Open Circuits is a visual explanation of electronics through careful cross-sections and macro-photography. The purpose is to show you the literal inner workings of circuit-boards, components, and even cables and connectors. If you have ever found yourself curious what’s going on inside a headphone jack, rocker switch, diode, or even the ten-layer PCB of your smartphone, this is the book for you.
The photography is all gorgeous, with the author taking extreme care to build stacked focus so that every piece of every component comes through crystal clear. You are able to see the multiple layers of copper, with vias through each board connecting the complex circuitry that makes up a smartphone, for example. You are guided through the different chemical components that make up a semi-conductor. And through all of this, the seeming magic that make up black boxes like ethernet decoders are elucidated shining light on something that underlies every one of our lives at some level, guiding you into the mystery.
This book is perfect for children, students, engineers, and really anyone who is curious about what these components are and how they work. It also makes an excellent coffee-table book, with any page you open and flip to guaranteed to delight.