On 11/03/2021 22:08, Steve Walker wrote:
On 11/03/2021 21:52, Tim Streater wrote:
On 11 Mar 2021 at 20:20:04 GMT, John Rumm
wrote:

On 11/03/2021 16:38, Jeff Layman wrote:

Â* I can't see a way round that if it is considered commercially
confidential.

You can't really argue that access to a part is commercially
confidential - the internal design of it perhaps.

Even access to a schematic and board view is not really confidential
since once you have access to the physical board, you can reverse
engineer the schematic.

Even on a multi-layer board? Well I could see GCHQ doing that, but a
repairer?

That's the problem, lack of a schematic makes it too much effort for a
repairer, but does not stop a pirate who wants to produce their own
copies and where the effort is worthwhile. Effectively there is no good
reason not to make schematics available.

No help at all faced with a 64 contact SMD PGA whose internals are
proprietary.

Design moved on from PCB layout to chip level years ago...
....and faced with that, our local Belarusian 'I fix your Apple OK?' has
a bunch of dead smartphones that he simply swaps parts from until the
customers set works


--
€œIt is hard to imagine a more stupid decision or more dangerous way of
making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people
who pay no price for being wrong.€�

Thomas Sowell