Armistead Technologies To Refocus Business On Reverse Engineering Printed Circuit Boards

Baltimore, MD May 31 2007 – Armistead Technologies, an electronics engineering firm, has redirected its energies specifically toward reverse engineering printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies.

“Re-engineering printed circuit boards has always been a major part of our business,” says company founder and owner John Armistead. “In talking with my partners, we decided to dedicate ourselves to pursuing the natural growth we foresee in that side of the electrical engineering market.”

Armistead Technologies isn’t abandoning the design engineering and short run production side of the business entirely though. “We’ll still offer prototyping capabilities to clients who need it,” Armistead says. “And, those skills definitely enhance our service on reverse engineering projects.”

He explains that owners of PC board designs frequently need it updated to work with a current list of peripheral devices or components. Or, functionalities need to be added to remain competitive in the marketplace.

Conversely, obsolete capabilities may need to be engineered out of a circuit board, to reduce costs and streamline operations.

“That’s one big advantage to reverse engineering a PCB versus merely copying it,” Armistead points out. “You don’t have to worry about tracking down or reproducing discontinued components because you’re hamstrung by an old design. Reverse engineering gives you the exact same functionality using components that are easy to source today.”

The high activity recently in technology-related mergers and acquisitions also indicates to Armistead that reverse engineering PCBs is a growth field.

“Often, a lot of product design knowledge exists only in some old-timer’s head,” Armistead says. “Once that person leaves, there goes the last link to knowing how something works, or why it was designed the way it was. When the new owner needs to update a product, or make some new PCB assemblies, they suddenly find out that no one in the building has the knowledge they need. They can’t find the original schematics, everyone who was connected with designing the board is gone – it’s a big hassle for the project manager.”

“By reverse engineering the board, we generate a fresh, original set of manufacturing files, including schematics, drill files, everything. So the job moves off the project manager’s desk and into production, quickly and efficiently.”

“We see a lot of opportunity in reverse engineering printed circuit boards,” Armistead says. “And, with our capabilities and track record, we can turn reverse engineering into a growth opportunity for our clients as well.”

ABOUT ARMISTEAD TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Armistead Technologies is an engineering firm based near Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1989 by John Armistead, a graduate electrical engineer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Armistead Technologies specializes in reverse engineering printed circuit boards, and re-engineering older PCB designs to be compliant with updated standards and compatibilities.

For more information about reverse engineering PC boards, visit http://www.armisteadtechnologies.com or call John Armistead at (410) 627-2408.