Sebastopol, CA--If you think you have only a handful of computers in
your home, think again. The typical house has thirty or more, hidden
inside TVs, VCRs, DVD players, alarm clocks, remote controls, cell
phones, toys, and a host of other devices. These small embedded systems
free you from adjusting your thermostat several times a day, or even
better, spare you from explaining to your skeptical mechanic that yes,
the air bag light on the dashboard really does come on six or seven
times a day, even if it refuses to do so now. As incredibly useful as
these small devices are, it's no surprise that many programmers are
interested in building their own. O'Reilly's latest release, Designing
Embedded Hardware (US $39.95) by John Catsoulis, shows how to design
and create entirely new embedded devices and computerized gadgets as
well as customize and extend off-the-shelf systems.
"Designing Embedded Hardware" is a comprehensive book about designing
small machines for embedded applications. Unlike the many books on the
market that are dedicated to writing code for particular
microprocessors, or that stress the philosophy of embedded system
design without providing practical information, this book steers a
middle path, teaching readers about the nuts and bolts of designing
their own embedded products.
Catsoulis's approach is unique in that it is intentionally hardware
specific. His goal is to provide inexperienced professionals with the
necessary tools and skills to design, develop, build, and program
embedded computer systems for use in real-world applications. "There
are a plethora of books that cover out-of-date processors, give overly
complex and irrelevant examples, and provide insufficient depth to be
genuinely useful," says Catsoulis. "But no books provide sufficient
depth of coverage to allow an inexperienced, yet intelligent
professional to develop his or her own computer hardware. The pitfalls
and traps are ignored or glossed over.
"When readers finish this book," Catsoulis adds, "They should be able
to design a saleable embedded computer product. The book is structured
into conceptual and design building blocks to allow readers to combine
information from various sections to develop an appropriate system. It
is, in effect, 'digital Lego.'"
"Designing Embedded Hardware" covers:
- The theory and practice of embedded systems
- Powering an embedded system
- Producing and debugging an embedded system
- Processors such as the PIC, Atmel AVR, and Motorola 68000-series
- Digital Signal Processing (DSP) architectures
- Protocols (SPI and I2C) used to add peripherals
- RS-232C, RS-422, infrared communication, and USB
- Networks (RS-485, CAN, and Ethernet)
Dr. Duncan A. Campbell of the School of Electrical and Electronic
Systems Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, writes in his
foreword to the book, "John has walked the proverbial tightrope of
taking the reader on a journey starting at the essentials and ending
with a number of functional embedded computer designs. The journey is a
pleasant and mentally stimulating one that provides just enough of
everything, and the frequent anecdotes are ones to look forward to."
Software professionals who want to design their own hardware will find
a wealth of information in "Designing Embedded Hardware" to help them
penetrate the mysteries of building their own specialized devices and
start them well on their way.
Additional resources:
Designing Embedded Hardware
John Catsoulis
ISBN 0-596-00362-5, 298 pages, $39.95 (US), $61.95 (CAN)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
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