Every house has electronic devices that sometimes require repair. They are fragile and are always susceptible and require you to be extra careful. This is the reason why almost all the time, you would find a detailed circuit diagram to shoot the problem. PCB reverse engineering is something that you do when you do not have a detailed circuit diagram and make a copy of it by analysing and dissecting the parts to come up with a replica.
This is sometimes tedious as it would make you move from a point where you would have nothing to go for producing a printed circuit board. There are different tools you would require for PCB reverse engineering, depending on the complexity of the device. Here are the steps with which you would be able to reverse engineering a PCB.
Preparing the Picture:
Always keep in mind that you must take a quality picture of both sides of the PCB. Because of the varying heights of the components, it is not always possible to go for scanning. But the picture that you would be taken according to an expert recommendation should be of good resolution.
Importing and Readying Them:
The next step would be to load them on the editing tool and crop and edit the picture so that you only have the board so that you could work without any hassle. Make sure that the board has been placed securely using the rotation options.
Also, make sure with the help of the zoom and the magnifier that you should be able to see the pertinent sides of the PCB reverse engineering, and it should be well displayed. Also, by decreasing the opacity of the picture, you would be ensuring that it stays transparent as it should be.
Brushing the Picture:
The copper trace would then be highlighted, and you would witness a network of lines connecting the solder pad. When you are doing this, make sure that the color of the solder mask is different from the brush. With the threshold filter, the next step would be to extract the solid color. Then the final step would be to run the circuit on the software, and you should note down the result.
If you are a beginner, you should first go through the points as sometimes it could get really difficult. You could take professional help, and with them, you surely would be able to do the job in a smooth and hassle freeway.
