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Open Circuits – No Starch Press [pdf] (opens in new tab)

nostarch.com

320 pointsntoslinux3y ago43 comments

43 comments

djmips3y ago

This is just chapter one [a preview] of the forthcoming book. Retitle?

https://nostarch.com/open-circuits

csours3y ago

Tim Hunkin created some amazing films in this vein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlrbMHLBd4&list=PLtaR0lZhSy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JAgXz6xO0s&list=PLtaR0lZhSy...

Abishek_Muthian3y ago

Excellent resource, Thank you very much!

geerlingguy3y ago

Bought this book the second I found it. It's incredibly well-put together, and I can't wait for the print edition. I have already read through the PDF, and there are so many beautiful illustrations that help show what is actually happening inside a component.

csours3y ago

I'm getting into electronics again. I really wish that younger me had access to this book. I remember taking apart a VCR and seeing the knobs inside (potentiometers) and wondering why there were knobs INSIDE where the user couldn't do anything? Was there some secret function that I could unlock by changing the position? Alas, the secret function was "eat the VCR cassette tape".

krasin3y ago

Thank you for making me realize it's something I can pay money for. Bought the book right away.

They give an DRM-free PDF eBook right away and will ship a paper version later.

Koshkin3y ago

I wish Ken Shirriff [1], too, published a book like this. Such a treasure.

[1] http://www.righto.com/

kens3y ago

Maybe someday :-) If I ever focus on one subject long enough for a book...

CamperBob23y ago

Just print your blog to .PDF or .PS and send it to these guys for printing. I'm in for a copy!

drifkin3y ago

turns out that Ken Shirriff is the technical reviewer for this book! (I saw this in the early access PDF)

greenbit3y ago

A 50 page look inside real circuit components that have been cunningly sliced through to reveal the home of the magic smoke.

Jtsummers3y ago

A 50 page chapter, the book is 304 pages this link is just chapter 1:

https://nostarch.com/open-circuits - also contains a link to this same PDF.

mhb3y ago

Some previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31942329

chirau3y ago

I love No Starch Press.

Apart from their more popular ones like Eloquent Javascript and Automate The Boring Stuff, i have discovered several nice gems in their catalogue which they keep small and of really high quality.

I haven't been disappointed by any of the books i have purchased from them... 14 to be exact.

mtremsal3y ago

I’ve really enjoyed The Secret Life of Programs by Jonathan E. Steinhart. From analog signals, to gates, to cpus and memory, and so on all the way up. Very cool concept, well executed.

billpollock3y ago

That's a beautiful book

billpollock3y ago

surfpel3y ago

Here's a podcast they did on the Embedded FM podcast: https://embedded.fm/episodes/419

JKCalhoun3y ago

Big fan of Windell Oskay and his stuff. I wandered into Evil Mad Scientists Laboratories many years ago (in Sunnyvale, as I recall) and I believe I met him but it was a decade ago....

Over the years I picked up a clock that used LED shadows cast onto a gnomon to create the clock's "hands".

Picked up a Peggy — giant LED display board.

And then some weird plywood thing with marbles and chutes that was a kind of mechanical adder..... I think that was when I went in and chatted.

tubetime3y ago

co-author here, feel free to ask questions.

adhesive_wombat3y ago

What tools did you use to cut these components with such precision and lack of burring?

ncmncm3y ago

Sandpaper of increasing fineness.

And patience. Lots of patience.

adhesive_wombat3y ago

How did you hold the items securely while sanding them down? Standard hand vices or some kind of custom jigs?

1 more reply

tubetime3y ago

we used a variety of tools: diamond saws, polishing wheels, hacksaws, and a lot of sandpaper.

many of the samples had to be mounted using clamps or dop wax.

ignaloidas3y ago

What is something that you wanted to fit into the book but weren't able to?

tubetime3y ago

we had a good number of subjects that didn't make it into the book. some we were not able to section in a way that looked as good as the rest, and others were redundant or didn't quite fit with the theme.

csours3y ago

I just ordered the book - do you talk about how you made the cutaways in the book? Very cool! I wish younger me had access to this.

tubetime3y ago

yes, there is a "behind the scenes" chapter that goes into some of the methods we used, including photographic techniques.

geerlingguy3y ago

If there's ever a new edition to this book (it's so thorough, not sure if that's possible), I would sit and watch any video footage of the process for hours :)

mcpherrinm3y ago

How close is the current Early Access PDF to what you think the final book will be?

tubetime3y ago

very close, we made some minor fixes before going to press.

samwestdev3y ago

Is the book suitable for beginners?

tubetime3y ago

most definitely!

gkhartman3y ago

This is really neat. It brought back some childhood memories of attempting to cut open components, only to find that I'd turned their insides to dust in the process. Sending thanks to the authors for fulfilling a want that I didn't know I still had.

fredgrott3y ago

Do not tempt, I first picked up calculus due to electronics way before my high school classes introduced it due to an electronics book like this.

kristianp3y ago

How does an electronics book lead you to Calculus?

wrycoder3y ago

Circuits involving capacitors and inductors lead you to differential and integral equations, if you want to know the time dependence of the voltages and currents in the circuits.

vivegi3y ago

This is so cool! What a nice way to show the intersection of theory, practice, engineering and exposition.

boringg3y ago

Wow impressive. All killer, no filler.

rychco3y ago

I love no starch. Their books are always great, both in print quality and content.

jgrauman3y ago

When does the print version come out?

billpollock3y ago

We should have them in the warehouse in about a month for early shipment to people buying direct from us.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

43 comments

djmips3y ago

This is just chapter one [a preview] of the forthcoming book. Retitle?

https://nostarch.com/open-circuits

csours3y ago

Tim Hunkin created some amazing films in this vein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlrbMHLBd4&list=PLtaR0lZhSy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JAgXz6xO0s&list=PLtaR0lZhSy...

Abishek_Muthian3y ago

Excellent resource, Thank you very much!

geerlingguy3y ago

csours3y ago

krasin3y ago

Thank you for making me realize it's something I can pay money for. Bought the book right away.

They give an DRM-free PDF eBook right away and will ship a paper version later.

Koshkin3y ago

I wish Ken Shirriff [1], too, published a book like this. Such a treasure.

[1] http://www.righto.com/

kens3y ago

Maybe someday :-) If I ever focus on one subject long enough for a book...

CamperBob23y ago

Just print your blog to .PDF or .PS and send it to these guys for printing. I'm in for a copy!

drifkin3y ago

turns out that Ken Shirriff is the technical reviewer for this book! (I saw this in the early access PDF)

greenbit3y ago

A 50 page look inside real circuit components that have been cunningly sliced through to reveal the home of the magic smoke.

Jtsummers3y ago

A 50 page chapter, the book is 304 pages this link is just chapter 1:

https://nostarch.com/open-circuits - also contains a link to this same PDF.

mhb3y ago

Some previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31942329

chirau3y ago

I love No Starch Press.

Apart from their more popular ones like Eloquent Javascript and Automate The Boring Stuff, i have discovered several nice gems in their catalogue which they keep small and of really high quality.

I haven't been disappointed by any of the books i have purchased from them... 14 to be exact.

mtremsal3y ago

I’ve really enjoyed The Secret Life of Programs by Jonathan E. Steinhart. From analog signals, to gates, to cpus and memory, and so on all the way up. Very cool concept, well executed.

billpollock3y ago

That's a beautiful book

billpollock3y ago

surfpel3y ago

Here's a podcast they did on the Embedded FM podcast: https://embedded.fm/episodes/419

JKCalhoun3y ago

Big fan of Windell Oskay and his stuff. I wandered into Evil Mad Scientists Laboratories many years ago (in Sunnyvale, as I recall) and I believe I met him but it was a decade ago....

Over the years I picked up a clock that used LED shadows cast onto a gnomon to create the clock's "hands".

Picked up a Peggy — giant LED display board.

And then some weird plywood thing with marbles and chutes that was a kind of mechanical adder..... I think that was when I went in and chatted.

tubetime3y ago

co-author here, feel free to ask questions.

adhesive_wombat3y ago

What tools did you use to cut these components with such precision and lack of burring?

ncmncm3y ago

Sandpaper of increasing fineness.

And patience. Lots of patience.

adhesive_wombat3y ago

How did you hold the items securely while sanding them down? Standard hand vices or some kind of custom jigs?

1 more reply

tubetime3y ago

we used a variety of tools: diamond saws, polishing wheels, hacksaws, and a lot of sandpaper.

many of the samples had to be mounted using clamps or dop wax.

ignaloidas3y ago

What is something that you wanted to fit into the book but weren't able to?

tubetime3y ago

csours3y ago

I just ordered the book - do you talk about how you made the cutaways in the book? Very cool! I wish younger me had access to this.

tubetime3y ago

yes, there is a "behind the scenes" chapter that goes into some of the methods we used, including photographic techniques.

geerlingguy3y ago

If there's ever a new edition to this book (it's so thorough, not sure if that's possible), I would sit and watch any video footage of the process for hours :)

mcpherrinm3y ago

How close is the current Early Access PDF to what you think the final book will be?

tubetime3y ago

very close, we made some minor fixes before going to press.

samwestdev3y ago

Is the book suitable for beginners?

tubetime3y ago

most definitely!

gkhartman3y ago

fredgrott3y ago

Do not tempt, I first picked up calculus due to electronics way before my high school classes introduced it due to an electronics book like this.

kristianp3y ago

How does an electronics book lead you to Calculus?

wrycoder3y ago

Circuits involving capacitors and inductors lead you to differential and integral equations, if you want to know the time dependence of the voltages and currents in the circuits.

vivegi3y ago

This is so cool! What a nice way to show the intersection of theory, practice, engineering and exposition.

boringg3y ago

Wow impressive. All killer, no filler.

rychco3y ago

I love no starch. Their books are always great, both in print quality and content.

jgrauman3y ago

When does the print version come out?

billpollock3y ago

We should have them in the warehouse in about a month for early shipment to people buying direct from us.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse