PCB Prototype

PCB Prototype Service

As a part of our one stop service for quick turn around of your projects, Mikatech provides project-based copying or re-engineering of printed circuit boards (PCBs).

By working with clients around the world for over 28 years, Mikatech would like to sum up clients PCB Copying demands as follows:

Mikatech can reverse engineer your old PCB and produce full-scale, fully functional circuit board prototype samples for testing, evaluation, or actual use. You can count on us for quick turnaround, smooth communication, and top-notch workmanship.

As the world first full dedicated reverse engineering company, Mikatech is previleged to have worked with clients around the world, by closely observing the clients demands, we discovered the PCB prototype services are mainly for the following needs:

For the 3rd category, Mikatech would like to suggest clients not go forward with the prototype service before decision being made on where to put the mass production order. Testing functionality before mass production have 2 objectives, one is to make sure PCB cloning job is correctly done, the other is test all the components are correctly sourced, if you do the prototype at Mikatech and test it to work, after you decide to put the mass production to another factory, you have to do the prototype again before production to make sure all the components are correctly sourced, this way you do the prototype and testing twice, ie. you have to bear the extra prototyping costs. Our suggestion is where you decide to put the mass prouction order, where you do the prototyping, it is lower costs and quick time this way.

Mikatech PCB prototype package includes:

General Questions About Cloning Service

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• Is it safe to send payment to MikaTech ?

  If MikaTech was a bad company, you could find tons of bad reputations about its service on the internet over the 28 years history

  So, the answer is YES! We are good people.

  Why choose Mikatech, please click here to find out
  

  
  
• Can Mikatech break ics not listed on this site ?

  Different chip manufacturers have different part numbers, but the inner core of the chip can be make with same technology, it would be quite impossible to list all the part numbers where our technology can apply such as MYSON, STK, FEELING, ANALOG, FUJITSU, NOVATEK, LG/HYNDAI.
  
  Also by the advancing of the technology, everyday we gain more and more experience and develope new methods for reverse engineering for different Intergated Circuit parts. Full list of Integrated Circuit part numbers which is within our scope of capability is always getting bigger, please contact us to find out.

• Will my privacy be protected ?

  Mikatech Innovative Limited understands the importance of its clients' privacy. At the moment you contact Mikatech, the personal information from you will be put under protection by our management regulations which was developed by our years of practice, Mikatech uses these information to customize its service to you, it will never disclose these information to third party out of any reason.
  Every project we did, we will delete all the data, materials, and codes 60days after deliverig the files, it iwll protect us and protect your privacy.

• Is it legal to get service from Mikatech ?

  Yes, it is totally legal.
  Mikatech deliver its reverse engineering services for educational purposes only, it can be illegal to use above mentioned services in some coutries or regions, please check your local laws. Mikatech does not take any responsibility in relation to the use of above mentioned services that may be considered illegal.

  
  
• I sent you an email, why there is no answer ?

  • A. Our mail server is temperally broke down, your message has not been delivered to our mailbox even the mail sent successfully message is showed on the screen, please contact us again.
  • B. Our email is recognised as junk mail email by your mail server, so our reply has been rejected by your mail server or it is diverted to your junk mailbox, please remove our account from junkmail list or check your junk mailbox, or use another email account to contact such as gmail.
  • C. Your email is recognised as junk mail email by our mail server, so your email was put to our junk mailbox, please use another email account to contact us again.

• What is The File Delivered for Production after PCB Clone ?

  After completing a PCB cloning process, the final goal is typically to manufacture physical boards that match the original. To hand over the cloned design to a PCB fabrication and assembly house, you need to provide a specific set of production‑ready files. These files are the standard deliverables that any manufacturer requires to fabricate the bare board, solder components, and perform quality checks.

  The most critical files are the ①. Gerber files, which are the industry‑standard format for describing each physical layer of the PCB. A complete Gerber set includes separate files for the copper traces on each layer (top, bottom, and any internal planes), the solder mask layers (top and bottom), the silkscreen or legend layers (component outlines and reference designators), and the solder paste stencil layers (used for surface‑mount assembly). Without a full and accurate Gerber package, the manufacturer cannot produce the copper patterns or the protective coatings.

  Equally important is the NC drill file, typically in Excellon format. This file specifies the exact size and location of every hole that must be drilled, including through‑holes for components and vias that connect different layers. The drill file must be perfectly aligned with the Gerber data; otherwise, the holes will not match the pads, rendering the board unusable.

  For component assembly, you also need a ②. Bill of Materials (BOM) – a detailed list of every component used on the board, including its reference designator, value, tolerance, package type, and manufacturer part number. The BOM is essential for procurement and for ensuring that the correct parts are placed in the correct positions.

  In addition, you should supply a pick‑and‑place file (also called centroid or XY file). This file contains the X‑Y coordinates, rotation angles, and side (top or bottom) for each surface‑mount component. Automated assembly machines use this file to place components with high precision. Some manufacturers also require an assembly drawing or schematic printout to clarify component orientation, polarity markings, and special assembly notes.

  Finally, for testing purposes, a netlist – a list of all electrical connections between component pins – is often provided so that the manufacturer can perform continuity and isolation tests (e.g., flying‑probe or bed‑of‑nails testing). This helps verify that the fabricated board matches the cloned design electrically.

  In practice, all these files are compressed into a single archive (usually a ZIP file) and sent to the PCB manufacturer. The manufacturer will then run a Design Rule Check (DRC) against these files to confirm that the design meets their production capabilities. Providing a complete, error‑free set of Gerbers, drill files, BOM, pick‑and‑place data, and netlist ensures a smooth transition from cloning to mass production, with minimal back‑and‑forth and a high chance of first‑pass success.

  Generating a schematic ③. diagram from a cloned PCB is essentially the reverse of the standard design flow—you start with a physical board and work backward to create a logical, readable circuit drawing. This process is known as schematic capture in reverse, and it is not fully automated; it requires significant manual effort, engineering judgment, and careful cross‑referencing.

  The first step is to extract the netlist from the cloned physical board. This netlist is a raw, text‑based list of every electrical connection—which component pin is connected to which other component pin. If you have already recreated the PCB layout digitally using CAD software (by tracing the scanned images of the copper layers), most PCB design tools have a built‑in function that can automatically generate this netlist from the layout data. Alternatively, if you used a multimeter to manually map continuity for a simple board, you can compile that connectivity information into a netlist file manually.

  Once the netlist is ready, you import it into a schematic capture tool such as Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCAD, or Eagle. These tools allow you to create a new schematic project and then import the netlist as a set of “wires” that need to be connected between component symbols. However, the netlist does not contain any visual placement information—it only tells you which pins must be joined. At this stage, you must place all the component symbols (resistors, capacitors, ICs, connectors, etc.) onto the schematic canvas, using the Bill of Materials (BOM) you previously documented to determine each part’s footprint and pinout.

  The core work now becomes manual routing of the logical connections. As you place each symbol, you use the netlist as a guide, drawing wires between the appropriate pins. This is where experience is crucial, because a netlist alone does not reveal the functional blocks of the circuit—it is just a jumble of connections. A skilled engineer groups components by function, such as power supply sections, microcontroller units, signal conditioning stages, or communication interfaces. By studying the component types, their datasheets, and the pattern of connections, you reconstruct the circuit hierarchy and draw the schematic in a clean, structured way that is far more readable than the physical board layout.

  During this process, you must constantly cross‑reference with the original high‑resolution photographs and the physical board itself. The layout may reveal clues such as thick traces for power paths, differential pairs for high‑speed signals, or decoupling capacitors placed near ICs, all of which help you infer the designer’s intent and correctly annotate the schematic with proper net names like VCC, GND, I2C_SCL, or RESET. You also add reference designators (R1, C2, U3) that match the silkscreen on the cloned board for easy traceability.

  After you finish drawing all the connections, you run an Electrical Rules Check (ERC) within the CAD software. The ERC flags common errors such as unconnected pins, short circuits, or driving outputs incorrectly. You then compare this generated schematic against the netlist from the layout to ensure that every single connection in the netlist is represented exactly by a wire on the schematic. If a mismatch is found, you correct the drawing until the two match perfectly.

  Finally, to ensure the generated diagram is truly accurate, you can perform a design synchronization or “forward annotation” – you push the completed schematic back to the PCB layout tool and let the software compare the new logical connectivity with the existing physical routing. If all the nets align, you have successfully regenerated a valid and complete schematic diagram. The resulting file is typically saved in the CAD tool’s native format (e.g., .SchDoc for Altium, .kicad_sch for KiCad) and can also be exported as a PDF or image for documentation. Keep in mind that this generated diagram is a logical recreation of the board’s electrical function, not a 1:1 mirror of the physical copper paths. It strips away routing details to present a clean, hierarchical representation of the circuit, which is invaluable for future repairs, modifications, or redesigns.