Understand electronics next year

“what you hear, you forget.
what you see, you remember.
what you do, you understand.”

I’m not sure who first wrote that.

But there’s a lot of truth in it.

I want you to understand electronics.

Not just memorize some facts.

But what does it take?

Doing.

You can read about how to make a light blink.

Later you forget.

You can see a video of it.

Then maybe you remember.

Or you can sit down and build a blinking light circuit.

And you’ll understand.

You won’t necessarily understand everything about it.

But there will be some “aha”-moments that will give you an understanding you will never get by just reading.

So, build circuits.

Fix errors when it doesn’t work.

And keep stretching your understanding.

Not sure where to start?

That’s what I made Ohmify for:

To help you build your own inventions with electronics – even if you have no experience from before.

I’ve put together a learner’s package for Christmas.

If you join as a yearly member before the end of the year, you’ll get six ebooks for free + a starter’s component kit shipped to your doorstep.

Learn more here:

https://ohmify.com/join/

(BTW – the six ebooks are also available to current members. You’ll find them in the Library section)

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

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

Paving the way for spintronic RAMs: A deeper look into a powerful spin phenomenon

Scientists explore a new material combination that sets the stage for magnetic random access memories, which rely on spin -- an intrinsic property of electrons -- and could outperform current storage devices. Their breakthrough presents a novel strategy to exploit spin-related phenomena in topological materials, which could spur several advances in the field of spin electronics. Moreover, this study provides additional insight into the underlying mechanism of spin-related phenomena.

2D materials: Arrangement of atoms measured in silicene

Silicene consists of a single layer of silicon atoms. In contrast to the ultra-flat material graphene, which is made of carbon, silicene shows surface irregularities that influence its electronic properties. Now, physicists have been able to precisely determine this corrugated structure. Their method is also suitable for analyzing other two-dimensional materials.

Computing with molecules: A big step in molecular spintronics

Chemists and physicists have designed, deposited and operated single molecular spin switches on surfaces. The newly developed molecules feature stable spin states and do not lose their functionality upon adsorption on surfaces.

Development of a stretchable vibration-powered device using a liquid electret

Researchers developed a liquid electret material capable of semi-permanently retaining static electricity. They subsequently combined this material with soft electrodes to create the first bendable, stretchable vibration-powered device in the world. Because this device is highly deformable and capable of converting very subtle vibrations into electrical signals, it may be applicable to the development of healthcare-devices, such as self-powered heartbeat and pulse sensors.

Ohmify gift cards / The Christmas bundle

Today is the day before “the day” here in Norway.

“The day” is Christmas Eve.

That’s the main day of Christmas here in Norway. That’s when Santa comes knocking on the door and the kids get their Christmas presents.

Do you have someone in your life that is or could be interested in electronics?

Then, how about giving the gift of learning this year?

Last year’s gift cards for Ohmify were pretty popular, so I thought I’d offer it this year as well.

I’ve set it up so that it’s possible to buy a year of access to the courses and support forum. It also includes a component kit sent to the recipient’s doorstep.

For someone who’s interested and puts in the effort – a year can take you from knowing nothing to building pretty advanced circuits.

Maybe they’ll thank you with a homemade present next year ;)

Also – if they use the gift card before the end of the year – they’ll get six downloadable eBooks as a Christmas bonus.

(BTW – The Christmas bonus is of course also available for normal subscriptions.)

You can purchase gift cards here:
https://ohmify.com/gift-card/

How it works:

After you’ve made the purchase, you’ll receive the gift card by email as a PDF. You can then decide if you want to print it out or send it by email to your loved one.

The instructions on how to redeem the gift card are on the card itself.

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

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

A self-healing sweat sensor

Wearable sensors that track heart rate or steps are popular fitness products. But in the future, working up a good sweat could provide useful information about a person's health. Now, researchers have developed a headband that measures electrolyte levels in sweat. And unlike many previous sweat sensors, the device can heal itself when cut or scratched during exercise.

Are homemade Christmas presents cool?

When I was a kid, I had the habit of trying to figure out what my parents had got me for Christmas.

So I searched in closets and the basement.

One time, I found a table tennis racket.

And I thought… “Woah! I’m going to get a table tennis table??”

I couldn’t find any table though, so I concluded that my dad must be secretly planning to make the table himself.

And I remember thinking that it would be so cool to receive a homebuilt table for table tennis!

But…

Christmas came and I didn’t find any table under the tree.

Not sure what to think, I confessed to my parents that I had peeked and found the racket. And I wondered what had happened?

Turns my dad used to be on the table tennis team of his old company. And I had found my dad’s old table tennis racket.

We never got table tennis at home.

But we didn’t really have space for one anyway. Instead, my dad started taking me and my brothers to a table tennis place where we could play.

What does that have to do with electronics?

I remember being very excited about the thought of a homemade table. And I think a lot of people feel the same. It’s really special when you receive something that someone has built specifically for you.

As an electronics person, have you ever considered creating Christmas gifts yourself?

How about building a remote-controlled car?

Or an arcade game based on Raspberry Pi?

Or a music playing box with a dancing ballerina?

Or a portable speaker to play music from your phone?

One of my readers, Robert, did just that a couple of Christmases ago. And here’s the result:
https://www.build-electronic-circuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/roberts-speakers.jpg

Those are so cool!

If you’re starting from scratch, with no prior experience – it might be a bit late to learn electronics and build a cool present for this Christmas.

But start now, and you’ll be in a very good place to do that for next Christmas.

If you’re not sure where to start, Ohmify might be for you. Ohmify contains over 20 courses (and counting), plus a community forum where you can get help with your project (or any other topic).

Check out the included courses here:
https://ohmify.com/library/

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

PS! If you join before the end of the year, you’ll get six eBooks about electronics as a bonus.

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

[New Course] How the capacitor works

Have you ever wondered what a capacitor does in a circuit?

Well, then the newest Ohmify course is for you.

You’ll learn how the capacitor works and some of the cool things you can build with it:

Fading LEDs, time-delayed burglar alarms, sound-generators, blinking lights, and more.

But more importantly, you’ll learn how voltages and currents behave when you charge and discharge a capacitor.

When you know this, it becomes much easier to look at a random circuit diagram and “see” what the circuit does.

This course requires that you understand the difference between voltage and current and that you know how voltages and currents behave with resistors. (These topics are covered by other courses in the Ohmify library.)

Find the course here:
https://ohmify.com/courses/learn-electronics-the-capacitor/

Not a member yet?

An Ohmify subscription gives you access to more than 20 courses – plus a forum where you can get help with the courses or your own projects.

Join here:
https://ohmify.com/join/

Buying for someone else? Purchase a gift card here:
https://ohmify.com/gift-card/

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

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

Taking an X-ray of an atomic bond

A group of researchers has demonstrated a method that allows scientists to experimentally measure how the chemical bonds of materials are altered when two different materials are linked together. This method provides an atomic layer-by-layer look at the materials' electron configuration, which is the source of traits like conductivity and magnetism.

Gift Cards For Learning Electronics

Do you want to give the gift of learning this year?

Below you can gift a one-year membership for Ohmify, including a starter’s component kit, to a loved one.

Ohmify consists of more than 20 electronics courses, with access to a community forum to get help with any topic or project.

It is made for people with little or no electronics understanding who want to be able to confidently create electronic gadgets and tools – and who are prepared to take action to make it happen.

Note: If you buy before the end of 2019, Getting Started With Electronics and five other ebooks are included as a bonus.

How It Works

You’ll get the gift card sent to your email. From there, you decide if you want to print it out and deliver it physically – or if you prefer to send it to your loved one by email.

The Gift Card includes instructions on how to redeem the one-year access and component kit.

To buy a Gift Card, click the Buy-button below and follow the on-page instructions:

Buy Gift Card

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

New way to make biomedical devices from silk yields better products with tunable qualities

Researchers have developed a novel, significantly more efficient fabrication method for silk that allows them to heat and mold the material into solid forms for a wide range of applications, including medical devices. The physical properties of the end products can be 'tuned' for specific needs, and can be functionally modified with bioactive molecules, such as antibiotics and enzymes. The thermal modeling of silk enables manufacturing flexibility common to many plastics.

(Noise-) less is more

Researchers have developed a high precision 3D circuit simulator in the time-domain for quantifying EM noise and elucidated its origin, allowing for optimal layout to reduce EM nose. The use of the simulator is applicable to cutting-edge circuit design.

What do you want to focus on?

“There are 10 kinds of people in this world. Those who understand binary. And those who don’t.”

That’s a binary joke.

Those who understand binary will get it ;)

When it comes to learning electronics, I see that people usually have a preference. They either want to learn to build analog circuits, or they want to learn to build microcontroller projects.

If you know what you want to focus on, you can save a lot of time.

I recently talked with a member of Ohmify about this.

He was struggling to understand a complicated transistor circuit.

But what he really wanted was to be able to build projects using microcontrollers.

So he was getting frustrated.

He didn’t see any progress towards his goal.

So I told him that he didn’t need to understand the transistor circuit. That he could jump right into learning about microcontroller circuits.

Suddenly he wasn’t stuck anymore.

I’ve seen the opposite happen too.

Frank from Florida was retired. And not much of a computer guy. He prefers tinkering with his hands.

He had jumped right into one of the microcontroller courses on Ohmify.

But he hated coding.

And it’s pretty frustrating to do a microcontroller course when you hate coding.

So I told him he could just ignore the microcontroller course and rather focus on analog electronics.

And boom!

No more frustration.

Both of them can of course jump over “to the other side” at any moment in the future. But no need to frustrate yourself with something that is not what you want.

Remember to focus on what you want.

By the way – I have about 30 books left of the A Beginner’s Guide To Circuits in the US now. They went like hot cakes!

In the UK warehouse, I only have 2 left. So all orders (except the two first) will be sent from the US.

I have enough kits for everyone.

You can order it from this page:

https://build-electronic-circuits.com/circuits

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

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

Punching holes in opaque solar cells turns them transparent

Researchers in Korea have found an effective and inexpensive strategy to transform solar cells from opaque to transparent. Existing transparent solar cells tend to have a reddish hue and lower efficiency, but by punching tiny holes on crystalline silicon wafers, it allows light through without coloring. The holes are then strategically spaced, so the human eye is unable to 'see' the pattern.

Reorganizing a computer chip: Transistors can now both process and store information

Researchers have created a more feasible way to combine transistors and memory on a chip, potentially bringing faster computing.

Physicists image electrons flowing like water

Physicists have imaged electrons flowing viscously through a nanodevice, just like water flowing through a pipe. Long predicted but only now visualized for the first time, this curious new behavior for electrons has important implications for future electronic devices.

New laser technique images quantum world in a trillionth of a second

For the first time, researchers have been able to record, frame-by-frame, how an electron interacts with certain atomic vibrations in a solid. The technique captures a process that commonly causes electrical resistance in materials while, in others, can cause the absence of resistance, or superconductivity.

How to induce magnetism in graphene

Graphene, a two-dimensional structure made of carbon, is a material with excellent mechanical, electronic and optical properties. However, it did not seem suitable for magnetic applications. Researchers have now succeeded in synthesizing a unique nanographene predicted in the 1970s, which conclusively demonstrates that carbon in very specific forms has magnetic properties that could permit future spintronic applications.

Creating switchable plasmons in plastics

Researchers have developed optical nanoantennas made from a conducting polymer. The antennas can be switched on and off, and will make possible a completely new type of controllable nano-optical components.

A robot and software make it easier to create advanced materials

A team of engineers has developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. The innovation is a critical step in pushing the limits for researchers who want to explore large libraries of polymers, including plastics and fibers, for chemical and biological applications such as drugs and regenerative medicine through tissue engineering.

Novel material switches between electrically conducting and insulating states

A new approach could inform the design of quantum materials platforms for future electronics, as well as faster devices with more storage capabilities.

Imaging technique gives catalytic 2D material engineering a better view

A scanning electrochemical cell imaging technique shows how nanoscale structural features affect the catalytic activity of MoS2 monolayers for hydrogen evolution reactions, report researchers.

Bending an organic semiconductor can boost electrical flow

Slightly bending semiconductors made of organic materials can roughly double the speed of electricity flowing through them and could benefit next-generation electronics such as sensors and solar cells, according to new research.

A trick for taming terahertz transmissions

Researchers have invented a wireless communication receiver that can operate in the terahertz frequency band. By increasing the sensitivity 10,000-fold, they achieved the fastest Researchers invent a new receiver for terahertz-frequency radiation -- by implementing coherent detection, they achieve record transmission rates -- this work may lead to much faster wireless data speeds using less power.real-time error-free transmission rates ever recorded. This work may be crucial for next generation cell phone standards and novel remote sensors.

Potential solution to overheating mobile phones

Researchers have developed a revolutionary way to encode computational information without using electrical current. As a global first, this could lead to faster technological devices that could efficiently use energy without overheating.