MFG-002 Manufacturing Hardware reverse engineering

PCB redesign after an EOL notice — drop‑in replacement in 6 weeks.

Circuit board — PCB redesign for EOL component replacement

PCB redesign & EOL management

Hardware RE · KiCad · firmware migration · small series production

Retrofit

instead of replacement

Drop‑in

same form factor

6 weeks

to first new PCB

Availability

EOL risk reduced

Baseline

A motor driver IC on a main control PCB of a packaging machine was discontinued (EOL). Original spare parts were no longer reliably available. Replacement options pointed to long lead times and high downtime risk.

Approach

Week 1

PCB reverse engineering

Full schematic extraction. All components identified. EOL IC electrically characterized (inputs, PWM, timing) using an oscilloscope during operation.

Week 2

Replacement component & design

Found a modern motor driver IC (same function, planned long-term availability). Re-drew PCB layout (same form factor for drop‑in). Improved thermal design.

Weeks 3–4

Firmware & testing

Integrated the new IC register configuration into existing firmware (no business-logic change). SOA load testing and extended run validation.

Weeks 5–6

Small series production

Produced initial batch of 10 boards. Created pick‑and‑place program. Delivered full quality control documentation.

Additional benefits

First-time complete schematic documentation

Improved thermal design and stability margins

Improved diagnostics (more status signals)

Reduced supply risk vs. an EOL component

Test procedure documented for internal QA

Technologies

PCB RESchematic ExtractionKiCadSOA TestingOscilloscopeDFMPick-and-Place

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