2 comments about Machinists' Ready Reference.

1. I've been a Machinist for over 20 years and love this book for a reference. There is so much information for a good machinist to know, and too much to remember all.



2. This practical little book contains about 90% of the information that you'll ever really need without going to Machinery's Handbook. It is also a small fraction of the price, is much less bulky, and is durable and easy to flip through with the spiral binding.

   These are the specific sections included: I. Mathematical Information (decimal equivalents, areas, gage blocks, shop trig.), II. Drills (grinding, common problems and causes, drill sizes- decimal and metric, cutting speeds) III. Tapers, IV. Screws, Threads, Fasteners V. Milling, Shaping, Turning (cutters, speeds and feeds, lubricants), VI. Gears, VII. Weights, Gages, Tolerances, VIII.Tool Steels, IX Metric Information, X Reading Shop Prints (symbols, dimensioning and tolerances, geometric tolerancing, surface texture specs.)

   There is a good index in the back of the book and the table of contents in the front is also detailed. There are black side indexes to help you flip quickly to the ten main sections. The spiral binding is durable and the paper quality is heavy.

   Between school, the shop floor, and engineering offices I've been working around machinery for about thirty years now- this really is a practical, usuable book for a reasonable amount of money. Fits in your pocket- and if it disappears you won't be out a fortune.

5 comments about Programming Robot Controllers.

1. Hello, i had this book for quite some time now.
   The title is very good, you buy it expeting to have a good sense of what controller programming for robots (the title) should be only to find your self with a lot of unnecessary (in my opinion) "stuff".
   
   In his introduction there is a part named "Prerequisites for this book", let me comment on that because í think it's very important.
   
   "Programming Robot Controllers was written for robot developers with some experience in developing robots. I will not be going into detail explaing basic programming, electronics, or PC operation, but you will have to be familiar with these areas of study".
   
   He's right, his code is written in C, so if you are still to learn Basic or C, you should go elsewhere.
   
   The code provided in his book is somehow simple and very understandable (again, you need to have some programming background).
   
   Chapter 1, chapter 2 and most of chapter 3 are a good reference of what a µicrochip PIC is, what is a compiler, and information regarding the latters subjects.
   
   The end of chapter 3 is a good, quick lesson on how to build an inexpensive programmer "El Chepo" (El barato, this i like since i'm from México).
   
   Chapter 4 is about how the microcontroller works, conneting it to the world.
   In this chapter he gives situation-code examples, very simple codes that you can get better explained (on Karl Williams books, or Gordon McComB's master piece) elsewhere.
   
   The one approach of programming that i really like was the one about odometry (chapter 4, page 307-313). Here he explains the problem with turns on robots and how you should compensate for them.
   
   On Chapter 5 the explains and gives examples on how the whole code works together.
   
   The rest can easily be left out of the book (pages 360-456).
   
   The book is good if you are not sure how some taks are done (on Pic's µicros) and my overall "feeling" of is:
   You don't get what you might expect; i was thinking i might get some flow diagrams, no flow diagrams. But i did get some information that i use (the odometry lesson).
   
   It maybe good or bad, i can only say that i found better "Programming" on "Build you own combat Robot" by Pete miles, the books by Karl Williams and even from Gordon McComb, they have programs written in basic but you can adopt them to assambler or C, because the code is simple and they provide flow charts.
   
   Well, there it is.
   
   Mario Alberto Camarillo Ramos



2. I have worked in electronic for 15 yrs, and still couldn't understand what he tried to explain about PIC. but he wrote a lot of books about PIC...



3. Much of the book has little to actually do with building a robot. Or even interfacing a controller into a system. Much of the book takes you through using a LCD. Little is done with inputs from sensors or controlling motors. Although it is a good tool to learn C for the PIC. It's not the best for using with robotics.



4. This book does exactly what it states in its title "Programming Robot Controllers". You get ALL of the needed information to program controllers. The author provides a very clean and efficient program interface that teaches the basic functions a robot has to do and how to do them in code. Many easy to follow program examples and a multitude of practical examples of interfacing a robot to the real world are provided in detail and explained clearly. The book is writen in an easy to follow style that actually makes it fun to read. Get this book - You won't be disappointed.



5. Myke Predko is one of my favorite authors. There are a lot of beginners baffled and confused with the information presented, because his books are not written for the inexperienced, although beginners will benefit greatly from the information presented. He will take complex subject matter and condense it down into a few pages. He will simplify complex topics in such a way that it will save you hundreds of hours of time searching through large numbers of other books trying to get a grasp on complex subject matter normally covered through many pages and many chapters of Engineering text. His writing is a short cut to success. He has made my career possible, during difficult times, when jobs were in short supply. His knowledge in part has become my knowledge, and it has provided for me valuable career opportunities that I otherwise would not have had. I will be forever grateful for all the shared wealth of information provided in his books. Most people with this kind of guru knowledge are not willing to share there secrets with the rest of us. Myke Predko shares freely his vast amount of practical knowledge and experience, through his books, which are very reasonably priced, much lower than you would normally expect to pay for a college textbook, and his books are at least 10 to 100 times more valuable.

4 comments about Explosives Engineering.

1. Paul Cooper has done an outstanding job of detailing the diverse world of explosives engineering. Included is sufficient detail to get a researcher new to a topic started and enough background to help an 'old timer' teach. The last five chapters on Engineering Applications is an unequalled summary of the use and analysis of the practice of explosives engineering. I use this book as my 'carry along' reference for both R&D testing and systems analysis of explosive devices.



2. This book is about 460 pages and contains fives sections. He starts with the chemistry of explosives. The next section is on thermodynamics properties followed by a section on shock waves. The last two sections are on detonation and initiation. I was particularly interested in shock waves. I found the book inadequate in every possible sense. The notation is an absolute disaster. There is no saying what represents what and sometimes the same symbol has been used to represent several different quantities in the same place. One must try very hard to figure out what is actually meant. The mathematical treatment of shock waves is primitive and almost non-existent. I got the impression that the author does not have a good grasp of the subject. The book resembles an internal report or a collection of white papers as it is customary in some companies nowadays. The book needs a lot of editing, as some sentences are incomprehensible. Here is an example sentense form page 208 : "First we will look at the P-x diagram, a few diagrams in time of the shock presure and the interface, Figure 18.5. " If you know nothing about the subject, then this maybe a place to start because the book is very basic. Just be sure you are not confused by the inconsistent notation. If you are interested to learn about the shock waves and their interaction, I recommend "Physics of Shock Waves and High Temperature Hydrodynamic Phenomena" by Zel'dovich and Raizer.



3. Cooper moves from one subject to another in a manner that may annoy some. However, this is NOT a "teeny-bomber" book. If you have an interest in Thermochemistry and are familiar with some of the European methods of modeling, you may enjoy some of the more unique areas Cooper explores. The author leads you to this point by utilizing basic Thermodynamic concepts and this is why some readers may get bored. Although he does provide background if you actually read the text and don't skip about.

   On the other hand; his models of Estimating Properties of Explosives (& Detonation Properties)is professional and a quick read. If you are familiar with the European presentations of the Rankine-Hugoniot Jump Equations this book will not appear Greek to you (pardon the pun). On a level most basic to the novice, Cooper's piece on Initiation & Initiators (detonators, etc) is well done, and easy for the novice to grasp. The book moves more toward explosive use in indusry and models, less so in terms of organic chemistry but there is enough nomenclature, basic structural formulas, history, and detonation theory to keep you reading as well as leading you forward to areas wherein you may not have a background. Undergraduate level stuff but quite useful for both the classroom as well as to explain world standards to those with a more focused background in explosive utility in a simple military context. This book attempts to be wide reaching and is useful for such a huge undertaking.




4. If you are a novice to the field of explosives engineering, this text should be read after reading Paul Cooper's "Introduction to Explosives Technology." It is a cure to the 'I want more' feeling which that text produces. As in that text, it leaves one feeling 'why did I have so much trouble understanding this subject with other texts?'
   
   The answer to that is Paul Cooper's knowledge of the subject, and ability to put that knowledge into words. One does not need a Ph.D. nor be a genius to understand this text. Having taught myself this subject, I wish Paul Cooper had written this work 40 years ago. It is designed to bring the novice up to the mid levels of knowledge in this field.
   
   I have found myself putting the book down to write programs to model what I had just read. This text has brought me from believing I know explosive engineering, to having the confidence of actually knowing the subject.
   
   "Explosives Engineering" is considerably more understandable than such biblical treatments such as LA-2000 or AMCP 706-180. This text prepares one for such texts at such a rarified level.
   
   This text should be in the library of every explosive engineer. If I had to select three texts on the subject of explosives behavior, this would definitely be one of them. His "Intoduction to Explosives Technology" would be in the top 10 for preparing the groundwork into this field.

2 comments about Ship Stability for Masters and Mates, Sixth Edition.

1. For those persons who need to know and fully understand ship stability this is the only book you will ever have to own. its gives clear and simple instructions aswell as worked example of all aspects of stability.

   Even for those who are not at the mates or masters level, this book will certainly aid you in understanding the basics.

   A must own book for those who need to understand.




2. This is a very good book in ship's stability. Is centered in the practice but not missing the theory beneath. Very good value/price ratio

2 comments about U.S. Air Force (Hugh Lauter Levin's Military History).

1. This is quite possibly the ultimate U.S. Air Force History book. It is written under the general guidence of Lt. Col Dik Alan Daso, USAF (Ret), Curator of Modern Military Aircraft National Air and Space Museum. The individual contributors, some 35 in number vary from retired military, professional historians, librarians, and more. All in all, individual experts to write on particular subjects of interest.
   
   This is a large format book, and it contains a lot of pages. It begins with the first flights taken by the military in balloons and concludes with operations in Iraq. The book is arranged like a diary, with significant events in chronological order. A particular point of interest is the little pictures of the medals of honor won on those dates, along with a description of the actions of the winner.
   
   In addition there are periodic two page spreads that describe significant activities, technical advantages, or historical points of interst regarding the Air Force.
   
   It's a beautiful book, one that belongs in every military library.



2. Book says John Levitow won the Medal of Honor on November 8 2000 when that was the day he died. He received the Medal of Honor on May 14 1970. Book is alright. Reads like an almanac.

4 comments about Schaum's Outline of Machine Design.

1. This is the book I reach for first. The scope is broad, the presentation is readable, and it is full of well chosen, practical example problem solutions. The illustrations are clear and informative - not just filling up the pages with useless photographs and mind-numbingly silly captions as some of the other authors in the field have done.

   Hall, Holowenko and Laughlin have covered all the standard topics, as well as the other writers on machine design. And the price is reasonable.




2. I'm using this as a supplement in a class where the professor is not always easy to follow. The worked problems are really helping me. I wish there was some info on Mohr's Circle though. That would make this book go hand in hand as a study guide for Machine Design.



3. I just purchased one of these, unseen, having had good luck with Schaum's outlines before.
   
   I was shocked to see that it hasn't been updated since 1961! That's 45 years McGraw-Hill. Surely you've sold enough of these in the 34 printings to justify updating it a couple of times per century?
   
   Most of the content looks current. Some of it, for instance, how fatigue is calculated, sizing of bearings, safety factors, etc., is clearly outdated. There may be other topics which are also outdated -- and this is the big problem -- you don't know which of your calculations is wrong when following this book. For an engineer it isn't acceptable to hope your structural designs are safe, and citing a reference that hasn't been updated in almost half a century isn't going to be much of a defence if anything goes wrong. While most of the material is probably still correct, using this book without knowing what is right and what is wrong would be a form of professional "Russian Roulette."
   
   Machine design is still widely taught, in fact, ABET has increased the requirements for design content in mechanical engineering programs in recent years, increasing the potential market for a book like this. It's too bad that McGraw-Hill doesn't recognize the market for a modern version of this book. It would be very helpful to students and practicing engineers alike. Due to the risks involved in using this old version, however, I don't recommend it.



4. The sciences underlying machine design are college-level mathematics (trigonometry, calculus, ODE) and physics, with emphasis on kinematics, statics, dynamics, strength of materials, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics. Thus machine design is really a kind of capstone course for mechanical engineers.
   This book is primarily useful as a source of clear examples of various aspects of machine design with completely worked out solutions plus additional solved and unsolved problems to help you get through a class in machine design or to help you review if you haven't touched the subject in a while. It could never stand alone as a tutorial in this subject due to the broad amount of background material. The author takes note of this by providing a mechanics review quiz for the student at the beginning of the outline. It is suggested if the student does not score over 90% that he/she should review the necessary background material before attempting to proceed. The outline then manages to touch on every aspect of machine design in a detailed fashion. The book concludes with a chapter of suggested projects, because after all, the goal of a machine designer is not to design and analyze gears, bearings, and brakes, but to take this knowledge and design an entire mechanical system. The first few projects cue you with questions a designer would need to ask himself/herself, but later projects just give the problem statement and allow the reader to construct the project as he/she sees fit. Among the projects are a water level automatic control, one man passenger elevator, and a lawn mower. Some of the names of these projects really show the book's age, but they are still worthwhile exercises that test the student's knowledge of machine design. It is a very old book, but the laws of physics haven't changed in 30 years, so it is still a useful Schaum's outline. I highly recommend it.

No comments about General Thermodynamics.

No comments about Engineering Vibrations.

3 comments about Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Turbomachinery, Fifth Edition.

1. I will send you after my revie



2. We were asked to buy this book by a teacher, it was certainly a good choice, perhaps the information given is too dense but I did enjoy studying with it.



3. This was the worst book on rotating machinery that I ever picked up. Hard to follow and poorly organized, perhaps designed for the intended course work, I would not recommend that it as any reference value.
   His flat theory also neglects changes in units. Which he uses outside of his own definitions in the prologue.

No comments about Introduction to Traffic Engineering: A Manual for Data Collection and Analysis.