Tell me more ×
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for electronics and electrical engineering professionals, students, and enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -4 down vote favorite

There's a small electronic device I want to replicate but some components are unmarked. On which website could I find a person to do a reverse engineering job on it ? I know a bunch of freelance sites like odesk but they are oriented toward software and web jobs.

share|improve this question
Hardware reverse engineering will probably be expensive because of the extra equipment and skills required. I know of chipworks.com only. I'm sure a reputable company will have all the legal bits in the right place and won't stray outside the law. – pfyon Sep 19 '12 at 1:08
I agree with mickeyf. If you know what the thingy is supposed to do, it is most likely cheaper to start with those specs and design a new circuit than to try to figure out the old circuit. Reverse engineering modern electronics is costly, slow, and error prone. It's not like the old tube days when you could see the whole circuit from the point to point wiring. – Olin Lathrop Sep 19 '12 at 13:56

closed as not constructive by Brian Carlton, clabacchio♦ Sep 19 '12 at 19:26

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote

You might be better off (spend less) clearly defining its functionality and designing a new one that does the same thing - especially if by "small" you mean "simple". It may also be that some of the unmarked components are custom ICs, in which case this is the route you'd probably have to take anyway.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.