3 ms·

I cannot count the number of circuit boards i have photocopied the backof photographed the front from all angles and created my own schematics.. Gets pretty ha

• gmueckl 7y ago
  I don't remember where exactly I saw this, but some boards even stack components, so that e.g. a tiny SMD part sits under a bigger component that has some empty volume under it (e.g. an SMD resistor under a socket or capacitor). Good luck finding that without taking the board apart completely. To be honest, I think layouts like this are done for practical reasons like space constraints rather than to annoy reverse engineers. If you are serious and can disassemble a board, you will find these components immediately.
  • madengr 7y ago
    I stuck 01005 caps between BGA balls on a Spartan 3, but that was in attempt to solve an EMI issue, rather than a specific design goal.
    • gmueckl 7y ago
      Interesting! Did you run into any manufacturing issues with that? I'd be worried about that.
      • madengr 7y ago
        Yes. It took two attempts. The second attempt worked, electrically, but didn’t have a measurable effect on the noise reduction, so did not end up doing it.
  • userbinator 7y ago
    An x-ray machine will also easily reveal such hidden features. It's not something everyone has, but then again, as I noted in another comment here, there are entire companies specialising in this sort of RE work.
  • intricatedetail 7y ago
    Parts can also be submerged inside the PCB.