Parts Identification & Screening in PCB Reverse Engineering

Parts Identification & Screening in PCB Reverse Engineering

First step is Part Identification in the PCB Reverse Engineering

After disassembly each piece-part/component from PCB, each one of them should be researched to identify existing NSNs, commercially available hardware, MIL-STD parts, and non-standard parts.

Second step is Economic analysis of PCB Reverse Engineering. An economic analysis should be performed on all sole-source and non-standard piece-parts/components to determine the cost-effectiveness of reverse engineering the piece-part/component.

A limited screening process to DAR-S6 should also be performed on these components. All data supplied by the component manufacturer should be properly screened for proprietary data prior to providing it to the agency/contractor performing the reverse engineering. This is discussed in depth in the Data Rights section of this handbook.

Third step is Document research. Research concerning the existence of specifications or source control drawings should be conducted. A similar item drawing could exist and a simple tabulation drawing could be re-created to add the new part to the system. Most configuration control systems include a listing of parts and related drawings.

Forth step is Master Cross Reference List (MCRL). A search may be made via a MCRL to screen the pertinent nomenclature and part number. The MCRL accesses the Technical Logistics Reference Network data bases which provide the exchange of technical information on parts and components, as follows:

a. Enables identification and location of components, sub-assemblies, and assemblies which are already used and supported in the PCB Reverse engineering System;

b. Identifies components and piece-parts having multiple uses across different systems and Services;

c. Allows searches by technical characteristics;

d. Identifies like-items used by all the Services; and

e. Identifies alternate part manufacturers.