to those who have enriched your life through their writings. What goes around comes around!

My Profile as an Engineer

Formerly, I worked as a test engineer in the home-grown defense industry, Singapore Technologies under the Engineering arm. I was privileged to be trained and had worked on the following automated test equipment (ATE), and developed over 30 test program set (TPS) projects:

1. Schlumberger S700 Series Testers

 a. S720 Functional Tester
 b. S730 In-Circuit Tester
 c. S750 Combinational Tester
 d. CADAT concurrent fault simulator
 e. CATS 10000 hardware modeller
 Programming language: Mediator

2. Teradyne Testers

 a. Spectrum 8851 In-Circuit
 b. Spectrum 8852 Combinational
 c. M910 Digital Test System
 d. Inline Device Programming (ILDP)
 Programming language: C

3. F5E Tiger Aircraft

 a. AITS Test System
 b. P200 Power Supply Tester
 Programming language: ATEasy and 
 PowerBasic

4. F16 Fighting Falcon

 a. DATS/2000 Test Station
 b. LASAR simulator
 Programming language: ATLAS-716

5. AS332 Super Puma

 a. Apodis SDC/CCU Test Station
 Programming language: ATEasy

Of course, no test station is standalone or self-sufficient on its own, and I had the opportunity to work on the following test and repair equipment:

 1. Data I/O 3900 Device Programmer
 2. Altera Device Programmer
 3. Acugen ATGen Test Vector Generator
 4. Pinpoint Workstation
 5. QMax QT150 and QT200 Testers
 6. Polar Toneohm 950 Short Locator
 7. Polar PFL780 Fault Locator
 8. ABI System 8 Test Systems
 9. PACE Soldering & Rework Station
10. ERSA SMT Rework Station

In retrospect, it was an exciting and fulfilling engineering career I had which allowed me to put my valuable experiences into print, though the current six engineering books cover less than half of what I knew and did. It's a shame that my seven years endeavor could not afford me the luxury of full-time writing to continue imparting my knowledge. Perhaps one day, if there is a turn of fortune, I may return to complete what I left undone. Hopefully it will not be too little, too late...

 

My Profile as an Author

In my seven-and-a-half year as a writer, I have written a total of thirteen books, half of which are engineering related while the rest are of personal and religious nature. Most of my readers are interested in PCB-RE and diagnostic stuff, so it's no surprise that my engineering books fare better in sales. But if you really like my writing style, and have a knack for theology or eschatology, then please take a look at my other book titles, which are available in e-book edition as well.

Self-Published Author

Jan 2016 - Present · 7 yrs 7 months

Authored the following books:

Engineering
1. The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering
2. PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques
3. PCB-RE: Real World Examples
4. Manual PCB-RE - The Essentials
5. Deciphering Schematics
6. PCB Diagnostics

Memoir
1. Love's Chronicles (English and Chinese)

Family
1. The Marriage Puzzle (English and Chinese)

Theology
1. Volume 1 - NT in 77 Days
2. Volume 2 - OT Law & Prophets in 157 Days
3. Volume 3 - OT Writings in 87 Days

Eschatology
1. Revelation - A Concise Study
2. NFS Laboratory

Available on Amazon and other online bookstores.

I'm still doing part-time writing at present, as I explore other options. In particular, I hope to write on fiction novel and politics. If you are interested in such topics, keep a look out in my Amazon store.

As always, stay safe and well, my friends! 

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.

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.

 

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!

 

Deciphering Schematics (Kindle Full-Color Edition)

Following closely on the heels of PCB Diagnostics, I have released the full-color Kindle edition of Deciphering Schematics. Here are some sample pages:

You can go to this link to preview more pages before placing order, if you have the Kindle app installed on your tablet devices. 

Happy reading!

Ps: While I have the desire to convert all my engineering books to Kindle full-color editions, I do not foresee doing it that soon. The recent attempt on my latest two books had taken quite a toll on my health and I was out of action for a week. But I will inform my readers as and when I complete the remaining three.

Hidden Review

Just felt a need to include the following review from an UK reader who downloaded Deciphering Schematics from Kindle Unlimited, which did not get posted across all the Amazon platforms except in the UK (strange!):

My intention for writing this book is not so much to go into the mathematical analysis of typical electrical or transistor circuits. Many books have already done that. Rather, I want to help readers understand enough of the various elements and topologies that make up digital, analog, hybrid and power circuit designs to be able to decipher (or interpret, if you prefer) them. Even so, the book does include some fundamental formulas and circuit characteristic graphs as and when necessary so readers can grasp the concepts behind their designs.

Sometimes we can fail to see the forest for the trees when we try to go into too much analytical details. This is something which I wanted to avoid and simply get to the essential points, while maintaining a balance between theoretical models and real-world examples. And rather than doing a quick, slip-slop work to get this book out, I took great pains to draw most of the circuits and illustrations using Microsoft Visio, for example:

Readers who bought my book can be confident they are getting the best quality content for their money. That's my personal guarantee.

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!

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.

 

A Page from the Past

Every great product begins with some good design ideas and guidelines. The OrCAD suite of EDA design tools started out with the Schematic Design Tool (SDT) in 1984, a modest yet promising beginning no doubt. OrCAD went on to take the PCB design industry by storm after its PCB and VST products made their appearances, giving the average hardware design engineer a powerful EDA tools on an affordable PC platform instead of an expensive workstation.

Thanks to OrCAD founders John Durbetaki, Ken Seymour, and Keith Seymour for their pioneering vision and daring venture into unchartered waters. Thirty years later, there is now a thriving Old Dos OrCAD community that makes these amazing tools freely available to everyone, complete with original user and reference manuals. All you need is a virtual PC installed that runs on MS-DOS and you're good to go!

 

Hallå Sweden!

Following Poland, there is now readers from Sweden who bought my first (The Art of PCB-RE) and latest  (Deciphering Schematics) books:

There is one more country left: the Netherlands.

It would be nice to hear reviews from readers of these countries too. These days, however, book reviews are few and far in between. Maybe because of the nature of this topic, many engineers are not willing to be in the limelight. As one early reader remarked:

Reverse engineering PCB's is to electronic circuit boards what hacking is to computer software...something people do, but no one admits to doing it, LOL.

 

Errata to Deciphering Schematics

As much as I tried to ensure that all my books are published to the best quality, sometimes a thing or two still managed to elude me. I just received the hardcopy of Deciphering Schematics after some delivery delays and found that the illustration for the Xminilab-B mechanical diagram is fainter than what was presented in electronic forms, both on my Word document as well as Amazon's book reviewer. Somehow you can never take for granted what you see onscreen is what you'll get on print. Granted, it's still visible but not ideal to a perfectionist like myself.

For readers who purchased the earlier version, I have included an errata of the affected page below which you can download, print and insert into (or paste over) your copy:

The latest edition has been corrected. My sincere apology for this oversight. An important lesson learned is that even for a vector graphic like Microsoft Visio, if it is shrunk to 50% of the original size, there's no guarantee that it will turn out right when printed. Instead, I need to export it out as a PNG format, then copy and paste before resizing it to ensure the appropriate visibility is achieved for hardcopy.

I would appreciate that readers inform me of any mistakes, typos, or quality issues so I can correct them or feedback to Amazon.

Amazon Ranking (US)

As usual, a few weeks after its release, Deciphering Schematics hits the top chart for new release in the Electrical & Electronic Circuits category:

It's just a fleeting achievement, though I wonder why Amazon would even bother to give every book this kind of temporary ranking. What makes a book, especially an engineering one, popular and appealing to readers in this field? Is it the content, the style of writing, the illustrations, or its overall presentation? I know some books are hot favorites, like The Art of Electronics (I own the 3rd edition) and is considered the de facto in the electronics industry. There are, however, other books that continue to enjoy good sales with plenty of reviews, yet falls short of reader's expectation in substance or style.

So what gives? This is the question I have in mind as I embark on writing my last engineering book, this being the seventh year of my lonely journey as an author. Besides leaving a lasting legacy to my readers, there is really no reason to continue writing because it's not sustainable with the increasing cost of living in this present age.

Unless there is a breakthrough and recognition for my efforts, I'll have to call it quit by the end of this year and start looking for a full-time job.

Halo! Poland!

For the first time since publishing my PCB-RE books, there are buyers from Poland, the Land of Fields. Amazon has online presence in 12 countries spanning three continents, namely North America, Europe and Australia, one of which is this eastern European country. Registered sales of my books came only after the recent release of Deciphering Schematics, though:

Still, it's something to shout about considering it's a rare sector to penetrate into. Hopefully, the two remaining countries will have readers for my books, namely the Netherlands and Sweden. Never have I imagined that my books would go this far when I started out on my lonely journey of writing. It feels unreal yet rewarding to know that engineers of diverse nationalities are actually reading my works!

I would have loved to hear from my readers too. Perhaps in time to come. For now, I'm thankful for their support through purchase of my books. That's the honor every author deserves for his or her hard work.

Dziękuję! (Thank you in Polish)

1st Review for My Latest Book

Since releasing my book Deciphering Schematics barely five days ago, a reader has posted the first review on Amazon:

This review alone is worth all the hard work I put in for the past one year, laboring with the text and many illustrations using Visio, as well as schematic diagrams that I have redrawn or overhauled to make the reading experience a top quality and enjoyable one. I have also pegged the book at an affordable price.

Being a non-US resident, I am subject to 30% withholding tax plus the cost of printing and logistics, so basically what I earn on royalty per book is enough for a meal and drink. I hope readers will support me with honest purchase so I can focus on writing my last book, PCB Diagnostics. Each book takes a lot of time and effort to produce, and careful thoughts go into how best to organize and present the content.

It is my desire that newbie and experienced engineers alike will benefit from my years of knowledge in the field of electronics. That's the legacy I wish to leave behind.

Ps: Thank you, Sebastian, for your generous compliment and support to my works.
 

Released with a Blast!

After a year of hard work, my fifth engineering book Deciphering Schematics, is finally online and ready for order! I have chosen August 9 as the date of release, though the book was submitted on the 2nd which resulted in that release date. Still, it's a blast much like the 21-gun presidential salute, performed by the 23rd Artillery Battalion, on our National Day Parade:

Readers who are anticipating and waiting for this book can now purchase it on Amazon. Simply click on the photo above to be transported to the ordering page (US only), or if you live outside the US, just search for my name on the Amazon store of your country to locate it.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. I do hope that you will find the book beneficial to your work and personal skill in deciphering electronic circuits. Do leave a review and let me know what you think. This is the desire of every author and it will most certainly motivate me in writing my upcoming sixth engineering book, PCB Diagnostics.

Take care and have a great week!

Note: Photo courtesy of my friend Jeremy Loei, an avid photographer.

A Special One-Off Anniversary

Exactly one year since I mooted the idea of writing Deciphering Schematics, I'm happy and relieved to inform my readers that I've finally completed the final draft of the book. The last mile has been a great challenge for me, mentally and emotionally on personal grounds. Currently it's in the proofreading phase.

Here's the updated cover without the Foreword (I took it from a reader's suggestion to drop the idea. Well, at least for the time being):

The former release will be on August 9 which is the National Day (or Independence Day for the US) of our island nation, Singapore. I will probably resume writing PCB Diagnostics sometime end of this month, but there could be further delays as I'm involved in the translation of a book by a friend.

There is so much to do with so little time, I just have to prioritize and manage the tasks at hand. If everything works out well, I hope my final masterpiece will be birthed on Christmas Day.

Final Appeal for Reviews

I'm into the final lap of writing Deciphering Schematics. And I have intentionally reserved the chapter on Deciphering Analog Circuits for the last but best cut of the pie. Below is a two-page sample:

This is also my final appeal for reviews on my book Manual PCB-RE: The Essentials. If you have not yet submitted your review on Amazon, now is the time to do so. Once my new book is completed, I will decide which three best reviews will get a free copy of it. Of course, the top ten reviews will make it to the Manual PCB-RE book on its next release as well.

So don't delay or hesitate any longer. Time is ticking away...

Ps: For those who have submitted, please ensure your proper names are correct. If you don't wish to make known your organization or company, at least provide your city and country where you reside in. Thanks!