Yes, I agree, "Reverse Engineer", what a great title.Though, I would prefer "Forward Engineer".

There are many levels to reverse engineering but they all require a good knowledge of engineering. Tools are an O'scope, probes, dmm, logic analyzer (for digital stuff), good 3D microscope, PC, internet, lots clips and probes and a wily sense of adventure. What I have found is a lot of designs are just rebagged circuits from datasheets or ap notes. To reverse engineer chips or read protected microcode though, scanning electron microscopes and a lab full of nasty chemicals may be needed.

As to the ethics of it. I think it's mostly ethical. Perhaps there are patents involved and then it becomes a legal thing but I have no problem with someone sniffing inputs and outputs to create something that understands them. If someone is just copying a PCB and making it themselves (to sell) then I see that as unethical (and probably criminal). In general, reverse engineering is not a crime, though. Companies that want to protect themselves need to use things like encryption and read-protected memories to make the cost of reverse engineering very high.

And Janis, I would like to hear a lot more of your story. Sounds very interesting.

 

The ultraprecision grinding machine in controlled temperature no-dust room obstacles was taking off the crystal piece, say 0.5 micron layer and everything was photographed, then take off another 0.5 micron and make a picture again, and so on and so on until all crystal gone wear off.

This was still being done in the US ~10 years ago and probably even today. I worked for one of the GM companies involved in auto electronics. They had a machine that did a similar thing with other auto makers computerized control modules. To see how they were configured in a sealed potted module. The potting material wasn't able to be removed chemically so the ground/machined it down one 0.001" or less at a time. A digital picture was taken after every pass of the cutter.

 

Any reverse engineering study materials available?? To be a reverse engineer.

First you become an engineer, and after some years of experience you may be able to become a reverse engineer.

 

First you become an engineer, and after some years of experience you may be able to become a reverse engineer.

You become a reverse engineer the moment your boss hands you a competitor's device and tells you to figure out how they did that.

My response was always "Why? I can do it better and faster without knowing how they did it."

 

You become a reverse engineer the moment your boss hands you a competitor's device and tells you to figure out how they did that.

My response was always "Why? I can do it better and faster without knowing how they did it."

Well of course, but if you know nothing about electronics than you can call yourself reverse engineer and your boss might still expect you to do it, but you will just be blindly staring at a heap of funny small parts stuck to a board.

 

Reverse engineering it is what we did while russian communists was occupied my land, put millions of my folks to Siberia to die, but those who survived was working here in certain scientific (paramilitary) institute with American IC~s with the equipment shown below:
The ultraprecision grinding machine in controlled temperature no-dust room obstacles was taking off the crystal piece, say 0.5 micron layer and everything was photographed, then take off another 0.5 micron and make a picture again, and so on and so on until all crystal gone wear off. Then those hundreds of thousands of pictures are mounted together to understands HOW those damn `capitalists` was making such wonder-work. And corresponding technology for that IC is voila at hands. To remain polit-correct, that institute work was labelled as - we are `ADAPTING` the integral circuit for mass production.
They (russians) stole off me the 40 best years of life, but now we are free already 28 years as European Union full rights State and no more `adapting` anything. That`s a deal for China now, likely.

Hundred of thousands of pictures of 0.5 micron slides? Let's see.... 100,000 x 0.5 μm = 5 cm. That's a pretty thick IC die!

 

5 cm. That's a pretty thick IC die!

You are watchy! Good. It means that number of pictures was slightly less in count.