// Reverse Engineering

Sougayilang DTR 40L Fishing Reel — Reverse Engineering

Full teardown, measurement, and CAD reconstruction of a commercial conventional fishing reel.

Red-and-black Sougayilang DTR 40L conventional fishing reel held in hand during the reverse-engineering teardown.

Overview

Full reverse-engineering study of the Burning Shark ECT15R spinning fishing reel: how it works, why each part exists, and how the assembly comes together.

Approach

I disassembled the reel completely, catalogued every component, measured key features with calipers, and reconstructed each part in SolidWorks. The assembly was then rebuilt digitally to verify fit and function. A functional analysis traced the load path from line tension through the rotor, gearing, and drag system back to the user.

Figures

Assembled Sougayilang DTR 40L fishing reel before disassembly. — Subject reel before teardown.

Reel side plate and internal spool/gear assembly separated during teardown, with sorted hardware tray below. — Mid-teardown — side plate, spool/gear stack, and sorted hardware on the bench.

My contribution

Solo teardown, measurement, CAD reconstruction, and technical write-up — including exploded views and a bill of materials.

Result

A complete CAD model and functional report that explains how the reel converts handle rotation into line retrieval, how the drag system manages overload, and how the anti-reverse mechanism prevents back-spin.

Next project

Golf Prosthetic →

Capstone · Human-Centered Design