Windell Oskay and Eric Schlaepfer, of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and Tube Time respectively, have penned a e book which appears to be like at electronics another way — actually slicing issues in half to disclose design options that evade the on a regular basis eye: Open Circuits.

“Open Circuits is a espresso desk e book filled with cross-section images of digital elements, together with photographs of these elements in context, and descriptions of how they work,” Oskay explains of the e book, printed by No Starch Press and launched this week.

Described as a “photographic exploration of the surprisingly lovely design ready to be found inside on a regular basis digital units,” Open Circuits covers a gamut of expertise new and outdated — opening with a take a look at “easy” passive elements and dealing its method by semiconductors, electromechanical units, cables and connectors, retro expertise, and composite units — earlier than providing a behind-the-scenes take a look at how the cross-sectional imagery was created.

In assist of the e book’s launch, the authors have launched a web site providing high-resolution digital variations of among the 130 elements lined in its pages — together with “outtake” pictures that by no means made it to print.

The e book is now out there from a variety of shops linked from the official web site at $39.99, whereas these buying immediately from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories can have their copy signed at no extra cost.