09-08, 10:00–10:40 (Europe/Berlin), Main Stage
This talk documents the reverse-engineering journey behind the OpenOrCadParser project, which implements a proof-of-concept OrCAD parser. Starting from scratch in 2021, we will walk through a systematic approach of decoding the binary DSN/OLB file formats.
- Container Analysis: Discovering that OrCAD files use Microsoft's Compound File Binary Format (CFBF), which unlocks the ability to extract and analyze individual data streams.
- Getting the Alignment Right: Using hex editors to identify dynamic structures and achieve correct parsing alignment, enabling a robust full-stream parser.
- Understanding the Content: Decoding the meaning and purpose of bits and bytes to extract meaningful schematic information.
The result is a proof-of-concept parser enabling an independently developed OrCAD to KiCad importer.
Dominik Wernberger is an embedded software engineer and freelancer based near Munich, Germany, specializing in embedded systems security and low-level software development. He is the author of OpenOrCadParser, an open-source project that reverse-engineers the proprietary OrCAD file format.