Critical
Protection gaps
Missing ESD protection on exposed inputs, no reverse polarity protection on a reversible connector, no current limit on a port that will eventually see a short.
Independent PCB Design Review
Expert PCB design review that catches the costly flaws before fabrication
An independent review of your schematic and PCB layout by an electronics engineer with 20+ years of experience. Find the problems while they still cost hours, not a board respin.
2 to 3 day turnaround
Clients in 15+ countries
NDA on request
No strings attached
20+
years reviewing production hardware
20+ yearsIn electronics design
15+Countries served
2 to 3 daysTypical turnaround
Native filesAltium, KiCad, EasyEDA and more
Why it pays for itself
A respin costs weeks of delay and thousands in rework. A review costs a fraction of one.
The engineer who designed the board knows it best, and that is exactly the problem. After weeks on a design, blind spots accumulate. An independent reviewer reads the same schematic with fresh assumptions and routinely catches what the original team stopped seeing: a missing protection device, a derating margin too tight for worst case, a return path that crosses a plane split, a thermal pad that will not carry the real current. This is a dedicated PCB design review service: an independent PCB design audit and pre-production check across schematic, layout, and manufacturability before you commit to a fabrication run.
What a review catches
The issues that show up again and again
Every board is different, but the same categories of costly mistake keep appearing. These are the ones a review is built to surface.
Important
Component margins
Parts running too close to their voltage, current, or temperature rating at worst case. Capacitors derated wrongly for DC bias. MOSFETs at the edge of their safe operating area.
Critical
Layout and signal integrity
High-speed signals crossing reference plane splits, grounds joined in the wrong place, decoupling too far from the pin, sensitive analog routed beside switching power.
Important
Manufacturability
Placement the assembly house cannot reach, tombstone risk on small passives, solder mask too thin, outline tolerances that fight the chosen fabricator.
Suggestion
Testability
Missing test points on power rails, no access to programming pins, no clean way to provoke a fault during production test.
Critical
Standards and compliance
Creepage and clearance short of the target safety standard, pre-compliance EMC risks that fail in the chamber, connectors incompatible with your target certifications.
What you receive
A report you can act on the same day
Written report
Every finding documented with location, severity, the reason it matters, and a specific recommendation.
Snippets and diagrams
Where a picture makes it clearer, the report includes schematic snippets, layout captures, and diagrams that point to the exact spot.
Severity ranking
Findings sorted into critical, important, and suggestion, so you fix what matters first. No unprioritised list to sift through.
Root cause, not symptom
Each finding explains what it would cause in production or in the field, and exactly what to do instead.
Walk-through call
A live discussion of the report so questions get answered and recommendations can be clarified or scoped down.
Review coverage
From a single schematic to the whole system
Schematic review
- Circuit functionality and correctness
- Component selection and ratings
- Protection (ESD, overvoltage, reverse polarity)
- Power supply design and decoupling
- Signal integrity and testability
PCB layout review
- Placement and routing
- Power distribution and grounding
- High-speed signal routing
- Thermal management and EMC
- Manufacturability (DFM and DFA)
System review
- Architecture and partitioning
- Interface definitions
- Power budget analysis
- Compliance with standards
- Production and reliability
How it works
A clear path from files to fixes
1
Scope
I discuss the design with you, learn your specific concerns, and agree the depth of review.
2
Files
You send schematics, layout, BOM, and any relevant specifications or context.
3
Review
A systematic examination of every aspect, with each issue logged by location and severity.
4
Report
Findings compiled with prioritised recommendations and supporting snippets and diagrams.
5
Call
A walk-through of the findings so you leave with a clear plan of what to change.
Who reviews your design
George Saliba
An electronics design engineer with 20+ years of professional experience across analog, digital, RF, and power designs, delivered to clients in 15+ countries. Your board is read by someone who has shipped hardware like it, not handed to a checklist.
See the project portfolio
Questions
Frequently asked
What does an expert PCB design review actually cover?
Schematic correctness and component selection, PCB layout including routing and grounding, power integrity and decoupling, signal integrity, EMC and EMI risks, thermal behaviour, manufacturability (DFM), testability (DFT), and compliance with the standards your product is targeting. Findings are written up with severity, location on the design, why each one matters, and a specific recommendation.
At what stage of the design should I request a review?
Earlier is cheaper. A schematic review before layout catches architectural and component issues when they cost a few hours of rework. A layout review before tape-out catches routing and EMC issues when they cost a board respin. A review of an existing failing prototype is also useful, but the earlier the engagement, the more value the review delivers.
What file formats do you accept for review?
Native Altium, KiCad, and EasyEDA project files are preferred, and reviewing native files is generally cheaper and more accurate because nothing is lost in export. PDF schematics, Gerber output, ODB++, IPC-2581, and BOM CSVs are all accepted. The more the source files include, the deeper the review can go.
How is the review delivered?
A written report with findings ranked by severity (critical, important, suggestion), each with the location, the reason it matters, and a specific recommendation. Snippets and diagrams are included in the report where they make a finding clearer. A walk-through call is included so the design owner can ask questions and clarify the recommendations.
Is the design review service confidential?
Yes. Design files and the contents of the review remain confidential. NDAs are signed where requested before any files are shared.
How quickly can a review be turned around?
A scoped review of a small or medium-complexity board typically completes within 2 to 3 days of receiving the design files, subject to current availability. More complex designs take up to a week. Lead time is confirmed up front in the scope discussion.
Do you offer a pre-production PCB design audit before I release to fabrication?
Yes. A pre-production check is the core of the service: a full PCB design audit across schematic, layout, power and signal integrity, EMC risk, thermal behaviour, and design for manufacturing, so problems are found on screen rather than on a failed board. KiCad, Altium, and EasyEDA projects are all reviewed.
Ready when you are
Get expert eyes on your board before it ships
Send the design and get it back with a prioritised list of what to fix and why. It is a standalone review with no strings attached, so you are never committed to any further work.
Request a Design Review