Did you know about this book?

If you were following my newsletter 2-3 years ago, you might remember 9 Circuits.

That was a very popular ebook I wrote and sold back then.

So when No Starch Press approached me suggesting we should create a new book together based on 9 Circuits, I thought:

“It’s going to be better designed, better edited, and reach a bigger audience… Yeah, let’s do it!”

And then we did it.

I usually send out a lot of emails when I release a new product.

But this one, I barely mentioned.

Why?

The reason was that I misunderstood some “lawyer language” in the contract.

So when the book was published, I was left confused about how to sell it without breaking the contract.

They suggested I could sell the old version.

But I didn’t want to sell the old book when the new one was upgraded and much better!

I want the best for my customers.

And the best was the new one.

So I just stopped selling the old book.

And I kind of just let the new book live it’s own life, without my involvement.

A bit later, the founder Bill Pollock contacted me. We had a chat and we sorted things out.

So we are all good.

And now I finally got myself around to set up a sales page and offer it to you. I have stocks both in the UK and the US.

This book is available in print.

And with an optional component kit for building the circuits.

By the way – the kit is the exact same kit as the one we use in Ohmify. So you can reuse the components for both.

If you’re curious about the book, check out the following page with more info: https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/circuits/

Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

New way to identify, manipulate topological metals for spintronics

A recent study gives researchers an easier way of finding Weyl semimetals and manipulating them for potential spintronic devices.

Glass from a 3D printer

ETH researchers used a 3D printing process to produce complex and highly porous glass objects. The basis for this is a special resin that can be cured with UV light.

New Course: Blinking Christmas Lights

Christmas is coming up in about a month. And it’s time to build some Christmas things with electronics.

So I just added a new course project to the Ohmify library: The Blinking Christmas Lights

https://ohmify.com/courses/blinking-christmas-lights/

In this project, you’ll build a circuit that will flash a bunch of LEDs. Place them on the fireplace, in the window, or hang them on a tree for a nice Christmassy effect.

You’ll learn how to go from blinking just one LED, to blinking lots of LEDs. Or even lightbulbs.

That might sound simple (and it is), but you’ll learn some very useful stuff about using transistors and integrated circuits that I’m sure will come in handy in a lot of your future projects.

This is just one of many courses, projects, and tutorials you’ll get access to as an Ohmify member.

But the thing our members appreciate the most (according to the latest reviews about Ohmify on Google) is the ability to ask questions on the community forum.

All questions are welcome. Simple. Advanced. About your own projects. About other projects.

Click the link below to sign up:

https://ohmify.com/join/

Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

Novel memory device can be written on and read out optically or electrically

Scientists have developed a novel storage technology based on the combination of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and an insulator.

Scratching the surface of perovskites

Scientists have, for the first time, characterized the structural defects that prompt the movement of ions, destabilizing the perovskite materials. The researchers' findings may inform future engineering approaches to optimize perovskite solar cells.

Beyond Moore's Law: Taking transistor arrays into the third dimension

Silicon integrated circuits, which are used in computer processors, are approaching the maximum feasible density of transistors on a single chip -- at least, in two-dimensional arrays.

Boosting 5G technology

A new project may boost 5G and mm-Wave technologies, improving military communications and sensing equipment.

Breaking (and restoring) graphene's symmetry in a twistable electronics device

A recent study demonstrates a new way to tune the properties of 2D materials simply by adjusting the twist angle between them. The researchers built devices consisting of monolayer graphene encapsulated between two crystals of boron nitride and, by adjusting the relative twist angle between the layers, they were able to create multiple moiré pattern--''the first time anyone has seen the full rotational dependence of coexisting moiré superlattices in one device.''

Making tiny antennas for wearable electronics

When it comes to electronics, bigger usually isn't better. This is especially true for a new generation of wearable communication systems that promise to connect people, machines and other objects in a wireless 'internet of things.' To make the devices small and comfortable enough to wear, scientists need to miniaturize their components. Now, researchers have made the tiniest radio-frequency antennas reported yet, with thicknesses of about 1/100 of a human hair.

A super-fast 'light switch' for future cars and computers

Switching light beams quickly is important in many technological applications. Researchers have now developed an 'electro-opto-mechanical' switch for light beams that is considerably smaller and faster than current models. This is relevant for applications such as self-driving cars and optical quantum technologies.

Clean carbon nanotubes with superb properties

Scientists have found a new way to make ultra-clean carbon nanotube transistors with superior semiconducting properties.

Light-sensing camera may help detect extraterrestrial life, dark matter

Researchers have made one of the highest-performance cameras ever composed of sensors that count single photons, or particles of light.

Discovery in ferroelectric material reveals unique property, application potential

A discovery from a team of physicists and other researchers is breaking new ground in the study of ferroelectricity, a characteristic of certain dielectric materials that are used in high-technology applications.

Kick-starting Moore's Law? New 'synthetic' method for making microchips could help

Researchers have developed a new method for producing atomically-thin semiconducting crystals that could one day enable more powerful and compact electronic devices.

Did you build the blinking light?

I cannot count how many times I’ve connected my battery to a freshly built circuit and…

…nothing.

In the last email I sent last week, my goal was to convince you to try and build the blinking light circuit.

Here are the build instructions:
https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/build-blinking-light-circuit/

So, did you do it?

If the answer is “yes, and it worked!” – then awesome =)

If the answer is “no” – then please reply to this email and let me know what is keeping you from building it.

If the answer is “yes, but it didn’t work…” – then continue reading:

Debugging the blinking light circuit:

Often, a circuit does not work at first try. Many things can go wrong. But it’s usually a simple mistake that you can fix in about 30 seconds. Once you find the mistake, that is.

So your goal now is to find the problem.

Below I’ve listed a few common mistakes. Go through the list and see if you can find yours:

-Plus and minus from the battery has been switched.
-The LED is connected in reverse
-The LED is dead
-You’ve used the wrong resistor values
-The Integrated Circuit (IC) is placed upside down
-You’ve misread the pin-numbering of the IC
-You couldn’t find 74C14, so you used the 74HC14 instead (it doesn’t support 9V)
-You didn’t connect the components on the board correctly (it’s easy to miss and connect a pin above or below the row where it should be)
-You’ve misplace one of the jumper wire connections
-You have a broken jumper wire that looks okay but does not work (yes, that is a thing)

Inside Ohmify, we make mistakes all the time. Then we ask for help, do some debugging, and we find and fix the error. Want to join us? Learn more here: https://ohmify.com/join/

Keep On Soldering!
Oyvind @ build-electronic-circuits.com

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

Tiny low-energy device to rapidly reroute light in computer chips

Researchers have developed an optical switch that routes light from one computer chip to another in just 20 billionths of a second -- faster than any other similar device. The compact switch is the first to operate at voltages low enough to be integrated onto low-cost silicon chips and redirects light with very low signal loss.

Graphene: The more you bend it, the softer it gets

New research by engineers combines atomic-scale experimentation with computer modeling to determine how much energy it takes to bend multilayer graphene -- a question that has eluded scientists since graphene was first isolated.

Theoretical tubulanes inspire ultrahard polymers

Engineers print 3D blocks based on theoretical tubulanes and find they're nearly as hard as diamond.

The smell of old books could help preserve them

Old books give off a complex mélange of odors, ranging from pleasant (almonds, caramel and chocolate) to nasty (formaldehyde, old clothes and trash). Detecting early signs of paper degradation could help guide preservation efforts, but most techniques destroy the very paper historians want to save. Now, researchers have developed an electronic nose that can non-destructively sniff out odors emitted by books of different paper compositions, conditions and ages.

Epitaxially-grown molybdenum oxide advances as a bulk-like 2D dielectric layer

Scalable 2D-type MoO3 nanosheets were synthesized via van der Waal epitaxy growth method. Its electrical and mechanical properties of MoO3 nanosheets are maintained even at a few layer level and the thickness sensitivity is small compared to other 2D materials.

Stretchable, degradable semiconductors

To seamlessly integrate electronics with the natural world, materials are needed that are both stretchable and degradable -- for example, flexible medical devices that conform to the surfaces of internal organs, but that dissolve and disappear when no longer needed. However, introducing these properties to electronics has been challenging. Now, researchers have developed stretchable, degradable semiconductors that could someday find applications in health and environmental monitoring.

Elucidation of cause of electromagnetic noise allows for EM noise-less electric circuits

Researchers have developed equations for quantifying electromagnetic interference (EM noise) and elucidated its origin, allowing for the best circuit configuration to reduce EM noise.

New spin directions in pyrite an encouraging sign for future spintronics

An Australian study revealing new spin textures in pyrite could unlock these materials' potential in future spintronics devices. The study of pyrite-type materials provides new insights and opportunities for selective spin control in topological spintronics devices.

Materials help photodetectors see the light

Using a special type of two-dimensional material, researchers have developed a new way to make light sensors that improves their sensitivity and could allow manufacturers to keep up with the growing demand for their use in devices ranging from television remotes to fiber optic receivers in data centers, and light detecting and ranging systems (LiDAR) in autonomous vehicles.

Large scale integrated circuits produced in printing press

Researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to print complete integrated circuits with more than 100 organic electrochemical transistors.

A distinct spin on atomic transport

Physicists demonstrate simultaneous control over transport and spin properties of cold atoms, and thus establish a framework for exploring concepts in spintronics and solid-state physics.

3D-printed plastics with high performance electrical circuits

Engineers have embedded high performance electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics, which could lead to smaller and versatile drones and better-performing small satellites, biomedical implants and smart structures. They used pulses of high-energy light to fuse tiny silver wires, resulting in circuits that conduct 10 times more electricity than the state of the art, according to a new study.

2D antimony holds promise for post-silicon electronics

Researchers are searching for alternative materials to silicon with semiconducting properties that could form the basis for an alternative chip.

Scientists spy unstable semiconductors

Scientists have, for the first time, spotted previously unseen 'instabilities' on the surface of a common compound semiconductor material.

Batteries: Post-lithium technology

Next-generation batteries will probably see the replacement of lithium ions by more abundant and environmentally benign alkali metal or multivalent ions. A major challenge, however, is the development of stable electrodes that combine high energy densities with fast charge and discharge rates. Scientists now report a high-performance cathode made of an organic polymer to be used in low-cost, environmentally benign, and durable sodium-ion batteries.

Dietary fiber effectively purifies carbon nanotubes

A dietary fiber can help separate out semiconducting carbon nanotubes used for making transistors for flexible electronics.

'Transformative electronics systems' to broaden wearable applications

A research team says their new platform called 'Transformative Electronics Systems' will open a new class of electronics, allowing reconfigurable electronic interfaces to be optimized for a variety of applications.

Quantum chip 1,000 times smaller than current setups

Researchers have developed a quantum communication chip that is 1,000 times smaller than current quantum setups, but offers the same superior security quantum technology is known for.