Customer Reviews

Embedded Microcomputer Systems: Real Time Interfacing

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The 4 stars that I have used is a sort of average of 5 stars for the software accompanying the book, and 2 stars for the book itself. If you are new to the world of embedded systems and yet to work on a real project, then the simulator provided with this book is simply superb. It lets you simulate external I/O devices like LED, switches, CRT, Motors in a pretty realistic way. It also allows input captures. Also, it has an excellent online help. Indeed, if you find the main text of the book rather disconnected and cryptic, then better read the online help of the software. It is MUCH more than a mere online help. It provides lots of examples, detailed explanations and suggested modes of actions all in a hypertext environment, much more lucid than the main book. However, this is a software for LEARNING, and is by no means comprehensive a program development/debugging utility. There are quite a few such utilities out there on the web, but they usually require the user to know a lot. Also, the software is still undergoing upgrading, it seems, the upgrade patches being freely available on the author's webpage (URL in the book). I personally used Peter Spasov's book "Microcontroller Technology" as the main text to supplement the software.

Valvano's book is somewhat rambling in nature, and he skips certain details in a way that is confusing to a beginner. Also he is always trying to explain 4 microcontrollers simultaneously which puts strain on a novice reader.

If you can somehow grab a copy of the software, I would never recommend that you buy the book.

Anyone who have learnt embedded microcomputer systems by datasheets knows that it is not an easy task. There are many important details in many different sources. Dr. Valvano's book contains the most important concepts and lots of examples. The book is mainly suitable for anyone who wants to learn the 68xx family. The simulation software is good and very easy to use. The specific objectives of the book include: 1) advanced architeture; 2) interfacing external devices to computer; 3) advanced programming and 4) embedded applications.

I have looked through this book. It contains a lot of detailed and hand-on examples on the Motorloa MC68HC based system design. The beginner will get a good sense on how to design a small scale microprocessor based system or real time interface. But the book include too much detail on difference between MC68HC chips (6805, 08, 11, 12). The reader may easily got lost with those redundant information. The book may be good for some junior student or engineer to have a feeling on the real time system design but I will not recommend it to experienced people in this area.

This book gives many aspects in the embedded world that hardly found in other books. Although, the author concentrates in 68XX family, readers still adapt the ideas for other families. This book is very useful for novice and experienced engineers who are involved in embedded field.

I have looked through this book. It contains a lot of detailed and hand-on examples on the Motorloa MC68HC based system design. The beginner will get a good sense on how to design a small scale microprocessor based system or real time interface. But the book include too much detail on difference between MC68HC chips (6805, 08, 11, 12). The reader may easily got lost with those redundant information. The book may be good for some junior student or engineer to have a feeling on the real time system design but I will not recommend it to experienced people in this area.

this book is an exceptionally good book for both new comers to real-time interfacing and experienced programmers. It treats both the engineering and hands-on design of embedded systems using the Motorola microcontroller units. It comes with a simulator that is simple to use and lets you know how your design would work in these units. what it misses though as a suggestion is a chapter that would guide users to specific portions of the book for the various actuators it provides as an example.

This book is the single worst book I have every read on a subject relating to engineering of any kind. The examples in the book, especially code examples, are so cryptic and unexplained that you would be better off searching for tutorials on google than wasting your time trying to read this garbage. I wish there was a rating below 1 star, this book deserves it.

You can get all information from Motorla data sheet that is free on webpage and the software is almost useless for serious works. I would not recommend this book at all.

You can get all information from Motorla data sheet free. Save your money and buy a kit from any SemiHouse and you would learn a lot more aobut interfacing. Its CD-ROM is almost useless.