Experimenting with Digital Logic Gates
The Wonderful Wizard of Electronics "Learn More" Appendix in the book steps through the complexity of digital computing, from simple transistor circuits to complex AI GPU wafers. This page includes interactive simulations of logic gates children can experiment with to get a feel for the "zeroes and ones."
Play a cute 80's arcade game on a real circuit board! Test your skill as a pick-and-place machine. Time is money in manufacturing. Who can do it the fastest with the least errors?
In professional engineering, "how will it fail?" is usually more important than "will it work?" Six simple shifts in how you talk to a child about their robot kit can turn a maker activity into genuine engineering education, no extra equipment required.
How do companies shop for electronic parts? Compare distributors like Mouser and DigiKey, read a Bill of Materials, and learn about pricing, tariffs, and supply chains.
Discover how engineers keep microchips cool, from heat sinks and thermal paste to fans and liquid cooling. And learn why managing heat is critical to every electronic device we have.
A Fun Way to Teach Computer Architecture to Kids
Kids intuitively understand what computers do, but very few adults, not to mention children know how they do it. SOIC and Friends are intended to help kids get a look under the hood, but the KPU programs bring the computer to life by interactively replacing each element of a computer with a kid!
This study method introduces the basics of computer architecture via hands-on "hardware" experience, and solves the persistent problem of costly and delicate electronic lab hardware – by letting the children be the computer.