Open Circuits: The Inner Beauty of Electronic Components

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Two pieces of ferrite ceramic are bonded together to form the magnetic core at the heart of the transformer. They’re used, for example, in some types of power supplies to convert between voltages by alternately storing and releasing energy.

A ceramic rod is coated with a fine layer of resistive film (thin metal, metal oxide, or carbon) and then a perfectly uniform helical groove is machined into the film. 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. Each page is both a dive into technological history and an ode to the evolution and aesthetics of electronics themselves. The authors have done an outstanding job in etching and cleaning up the components, allowing readers to see the intricate details of each component in high-quality photos.

I don't actually know much about electronic components, so I was somewhat reluctant to take the plunge and get this, but then I spotted it on sale and snatched it up, and I'm glad I did.

There are things that are invisible to our eyes, but which definitely have a vital importance in our world. From resistors to LEDs, USB cables to headphone jacks, the book's arresting imagery transforms more than 130 components into delightful works of art.Its fundamental purpose is to make the current perform its useful work, for example: to light a light bulb (luminous energy), to start an engine (mechanical energy) or a stove (thermal energy). Still, every chapter had something I enjoyed, and I definitely have a new appreciation for my smartphone. We used focus-stacking software to digitally combine pictures taken at different camera positions, stitching them together like a panorama where the entire subject is sharp and in focus.