It would appear that the board I worked on here utilises these, as a number of components appear to be missing connections. Addendum: since writing this instructable I have discovered there are such things as "blind vias" - where the hole only goes part-way through the pcb and is connected to an inner layer only. I'm pleased to say that after creating the diagram, I was able to use it to confirm the suspected faulty part. I assume it's completely hidden in some way. I also discovered as a result of this project that completely hidden traces can exist - in my diagram there is a transistor with it's base apparently unconnected, but I can't find a connection or through hole for it. I'm sure another workaround can be found, if it isn't. Windows versions are available of the main tools, Gimp, Inkscape, AutoTrace and Dia, but I don't know if a Windows version is available of the utility pstoedit, needed for an unfortunate extra workaround step.
All the editing was done on a laptop running Linux. These methods arise partly from the photographs I took being too unevenly lit and inadequately sharp. At a higher level of complexity, as on the board shown in this project, I decided there were too many tracks for hand tracing to be reliable, and used the graphical techniques described. The next "level" of complexity from a simple, drawable board, would probably be a good candidate for the tracing methods described in step 16 of this instructable, missing out all the image editing procedures, and modified accordingly. For complex boards, it is too easy to lose your place using this method. For simple boards, it is probably better to use pencil and paper to draw the board onto squared paper, replacing components with their symbols, and changing track crossing places to avoid components. Without the need to invent the process, things should progress more quickly. However, I believe the basic procedure is essentially correct for the majority of boards which are too complex to reliably hand trace. The steps presented here are not exact, and you will no doubt find your own way of working which is more effective in the case of any particular board. The process proved to be very long and painstaking, but also very rewarding. This project is a result of needing to service a domestic electronic item without being able to obtain a circuit diagram.
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