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I would love a book that gives a layman’s understanding of how to read and dissect a board you pull out of common modern device.

Say a roomba.

You might not know how or why each component works in detail at the end, but instead understand why the board is laid out the way it is and where each component controlling the functions and logic live, what might be broken, and whether and how to repair. I think if I were an impatient student with an interest in electronics that’s what I’d want. Then go back and study individual components, math, physics, and theory.

You could make a whole series: radio boards, home appliance boards, PC motherboards, car boards, etc.



Reverse Engineering a PCB is a well known field (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCB_reverse_engineering); but you still have to have some knowledge of individual components, math, physics, and theory before you can get started with this.

There is plenty of material and videos on the web if you search for it; also a book The Art of PCB Reverse Engineering: Unraveling the Beauty of the Original Design by Ng Keng Tiong.


Thank you! This is great!


The above deals only with PCB RE; if you would like to learn about overall Product RE see also;

Reverse Engineering: Mechanisms, Structures, Systems & Materials by Robert Messler.

Product Design: Techniques in Reverse Engineering and New Product Development by Kevin Otto and Kristin Wood.

The Hardware Hacker: Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware by Andrew "bunnie" Huang.




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