Team's flexible micro LEDs may reshape future of wearable technology

Researchers have developed a method to create micro LEDs that can be folded, twisted, cut and stuck to different surfaces.

Researchers 3D print lifelike heart valve models

Researchers have developed a groundbreaking process for multi-material 3D printing of lifelike models of the heart's aortic valve and the surrounding structures that mimic the exact look and feel of a real patient.

Photonics researchers report breakthrough in miniaturizing light-based chips

Electrical engineers have created the smallest electro-optical modulator yet, using a thin film of lithium niobate bonded on a silicon dioxide layer. This key component of a photonics-based chip controls how light moves through its circuits and has broad applications in data communication, microwave photonics, and quantum photonics.

Microscopic robots 'walk' thanks to laser tech

A collaboration has created the first microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled - and made to walk - with standard electronic signals.

Storing information in antiferromagnetic materials

Researchers have now not only been able to show that information storage in antiferromagnetic materials is fundamentally possible, but also to measure how efficiently information can be written electrically in insulating antiferromagnetic materials.

Battery life for wearable electronic devices could be improved

Researchers have found that asymmetric stresses within electrodes used in certain wearable electronic devices provides an important clue as to how to improve the durability and lifespan of these batteries.

New Resource: The CMOS 4000 series of ICs

Do you want to build simple digital circuits with 7-segment displays, counters, adders, and other logic circuits? Then you need to check out the 4000 series of CMOS chips.

I am working on writing articles for these chips and I am at 9 artices so far. If there is a chip you’d like to learn more about that is still not part of the list, just let me know in the comments of that article!

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

Graphene sensors find subtleties in magnetic fields

Researchers used an ultrathin graphene 'sandwich' to create a tiny magnetic field sensor that can operate over a greater temperature range than previous sensors, while also detecting miniscule changes in magnetic fields that might otherwise get lost within a larger magnetic background.

Artificial materials for more efficient electronics

The discovery of an unprecedented physical effect in a new artificial material marks a significant milestone in the lengthy process of developing 'made-to-order' materials and more energy-efficient electronics.

Ultrafast electrons in magnetic oxides: A new direction for spintronics?

Special metal oxides could one day replace semiconductor materials that are commonly used today in processors. Now, for the first time, researchers were able to observe how electronic charge excitation changes electron spin in metal oxides in an ultrafast and inphase manner.

Scientists use photons as threads to weave novel forms of matter

New research has successful discovered a way to bind two negatively charged electron-like particles which could create opportunities to form novel materials for use in new technological developments.

Bio-based communication networks could control cells in the body to treat conditions

Electronic devices and biological cells communicate through very different mechanisms. Now, scientists report progress on tiny communication networks that overcome this language barrier, allowing electronics to eavesdrop on cells and alter their behavior -- and vice versa. Potential applications include a capsule that could be swallowed to track blood sugar and make insulin when needed.

'Cyborg' technology could enable new diagnostics, merger of humans and AI

Although true 'cyborgs' are science fiction, researchers are moving toward integrating electronics with the body. Such devices could monitor tumors or replace damaged tissues. But connecting electronics directly to human tissues in the body is a huge challenge. Today, a team is reporting new coatings for components that could help them more easily fit into this environment.

Learn Electronics With These 10 Simple Steps

Do you want to learn electronics, so that you can build your own gadgets?

There is a ton of resources on learning electronics – so where do you start?

And what do you actually need?

And in which order?

If you don’t know what you need to learn, you can easily waste a lot of time learning unnecessary things.

And if you skip some of the simple but crucial first steps, you’ll struggle with even the basic circuits for a long time.

If your goal is to be able to build your own ideas with electronics, then this checklist is for you.

Do you want this step-by-step checklist in PDF format to see the exact steps I recommend to learn electronics from scratch?
Click here to download the checklist now >>

When you follow the checklist below, you will get up to speed fast – even if you have no experience from before.

While some of these steps might take you a weekend to tackle, others can be done in less than an hour – if you find the right teaching material.

Start by reading through all the steps all the way to the end to get an overview.

Next, decide what teaching material you will use to tackle each step.

Then start to learn electronics.

Step 1: Learn the Closed Loop

If you don’t know what is needed for a circuit to work, how can you build circuits?

The very first thing to learn is the closed loop.

It’s essential to make a circuit work.

After finishing this step you should know how to make a simple circuit work. And you should be able to fix one of the most common mistakes in a circuit – a missing connection.

This is simple, but necessary knowledge to have when learning electronics.

Step 2: Get a Basic Understanding of Voltage, Current and Resistance

Current flows, resistance resists, voltage pushes.

And they all affect each other.

This is important to know to learn electronics properly.

Understand how they work in a circuit and you will have this step nailed.

But, there’s no need to dive deep into Ohm’s law – this step can be learned through simple cartoons.

After finishing this step, you should be able to look at a very simple circuit and understand how the current flows and how the voltage is divided among the components.

Step 3: Learn Electronics By Building Circuits From Circuit Diagrams

No need to wait no more – you should start building circuits now. Not just because it’s fun, but also because this is what you want to learn to do well.

If you want to learn to swim, you have to practice swimming. It’s the same with electronics.

After finishing this step you should know how circuit diagrams work and how to use a breadboard to build circuits from them.

You can find free circuit diagrams for almost anything online – radios, MP3 players, garage openers – and now you’ll be in a position to build them!

Step 4: Get a Basic Understanding of These Components

The most common components you’ll see in the beginning when learning electronics are:

• The resistor
• The LED
• The capacitor
• The transistor

You can get a basic understanding of each of these quickly, as long as you have good learning materials.

But take note of that last statement “as long as you have good learning material” – because there is a lot of terrible learning material out there.

After completing this step you should know how these components work and what they do in a circuit.

You should be able to look at a simple circuit diagram and think:

“Aha, this circuit does this!”.

Step 5: Get Experience Using the Transistor as a Switch

The transistor is the most important single component in electronics.

In the previous step, you got an intro to how it works. Now it’s time to use it.

Build several different circuits where the transistor acts as a switch. Like the LDR circuit.

After completing this step you should know how to control things like motors, buzzers or lights with the transistor.

And you should know how you can use the transistor to sense things like temperature or light.

Step 6: Learn How To Solder

Prototypes built on a breadboard are easy and quick to build. But they don’t look good and the connections can easily fall out.

If you want to build gadgets that look good and last for a long time, you need to solder.

Soldering is fun, and it’s easy to learn.

After completing this step you should know how to make a good solder joint – so that you can create your own devices that look good and will last for a long time.

Step 7: Learn How Diodes and Capacitors Behave in a Circuit

At this point, you will have a good foundation of the basics, and you can build circuits.

But your efforts to learn electronics should not stop here.

Now it’s time to learn to see how more complicated circuits work.

After completing this step – if you see a circuit diagram with a resistor, a capacitor and a diode connected in some way – you should be able to see what will happen with the voltages and currents when you connect the battery so that you can understand what the circuit does.

Note: If you can also understand how the Astable Multivibrator works, then you’ve come a long way. But don’t worry too much about it, most explanations of this circuit are terrible.

Step 8: Build Circuits Using Integrated Circuits

Up until now, you’ve been using single components to build some fun and simple circuits. But you’re still limited to the very basic functions.

How can you add cool functionality to your projects, like sound, memory, intelligence and more?

Then you need to learn to use Integrated Circuits (ICs).

These circuits can look very complex and difficult, but it’s not that hard once you learn the right way to use them. And it will open up a whole new world for you!

After completing this step you should know the steps for using any integrated circuit.

Step 9: Design Your Own Circuit Board

At this point, you should have built quite a few circuits.

And you may find yourself a bit limited because some of the circuits you want to build require a lot of connections.

To learn electronics properly, you should definitely do this step.

Now is the time to learn how to create your own printed circuit board (PCB)!

Designing a printed circuit board is easier than you think. And producing a PCB has become so cheap that there is no reason to mess around with etching any more.

I’ve created a step-by-step tutorial that you can read online or download as a PDF called Make Your First Printed Circuit Board.

The tutorial takes you through all the steps. It shows you all the things you have to click on, to go from knowing nothing to having made you own printed circuit board.

And you don’t have to understand a circuit to build it. Feel free to find a cool circuit to build from anywhere on the web and design your own PCB for it.

After completing this step you should know how to design a PCB on a computer, and how to order cheap PCB prototypes of your design online.

Step 10: Learn To Use Microcontrollers In Your Projects

With integrated circuits and your own custom PCB design, you can do a lot.

But still, if you want to really be free to build whatever you want, you need to learn to use microcontrollers. It will really take your projects to the next level.

Learn to use a microcontroller, and you can create advanced functionality with a few lines of codes instead of using a huge circuit of components to do the same.

After finishing this step you should know how to use a microcontroller in a project, and you will know where to find information to learn more.

Do you want this step-by-step checklist in PDF format to see the exact steps I recommend to learn electronics from scratch?
Click here to download the checklist now >>

Need Help With Any of the Steps?

With this checklist, you can learn electronics on your own. You are free to find your own learning material from anywhere you want.

You can find information in books, articles and courses to help you on your journey.

I recommend finding someone who has a teaching style that you enjoy – and avoid those that teach in ways you don’t enjoy.

I like to teach in simple and practical ways. I try to explain things as simple as possible so that even a child can understand it. As a matter of fact, I’ve also written Electronics For Kids – an electronics book for children.

If you enjoy my teaching style, you can learn all of these steps plus a lot more – and be part of a community full of enthusiastic electronics learners by joining my membership site Ohmify.

Copyright Build Electronic Circuits

Pancake bonding as a new tool to construct novel metal based magnetic materials

New research has led to the discovery of a novel magnetic compound in which two magnetic dysprosium metal ions are bridged by two aromatic organic radicals forming a pancake bond. The results of this study can be utilized to improve the magnetic properties of similar compounds.

Coffee stains inspire optimal printing technique for electronics

Using an alcohol mixture, researchers modified how ink droplets dry, enabling cheap industrial-scale printing of electronic devices at unprecedented scales.

Molecular additives enhance mechanical properties of organic solar cell material

Computational experiments on semiconducting polymers show that under harsh loading conditions -- stretching and compression -- the addition of small molecules enhances performance and stability. The research points to a promising new direction for solar cell research.

Spider silk inspires new class of functional synthetic polymers

Synthetic polymers have changed the world around us. However, It is hard to finely tune some of their properties, such as the ability to transport ions. To overcome this problem, researchers decided to take inspiration from nature and created a new class of polymers based on protein-like materials that work as proton conductors and might be useful in future bio-electronic devices.

Quantum materials quest could benefit from graphene that buckles

Graphene buckles when cooled while attached to a flat surface, resulting in pucker patterns that could benefit the search for novel quantum materials and superconductors, according to new research.

Efficient valves for electron spins

Researchers have developed a new concept that uses the electron spin to switch an electrical current. In addition to fundamental research, such spin valves are also the key elements in spintronics -- a type of electronics that exploits the spin instead of the charge of electrons.

Upcycling plastic waste toward sustainable energy storage

Engineering professors and their students have been working for years on creating improved energy storage materials from sustainable sources, such as glass bottles, beach sand, Silly Putty, and portabella mushrooms. Now they have turned plastic soda bottles into a nanomaterial for use in batteries. Though they don't store as much energy as lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors made with the material can charge much faster.

Nanocrystals from recycled wood waste make carbon-fiber composites tougher

Researchers have used a natural plant product, called cellulose nanocrystals, to pin and coat carbon nanotubes uniformly onto the carbon-fiber composites. The researchers said their prescribed method is quicker than conventional methods and also allows the designing of carbon-fiber composites from the nanoscale.

Stack and twist: Physicists accelerate the hunt for revolutionary new materials

Scientists have taken an important step towards understanding the interaction between layers of atomically thin materials arranged in stacks. They hope their research will speed up the discovery of new, artificial materials, leading to the design of electronic components that are far tinier and more efficient than anything known today.

Electronic components join forces to take up 10 times less space on computer chips

Electronic filters are essential to the inner workings of our phones and other wireless devices. They eliminate or enhance specific input signals to achieve the desired output signals. They are essential, but take up space on the chips that researchers are on a constant quest to make smaller. A new study demonstrates the successful integration of the individual elements that make up electronic filters onto a single component, significantly reducing the amount of space taken up by the device.

Materials science researchers develop first electrically injected laser

Materials science researchers have demonstrated the first electrically injected laser made with germanium tin. Used as a semiconducting material for circuits on electronic devices, the diode laser could improve micro-processing speed and efficiency at much lower costs.

Tiniest secrets of integrated circuits revealed with new imaging technique

The secrets of the tiniest active structures in integrated circuits can be revealed using a non-destructive imaging technique, scientists show.

The problem with microwaving tea

Through convection, as the liquid toward the bottom of a container warms up, it becomes less dense and moves to the top, allowing a cooler section of the liquid to contact the heating source. This ultimately results in a uniform temperature. Inside a microwave, however, the electric field acting as the heating source exists everywhere and the convection process does not occur.

Simplified circuit design could revolutionize how wearables are manufactured

Researchers have demonstrated the use of a ground-breaking circuit design that could transform manufacturing processes for wearable technology.

Novel approach improves graphene-based supercapacitors

An efficient in situ pathway to generate and attach oxygen functional groups to graphitic electrodes for supercapacitors by inducing hydrolysis of water molecules within the gel electrolyte.

Sweat science: Engineers detect health markers in thread-based, wearable sweat sensors

Engineers have created a first-of-its-kind, flexible electronic sensing patch that can be sewn into clothing to analyze sweat for multiple markers. The patch could be used to to diagnose and monitor acute and chronic health conditions or to monitor athletic performance.

Scientists discover new class of semiconducting entropy-stabilized materials

The design of novel materials with superior characteristics by entropy stabilization is a very dynamic emerging research area in materials science. However, despite recent advances in entropy-stabilized metals and insulating ceramics targeted for structural applications, there is still a dearth of high-entropy semiconductors, which poses a major obstacle for the adoption of high-entropy materials in semiconducting functional applications.