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Reverse
Engineering : (RE) is the art of discovering the technological
principles of a device, object or system through analysis of its
structure, function and operation. It often involves taking
something (e.g. a mechanical device, electronic component, or software
program) apart and analyzing its workings in detail.
Reverse engineering is a general process of analyzing a product to determine how it was designed and how it operates. This information can be used for many purposes. Many times this is used for the purpose of duplicating an existing component, subassembly, or product, without the aid of drawings or documentation. Or, to improve an existing product to surpass competitors. Often, the documentation resulting from the reverse engineering is used to analyze if a product is infringing on patent rights for claims analysis.
We are an electronic engineering company specializing in Reverse Engineering of Integrated Circuits and Electronic Products to provide the supporting Engineering Documentation you require. With over 20 years of engineering experience we can handle any task. We are easy to work with and understand the cost tradeoffs involved with this type of work.
Reverse engineering of integrated
circuits involves
examining a chip to see how it operates. This involves taking the chip
apart to determine what components are used to make it work and how
they
are interconnected (called a netlist). The first step in reverse
engineering an integrated circuit is to remove the actual silicon (or
other semiconductor) die from the plastic or metal chip carrier in a
process called decapsulation. Once the bare die is obtained, it
is examined under an electron microscope to identify the circuit
elements and how they are interconnected. This is dome by making
a high resolution image of each layer of the chip (subsequent layers
are exposed in a process called deprocessing). Once this three
dimensional image is compiled, software is employed that extracts the
circuit elements and the net list (interconnection wiring). The
resulting schematic of the chip is then verified and delivered to the
customer.
We can also reverse engineer a printed circuit board to determine how the components are interconnected. Multi-layer boards are no problem, they can be examined with an X-Ray viewer or delaminated to determine how the inner traces are routed.
Software and firmware can be disassembled to observe how it functions. Sometimes the operation of a microprocessor or a PLD/FPGA can be determined solely by observing the inputs and outputs, at other times, we have to evaluate the machine code itself. Some embedded processors have security measures to prevent this, but there are many tools at our disposal to circumvent them so that the original program code can be extracted.
The results are usually a block diagram, schematic diagram, circuit board layout, flowchart, netlist table, raw program code, or operational documentation.
Reverse engineering is required more and more to support older products. Many times, for older products, the original schematics and product support documentation have been lost over time, and it is necessary to re-create the documentation. Additionally, some components may have been house numbered or had their identification obscured to prevent field repair. In some cases, the component may no longer be available and a substitute must be found or engineered.
We can provide this type of engineering service discreetly without the involvement or knowledge of your in-house engineers or other departments as needed.
Contact us today
920-955-3693
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Last Updated:
May 16, 2012
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