PCB-RE: Real-World Examples

✍ Scribed by Keng Tiong Ng

• Year: 2019
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 298
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Putting into practice what you've learned is perhaps the most challenging thing to do, especially if there is no practical and detailed example to take reference from. It's with this in mind PCB-RE: Real-World Examples is written.This book completes the earlier works of the author, namely The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering and PCB-RE: Tools & Techniques, by providing the reader an in-depth walk-through on how theory is put into practice. Together they form the trilogy on the PCB-RE subject.While the first book provides a simple example using an ISA-bus SCSI host adapter to illustrate the steps in doing manual PCB-RE, it serves only as a starting point for those embarking on this adventurous journey. Along the way, questions and difficulties will abound, and one is left wondering if the manual approach is even possible, if at all practical to begin with.This book expands on the practical aspect of PCB-RE by tapping on the invaluable experiences of engineers in this field, supplemented with the author's own example of a more complex board. Perhaps the contributions of like-minded engineers will afford budding enthusiasts a peek into the real-world workings of PCB-RE, so they can learn from the strategies and techniques described to develop their own methodologies. As far as the author's example goes, the illustrations are done using Microsoft Visio but the process of solving the interconnectivity puzzle is generic. Prior familiarity with the steps mentioned in his first two books, though not a necessity, is advantageous to get up to speed and essential if the reader intends to use the same diagramming tool.Hopefully, this book will give the reader new perspectives and ideas that will enrich his or her PCB-RE experiences and inspire more engineers to take up this challenging yet rewarding practice that is gaining recognition and importance in the PCB repair and refurbish industry.

✦ Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
1. How It All Started
2. Some déjà vu Stuff
3. The Manual Approach
4. EDA-Based PCB-RE
5. Firmware Hacking
6. PCB-RE with X-Ray
7. Quadcopter RE
8. Essential Tools
9 Case Studies
A. Company Profiles
B. Internet of Things (IoT)
C. IC Pinout Diagrams
D. X-Ray of PCB Defects
E. PCB-RE References
About the Author