Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Errors, May 15, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: STAMP 2 Communications and Control Projects (Paperback)
I had high hopes for the book... but... There are some nice projects in the book, but as I attempt to load the programs into my stamp2 I note that many have errors. Most of them are minor. They used the wrong symbol for comments. Easy to fix, just change and the stamp program points them out to you. But... There were a couple of projects that I REALLY wanted to do, like the balloon telemetry device. Turns out the code is NOT for a stamp2.. it is for a stamp 1. As I understand it, the code is completely different. Another program wouldn't load either.. I haven't figured out why yet.. but I suspect it is the same problem. Why do so many books or magazine articles have errors. Why risk spending the money on all the parts when it may well not work due to errors. Could authors please triple check!? The book may still be worth it in that there are some fun prjects that DO seem to have good code. But.. are the parts diagrams right?
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A very strange book, January 9, 2005
This review is from: STAMP 2 Communications and Control Projects (Paperback)
This book has a lot of interesting ideas and information, but it also raises a lot of questions.
First of all, the cover says that the enclosed "CD contains all the software, photos and schematics needed...", but that's not true - there are no photos or schematics on it.
A lot of the schematics have errors, some of them very major - the kind that would blow a fuse. The text likewise has errors. It sometimes refers to custom parts, but often doesn't specify where or how to get them. Sometimes it omits pin numbers on ICs. In general, it is useful to someone who knows the field, but can be lethal to a true beginner.
But my main problem is this -- where did the material come from? Some of the programs have other people's names in them. The text and some photos refer to printed circuit boards, but there are no pc board layouts in the book. At one point, the text says to mount the supplied components, suggesting that someone, somewhere markets that project as a kit of parts.
In any case, I feel that there is just too much material in this book to be the work of a single author who also happens to have a full-time job. I think it would have been nice to specifically credit the source for each individual project, so that the reader would have a place to go for further information.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Stamp this one off your wish list, October 6, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: STAMP 2 Communications and Control Projects (Paperback)
A very catchy cover that promises to deliver some really interesting projects. Unfortunately, it is a dismal disappointment. I'm surprised that the "editor" even showed her name. The text is badly written, with a lot of sentences repeated. I found this feature quite annoying. The author's writing style is tedious, but if you can't fall asleep at night, try getting through a chapter of this and you'll be snoozing in no time! I guess you can use this book to "Stamp out insomnia"! Written by an engineer from central New York, its no wonder the style is awful and the code doesn't work! Engineers in CNY are always rushed to get product out the door, whatever the cost to quality, and the fact that this book is rife with errors and typos only shows the lack of technical skills of the "editor".
Nice, pretty cover though.
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