Continue to Site

Welcome to EDAboard.com

Welcome to our site! EDAboard.com is an international Electronics Discussion Forum focused on EDA software, circuits, schematics, books, theory, papers, asic, pld, 8051, DSP, Network, RF, Analog Design, PCB, Service Manuals... and a whole lot more! To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

How to identify if internal layers of PCB are plane layers or signal layers?

Status
Not open for further replies.

nagaraju.raju

Newbie level 5
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
9
Helped
0
Reputation
0
Reaction score
0
Trophy points
1,281
Location
Bangalore
Activity points
1,342
I have a Physical board, i need to prepare schematic & layout file for physical board, the board has 4 layers (Top & Bottom, 2 Internal Plane layers).

Please suggest how to identify internal layers are plane layers or Signal layers.

Please suggest steps.

Please find below steps has i followed

1.>First i need to identify the components on the board[BOM is required].

2.>Refer the technical specs of the components find the Pin numbers, connections with the physical board.

3.>Prepare the schematics.

4.>Prepare the footprints.

5.>Generate the Netlist & import.

6.>Placement & routing.

7.>Gerber Verification & Release.
 

Re: Reverse Engineering PCB

Why don't you design your own board instead of stealing someone else's?
 

Re: Reverse Engineering PCB

Why don't you design your own board instead of stealing someone else's?

I am not sure whether we can call it as "stealing" without actually knowing what exactly is the intention. There can be several reasons in reverse engineering a board. For eg:- to reproduce a board of which the layout files are not available.


By the way, replicating the circuit of a multilayer board is a little difficult. It all depends on the knowledge you have on the functionality of the circuitry of that board and the types of components onboard.
 

Re: Reverse Engineering PCB

No Schematic? No artwork? No BOM? No knowledge about how to create a board other than going on a public forum looking for advice?

If it looks like a duck, and it swims like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

I could be wrong, but it sure sounds suspicious to me.
 

Please suggest how to identify internal layers are plane layers or Signal layers.
In case of a four layer board: Look sharp.
 

You can make X-ray of the PCB or use metod pictured below (grinding):
https://www.steve-m.de/pictures/pirelli_dpl10/

I forgot to mentioned there is some software which can help you with that:
Easy-Pc
Pulsonix
Altium - **broken link removed**
Eagle - there is some script (cmd-net-list2sch) - but I never use it
Target 3001! - https://server.ibfriedrich.com/wiki/ibfwikien/index.php?title=Reverse_Engineering

Last one I saw on Electronica expo in Munich but after 2 years it seems it's not available yet :(
 
Last edited:

Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Welcome to EDABoard.com

Sponsor

Back
Top