'Open Circuits' Slices Everyday Electronics to Reveal Their Surprisingly Stunning Insides — Colossal - Colossal

A photo of a cross-section of a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack

A cross-section of a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. All images © Open Circuits

Whether the invisible circuitry that powers our phones or the bundled cables that transport sound and data, it’s easy to appreciate common technologies for their functional purposes and simplification of daily life. A recently released book from No Starch Press, though, treasures these components for the artistry of their engineering and highlights the intricacy and elegance inherent within each design.

Open Circuits: The Inner Beauty of Electronic Components features photographs of 130 technologies cross-cut or altered to reveal their otherwise hidden elements. Written by Windell Oskay and Eric Schlaepfer, the book features a vast array of objects like headphone jacks, HDMI cables, and even retro neon lamps as it offers nearly impossible glimpses for those of us interested in keeping our devices intact. Each page is both a dive into technological history and an ode to the evolution and aesthetics of electronics themselves.

Although Open Circuits is currently back-ordered on Bookshop, the publisher says that more copies should be available within the coming weeks. Until then, check out the book’s site and watch the making-of video below. (via Kottke)

A 5 x 7 LED matrix display with rows and columns

An alphanumeric display on a hybrid ceramic circuit

The ten-layer circuit board from a smartphone

A photo of the inside of a flexible power cable from a Macbook Pro

The flexible power cable from a Macbook Pro

An HDMI cable

A cross-section of a quarter-inch phono plug from a guitar cable

Vintage integrated circuits in TO-99 metal can packages

#books #electronics #Eric Schlaepfer #Windell Oskay

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