Windell Oskay and Eric Schlaepfer's Open Circuits Digs Into the Hidden Design of Electronic Parts

Windell Oskay and Eric Schlaepfer, of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and Tube Time respectively, have penned a book which looks at electronics in a different way — literally slicing things in half to reveal design features that evade the everyday eye: Open Circuits.

"Open Circuits is a coffee table book full of cross-section photographs of electronic components, along with photos of those components in context, and descriptions of how they work," Oskay explains of the book, published by No Starch Press and launched this week.

Described as a "photographic exploration of the surprisingly beautiful design waiting to be discovered inside everyday electronic devices," Open Circuits covers a gamut of technology new and old — opening with a look at "simple" passive components and working its way through semiconductors, electromechanical devices, cables and connectors, retro technology, and composite devices — before offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the cross-sectional imagery was created.

In support of the book's launch, the authors have launched a website offering high-resolution digital versions of some of the 130 components covered in its pages — along with "outtake" images that never made it to print.

The book is now available from a range of outlets linked from the official website at $39.99, while those purchasing directly from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories can have their copy signed at no additional charge.