Customer Reviews

PIC Microcontrollers: Know It All (Newnes Know It All)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a computer tech by trade. I've never programmed a pic, but do do some basic computer programming.I've wanted to learn about PIC microcomputers, so I was excited to read this book. For me it's just what I wanted: a technical manual with a lot of good information.

This book is for you if you are:
-wanting to know everything about PICs. There really is a lot of info here. If you want one book to take you through every area of PICs, this seems to me to be it all. I am a beginner, but I'm more than happy with all the info it has!

This book is not for you if you:
-If you need any hand holding. All the info is here, but if you don't understand it, you're out of luck. One reviewer said this book isn't for beginners, and another review said it's the perfect place for beginners. Well they're both right. If you already are a computer programmer/geek, long time electronics hobbyist, etc, but you know nothing about PIC--it is a great place to start. But if you're looking for PIC for dummies, this is definitely not it.

It does have chapters on programming PICS in BASIC, but it does not teach you BASIC for example. The first chapter jumps into a decent amount of technical info and expects you to know what a computer register is and differentiates between PICs by the bit length of their instruction set. If you don't understand what I am talking about, you might need something more basic first (learning some assembler language may help a lot).

But again, for me this book is at the perfect level. I am learning a lot from this book!

So often when purchasing technical books I am disappointed by their contents. This book does not fall into that category. It provides a solid overview of using PIC micro-controllers. Examples are given with the usual assortment of stepper motors and temperature sensors. It provides an introduction to programming with a variety of tools, including my personal favorites for the PIC, assembler and MELabs' PIC BASIC. I do wish the coverage of assembler were more in depth, but that is my personal bias.

Another reviewer felt that this book was not for beginners. Perhaps thirty years of doing this stuff has skewed my perspective, but I do not think that this book is a bad place for a serious beginner to start. Yes, it is a handy reference for the pro's, but if you have a talent for this sort of stuff, I think this book can get you started (with some effort) and continue to serve as a useful reference going forward. No one book is likely to solve all of your questions, but this will one give you an overview of what your options are with the PIC.

If you are a beginner, and not a pro, I will offer you a suggestion that virtually no one else will agree with. Learn an assembler language first. Once you overcome the initial learning curve of all the mnemonics, registers, and the odd ways we do math, you will understand what is going on under the hood as few do. And, like me, you may find that it is actually fun to program in assembler. I'd rather write in assembler than C any day. If, on the other hand, you need a little instant gratification (and we all do from time to time) try PIC BASIC, or even a BASIC STAMP.

But I digress. This is an excellent book in spite of lacking depth in some areas. I am glad I spent the money for it, and most of you will be as well.

I wish that such an omnibus handbook had been available for the design of Microcontroller Systems when I was introduced to there eight-bit ancestors in the late 1970's. In fact, I wish that a volume which described Assembly and Higher-Level Language Programming, Interface Circuit Design, Analog-to-Digital Conversions, everything one needs to know about interfacing a variety of Sensors and Actuators, Stepper Motors, Real-Time Clocks and IR-Remote Controls were available for the design of any kind of Microcontroller System.

Now, an unbelievably comprehensive guide to the Programming, Hardware Prototyping, Interfacing and Debugging of significant real applications for the widely available Harvard-Architecture PIC Microcontroller family. This invaluable reference will guide my subsequent design of any Microcontroller-based system, and is well enough explicated to serve as an introduction for the Hardware Novice (such as typical graduates of most university Computer Science programs), or as complete reference for the EE who must implement a PIC-based Microtroller solution to any real-world problem in sensing and control.

--Ira Laefsky
Information Technology Consultant and HCI Researcher

I really like this book. It gives a thorough review of all the different flavors of PIC microcontrollers with all the specs so that you can decide which is most appropriate for the task at hand. There are numerous projects to please curious techies of all skill levels.

The logic diagrams, circuit diagrams, tables, flowcharts, photos and code blocks are clear and abundant. They provide more than enough illustrative assistance to help throughout the discovery of all the possibilities available using this wonderfully versatile family of microprocessors.

Although my experience in Computer Science and Computer Integrated Electronics has been helpful for following the content in this book, along with having had an ambitious, robot-savvy Assembly Language instructor, I'm pretty sure that anyone with enough curiosity and a basic understanding of programming could get a lot out of this book. It not only covers the PIC microprocessors, but also the hardware and a variety of programming languages you can use to control your chips.

Everything you need to know is presented logically within this outstanding reference. It's a full-featured, concise resource well worth its shelf space!

While the material in the book is fair, I think the authors and publisher were just trying to make a big book with a lot of pages. A free Newnes Online Membership is advertised on the cover which is supposed to give you "four free downloadable selections from leading experts on the cutting edge", but there is no information on how to take advantage of this offer and emails to [...] support have been ignored. Save your money - most of the information is available online.PIC Microcontrollers: Know It All (Newnes Know It All)

This reference text is too long for me. The author presents four different programming languages for the PIC which are assembly, PicBasic, MBasic, and C. I would have preferred everything in "C" with more extensive examples.

On the outside this looks like dozens of other engineering selection guides for various electronic parts. What sets it apart and makes it a little easier to review is that it takes a kind of a textbook approach to the subject. It contains program examples, the basics of each device, and some usage examples.

I would highly recommend this to someone with a little bit of technical background, and whose goal is to develop a smart product or device. It would not only aid in the selection of which programable processor to choose, but you may even find examples on how to implement solutions that would save valuable development time. I think this book had a number of potential users, not only the engineer, but the dabbler, the student, the inventor, or the teacher.

There is enough information in the technical data to make decisions in case a chip choice might include some future expansion. All in all a good little book to have on the electronics shelf. A CD is included with source code and a student evaluation edition of a compiler, various functions will cease to work after 60 days so, if you are gonna work seriously with the processors you'll eventually have to buy a compiler, but at least you can try out some test projects. You will typically need some hardware to flash these with too, so the book doesn't get you everything, it just provides the basic knowledge.

This book is written in a friendly style, and provides comprehensive coverage (900 pages!) of the subject of using and programming PIC microcontrollers. It assumes some familiarity with microcontroller technology, so this is not a book for rank beginners.

Very good basic information.... very thorough on the subject. Get's into hows and whys and details of implementation. All information viable for newer series of chips although this particular edition does tend to focus on older chips.... Overall very satisfied. Hoping for an updated version covering newer peripherals and chips....

I've got virtually every pic book written and this one covers almost everything there is to know (as the title says). Nice layout and style - easy to follow and no "fluff". I'd recommend you get this book.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!