This is why I don't trace circuits from photos

Robert

Reverse Engineer
Where does the trace coming from the left end of R21 go?
Pot.jpg

Lug 3 of the 9mm pot, right? Wrong. Look closer.
PotZoom.jpg

It doesn't go anywhere. Sneaky joker put a cut in the trace and tried to obscure with the silkscreen.

This was done twice on the PCB, in addition to goop and a handful of "dummy" components just intended to prevent tracing.
 
It makes me so happy to know you don't trace from photos! I think all the goop and fakery is so stupid; you have to do it to every single unit, but it only takes 1 patient person with a multimeter and some dental tools to render it pointless! It's an annoyance, not a barrier.

In a former life I used to reverse-engineer obsolete aircraft electronics and create FAA-approved repair procedures for them. I once reversed engineered a power supply that had custom-wound transformers, unmarked components, and 7 different PCBs at various heights, all connected with 42 gauge flying leads and completely encased in hard epoxy. Another time it was a 4" by 7", 14-layer pcb with smd components on both sides. If those can be reverse engineered, you can be damn sure somebody's going to figure out what kind of stuffing is in your "cornish game hen"!
 
If the manufacturers were really serious they would pack about 4 ozs of C4 in the pedal and finish it off with a tamper switch on the enclosure... An added benefit would be instant stage effects during the show! That would be clever...
 
Back
Top