Reverse Engineering Techniques

Reverse Engineering is a tool use to better understand someone else's product or verify that your product is better and different.

There are several methods of achieving this goal:

  1. Take it apart to see what makes it tick
  2. Look at schematics and try to build one
  3. Treat it as a Black Box; You know what goes in and what is supposed to come out - now make one
  4. Using specialized instruments, capture internal structural information and then duplicate
  5. Using specialized instruments, understand the structure to make or enhance a copy

Some of the tools involved include:

  1. Sledgehammer and other tools to open a device
  2. High-resolution image-capture devices
  3. PCs with simulation tools
  4. Suite of analysis devices for collecting the type of data the device needs or generates
  5. Microscopy including optical and SEM/ TEM
  6. CAT Scanner
  7. I always enjoyed the simile of "using an accelerator to figure out how a PC works" aka: hurtling it at a wall at 10,000MPH, then examining the pieces. . .

Steps in Reverse-Engineering

  1. Understand the Customer's requirements
    1. I need one just like this
    2. I need one just like this that we can patent
    3. I need to know the how's and whys of its operation
  2. UC