Open Circuits

The Inner Beauty of Electronic Components

by ,

English language

Published Jan. 28, 2022 by No Starch Press, Incorporated.

ISBN:
978-1-7185-0234-5
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5 stars (2 reviews)

Open Circuits is a photographic exploration of the beautiful design inside everyday electronics. Its stunning cross-section photography unlocks a hidden world full of elegance, subtle complexity, and wonder.

Our phones, computers, and appliances are made of hundreds of internal components, each precisely engineered to perform a certain function, but none intended to actually be seen. Through painstakingly executed, vividly detailed cross-section photography, Open Circuits reveals the surprising—and often accidental—beauty hiding inside the electronic components that drive our everyday devices.

From resistors to LEDs, USB cables to headphone jacks, stepper motors to nixie tubes, the book’s arresting imagery transforms more than 130 components into delightful works of art. As you visually dissect the components’ insides, you’ll learn about how they work and how they were made. Open Circuits has something for everyone to appreciate, whether you’re a seasoned electrical engineer, an amateur tinkerer, or simply a lover of art and photography.

1 edition

reviewed Open Circuits by Windell Oskay

A lovely book about the insides of electrical and electronic components.

5 stars

A lovely book about electrical and electronic components that will delight those who have ever wondered what the insides of them look like. Lots of photographs showing the details of the components can be found in the book, along with descriptions of what they are made out of.

The book covers passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors), semiconductors (individual transistors, diodes, chip packages), electromechanical parts (switches), cables and connectors (including jacks), retro technology (Nixie tubes) and composite devices (MicroSD cards, credit chip cards).

If you have ever wondered how an electrical or electronic part looks like or works, you may find yourself mesmerized by the details in the book. One thing I picked up: the correct name for the nine-pin serial connector is DE-9, not DB-9.

reviewed Open Circuits by Windell Oskay

Beautiful guide into electronics engineering

5 stars

The book which should be probably better called an album, unravels the beautiful world of electronics engineering - how all these micro-elements are made, what they have inside, what tricks their designers needed to apply to work around physical limitations and of course how they actually work. Each element is accompanied by a brief description and a cross-cut section of actually dissected element. Great read for anyone interested in not only electronics but general engineering, and possibly an inspiration for those with an artistic soul.

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