Printed circuit board (PCB) reverse engineering (RE) is an art in its own right, despite the apparent simplicity of determining electrical connectivity between related components on a circuit board.
The author had written a book The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering to address the challenges of doing PCB-RE using the manual approach, targeting mainly hobbyists and repair personnel who do not have the luxury of expensive equipment but are required to perform such tasks on an ad hoc basis at work, or simply to find out how a PCB works or why it failed.
Two years after publishing his book and receiving positive reviews as well as valuable feedbacks from readers, he decided to expand this topic to give a more thorough treatment of other available options, including tools and techniques employed by industry experts and enthusiasts who have the means and methodologies at their disposal. He intends to achieve this through several approaches:
1. Provide readers with a sweeping view of the PCB-RE landscape on the challenges faced by today's increasingly complex designs and deterrence measures, and the tools and techniques devised to overcome these obstacles.
2. Enlist experts and enthusiasts to share their valuable knowledge and experiences in their fields of work, so readers get a better idea of the intricate processes and equipment involved.
3. Make available resources and DIY projects that readers can tap on to increase their arsenal of tools to enable them to improve and increase their chances of success at attempting PCB-RE.
This book is not the work of an individual but a collective effort by several people. May the invaluable insights offered by these individuals be a source of inspiration to the many engineers out there who have embarked or are considering to take up this challenging but rewarding journey of PCB reverse engineering.
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