Embedded Systems Design using the Rabbit 3000 Microprocessor: Interfacing, Networking, and Application Development (Embedded Technology) [Paperback]

Kamal Hyder (Author), Bob Perrin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0750678720 | ISBN-13: 978-0750678728

The Rabbit 3000 is a popular high-performance microprocessor specifically designed for embedded control, communications, and Ethernet connectivity. This new technical reference book will help designers get the most out of the Rabbit's powerful feature set. The first book on the market to focus exclusively on the Rabbit 3000, it provides detailed coverage of: Rabbit architecture and development environment, interfacing to the external world, networking, Rabbit assembly language, multitasking, debugging, Dynamic C and much more!

Authors Kamal Hyder and Bob Perrin are embedded engineers with years of experience and they offer a wealth of design details and "insider" tips and techniques. Extensive embedded design examples are supported by fully tested source code. Whether you're already working with the Rabbit or considering it for a future design, this is one reference you can't be without!

* Let the experts teach you how to design embedded systems that efficiently hook up to the Internet using networked core modules

* Provides a number of projects and source code using RabbitCore, which will make it easy for the system designer and programmer to get hands-on experience developing networked devices

* Accompanying CD-ROM contains useful tools and software for embedded network design

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is essential for anyone working with the Rabbit series of processors, boards, or core modules. .The book covers firmware from soup to nuts, from assembly language to C, including real time OSes and even modern networking." --Jack Ganssle

Systems Design using the Rabbit 3000 Microprocessor, by Kamal Hyder and Bob Perrin, (ISBN: 0750678720) is a complete introduction to programming with this popular microprocessor.

Rabbit Semiconductor (http://rabbitsemiconductor.com/ ) sells a popular
range of 8 bit microprocessors that offer quite high-end performance. My son and I just finished a project for his high school with one, and I've used them for a number of other applications. The R3000 is sort of like a Z80 on steroids, with many new instructions, wider address bus and a wealth of on-board peripherals.

Like any modern high-integration CPU the Rabbit offers so much it's
sometimes hard to get a handle on managing all of the I/O. This book will get you started, and is a must-read for developers using the part.

The first few chapters describe the CPU in general and the development
environment provided by Rabbit (Dynamic C).

Chapter 5, though, is a description of interfacing to the real world, using all sorts of devices. It's aimed at engineers, not raw newbies, but, for an engineer at least, is an easy and descriptive read.

The chapter on interrupts is one of the best I've seen in any book. It
covers the hard stuff, like writing ISRs in C and assembly, with real-world examples. If you're using the R3000 just cut and paste the code into your application.

It seems today that if there's a transistor in a product then it needs an Internet connection. Rabbit has several development kits that include everything needed to connect to the 'net. The authors devote considerable space to networking, but thankfully with only a cursory explanation of protocols. Rather, they give step-by-step instructions on implementing a working network, and conclude with a complete web
server for monitoring water sprinklers.

The final chapter covers an alternative toolchain from Softools. Dynamic C is a single-module compile-it-all paradigm that's highly interactive. Softools (http://www.softools.com/ ) sells a well-supported, reasonably-priced conventional C compiler, assembler and IDE. I only recommend products I've used and like, and the Softools products are first-rate.

Systems Design using the Rabbit 3000 Microprocessor is required reading for users of the R3000, and a pretty darn good introduction to the entire realm of embedded systems development as well. - Jack Ganssle, The Embedded Muse 109

Book Description

Experts teach you how to design embedded systems that efficiently hook up to the Internet using networked core modules.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Newnes (December 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750678720
• ISBN-13: 978-0750678728
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,571,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price and more!, February 11, 2005

By 

Kelly Hall (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Embedded Systems Design using the Rabbit 3000 Microprocessor: Interfacing, Networking, and Application Development (Embedded Technology) (Paperback)

One of the two books I keep in my cubicle! This book explains how to use the features of the Rabbit MCU and the software libraries from ZWorld. These explanations alone are worth the price of the book since they explain *why* whereas the corporate docs merely say "do it this way".

The added benefit of the book are the real-world examples. These cover a variety of typical embedded systems tasks and give excellent context and examples of the stuff beyond to CPU module that real applications have to take into account. Snubber circuits, signal conditioning, network communications, etc, are explained in detail.

If you're new to embedded systems, or just want a reference to the Rabbit that's more readable than the data sheet, then buy this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BOOK!, April 25, 2005

By 

Jeff Szielenski (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Embedded Systems Design using the Rabbit 3000 Microprocessor: Interfacing, Networking, and Application Development (Embedded Technology) (Paperback)

I have been using Rabbit microprocessors for years. I started out with the Rabbit 2000 and now use the Rabbit 3000. This book addresses a lot of the problems I came across while developing software and integrating hardware for the Rabbit. I truly appreciate the authors taking the time to put together such a great book. The CD that came with the book includes all of their project's sample code and compiles the first time (unlike other publishers which require modification to compile and run properly). This book is also a great reference and will not collect dust on my bookshelf!

FYI: My last robot was powered by a Rabbit 2000:

http://www.robotdirectory.org/details.cfm?id=194&cat=4

Have fun developing for the Rabbit 3000!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Embedded systems design for the Rabbit 3000: what a book!, February 2, 2005

By 

Dan Roberts (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Embedded Systems Design using the Rabbit 3000 Microprocessor: Interfacing, Networking, and Application Development (Embedded Technology) (Paperback)

I've read a number of books like this, and this is the only one I've seen with the qualities that it has! It includes overviews and lays down a foundation and provides plenty of background for the reader who's not already doing this kind of work, and it provides a wealth of relevant information, not just confining itself to the embedded microprocessor and interfacing.

Very unusual for this kind of book, it's not dry reading. I felt like I was listening to engineers and technicians sharing information with whiteboards, donuts and coffee, it's written in human-speak. Unlike most books of this nature, you can see that the authors are people just like you.

It's a rare and excellent combination of technical data and friendly discussion, providing the reader with the insight needed to get involved with embedded systems or to develop embedded systems using the Rabbit 3000.

I'd reccommend this for anyone who designs, repairs, maintains, or is otherwise involved with equipment that has an embedded system - which is nearly everything, today!