Intelligent readers who want to build their own embedded computer systems-- installed in everything from cell phones to cars to handheld organizers to refrigerators-- will find this book to be the most in-depth, practical, and up-to-date guide on the market. Designing Embedded Hardware carefully steers between the practical and philosophical aspects, so developers can both create their own devices and gadgets and customize and extend off-the-shelf systems.
There are hundreds of books to choose from if you need to learn programming, but only a few are available if you want to learn to create hardware. Designing Embedded Hardware provides software and hardware engineers with no prior experience in embedded systems with the necessary conceptual and design building blocks to understand the architectures of embedded systems.
Written to provide the depth of coverage and real-world examples developers need, Designing Embedded Hardware also provides a road-map to the pitfalls and traps to avoid in designing embedded systems.
Designing Embedded Hardware covers such essential topics as:
The principles of developing computer hardware
Core hardware designs
Assembly language concepts
Parallel I/O
Analog-digital conversion
Timers (internal and external)
UART
Serial Peripheral Interface
Inter-Integrated Circuit Bus
Controller Area Network (CAN)
Data Converter Interface (DCI)
Low-power operation
This invaluable and eminently useful book gives you the practical tools and skills to develop, build, and program your own application-specific computers.
John Catsoulis is an electronics engineer, programmer and physicist who specializes in advanced computer architectures. He is responsible for the design of over 25 embedded computer systems, and since 1996 has been Managing Director of Embedded Pty Ltd., a company that designs computers for industry, government, military and scientific agencies.
Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Designing Embedded Hardware is a porcelain crab. These tiny invertebrates are common in tide pools along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. They are an orangy brown color, and are only 5 millimeters long. Porcelain crabs have six pairs of legs, with one tiny pair tucked in across the base of the tail. Although they can swim, sharply pointed spines on the ends of their walking legs make it easier for them to cling to the hard surfaces of submerged rocks. Hair on their legs collects mud from the ocean floor and helps camouflage the crab from predators. Additional protection is provided by mussel beds, sponges, and algae. Once concealed in these preferred habitats, the porcelain crab sweeps its feathery arms through the water, capturing plankton and other tiny plants and animals. When threatened by a predator, these crabs can detach a leg or claw to distract an attacker. The tricky crab scurries away, and its lost appendage eventually grows back. Philip Dangler was the production editor for Designing Embedded Hardware. Norma Emory was the copyeditor. Argosy provided production services and wrote the index. Sheryl Avruch and Jane Ellin provided quality control.
Emma Colby designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from Cuvier's Animals. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.
David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted from XML to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Philip Dangler.
Comments about oreilly Designing Embedded Hardware:
Ok, so I'm new to embedded hardware. Hence, overall I'm impressed with this title. I'd rate it 7/10 if I could. Why?
There are a number of things that I'm annoyed with:
1) Timing of my purchase: (1/10 off; yes I know this is not the authors fault but it affects MY score)
I purchased first edition one month before the release of the 2nd edition. Wish I'd known that it was coming. I'd probably have waited especially since there seems to be an extra 100 pages in the new edition.
2) Number of corrections still needed (even with a second reprint?), especially with the figures (1/10 off)
Who ever did the proof reading [hopefully not the author!] needs to pay more attention to the captions on circuit components etc. Very annoying and distracting.
3) Content of Chapter 2 needs expanding (1/10 off).
"Electronics 101" is a good start at an introduction, and I realize that author has space limitations but it couldn't hurt to describe:
- Transistors
- Be clear when introducing Formulas as to all symbols involved.
For example current is described to be measured in Amperes (Amps), but readers should be told that captial 'I' is used to represent current in formulas
Now I have to decide whether it is worth purchasing the second edition too!
3/14/2003
4.0
Designing Embedded Hardware Review
By James McAnanama, P.Eng. Ontario, Canada
from Undisclosed
Comments about oreilly Designing Embedded Hardware:
O'Reilly has done it again. Mr. Catsoulis' book is a great primer on Embedded Systems. This book allows you to very quickly understand a great deal of practical information. In his preface, Mr. Catsoulis explains that there are books out there that are focused on writing code or on microprocessors, but that none bring together all you need to create an embedded computer. I think he hit the nail on the head with this statement and has provided us with such a guide.
2/6/2003
4.0
Designing Embedded Hardware Review
By Dominic Vivek. S
from Undisclosed
Comments about oreilly Designing Embedded Hardware:
A good book, after learning how to program the Embedded Systems. It gives ideas of developing our own hardware platform to work with and also to deploy.
