Questions we answer every day

Gerber files ready for any fab, a BOM with real manufacturer part numbers, placement data, the PCB source file, and a prototype we have already built and tested against your sample. Boards from 1 to 32 layers, including blind and buried vias, HDI, RF and ceramic.

A copy reproduces the board exactly as it is, and it is faster and cheaper. Reverse engineering recovers the schematic so you can change something, which is what you need when a component has gone end-of-life. Describe what the board has to do next and we will say which route fits.

The database covers 5000+ models. The published list covers the common families: STM32, STM8, PIC, AVR, 8051 and STC, MSP430, GD32, Nuvoton, LPC, Kinetis, Renesas, Holtek, plus EEPROM, serial flash, CPLD and FPGA. Parts outside the list are usually still workable. Send the marking and the check costs nothing.

You pay nothing. The feasibility check is free and any deposit is returned in full. Modern parts with hardware-enforced protection are the usual exception, and we say so before you ship rather than after.

For a quote, yes. For the work itself, no. Both unlocking and board reverse engineering are physical processes that need the sample in hand.

It helps but it is not required. A dead board still carries its layout and most of its component values. A dead chip is harder, which is why two samples are better than one.

Starting prices are published on the pricing page. The final figure follows layer count, component density, chip package and how many samples you can supply.

50% deposit to start, balance after your own test passes. Bank transfer, PayPal and Alipay are all accepted, and invoices carry our company name and tax number.

Most MCU unlocks run 3 to 5 working days. Multilayer board copies run 7 to 15. The clock starts when the sample clears customs, not when the order is placed.

Sometimes, and there is no rush fee inside our normal window. Tell us the deadline in the first email so we can say honestly whether it is reachable.

An NDA is signed before you ship anything. Files are returned or deleted on request after delivery and never appear in marketing without written permission.

Reverse engineering for maintenance, repair, obsolescence replacement, failure analysis and interoperability is lawful in most jurisdictions, and that is the work we take. Cloning a product you have no right to reproduce is not, and we decline it.

Usually a purchase record for the equipment, a service contract, or written authorisation from the design owner. For repair shops, the end customer work order is normally enough.

To our facility in Shenzhen. Exact address, courier details and customs wording are sent in writing once the NDA is signed.

You cover the inbound courier. Return of samples and delivery of files are on us.

Rarely, if the parcel is declared as a used electronic sample for testing with a low declared value. We track it from this end and clear it the day it arrives.