5 comments about Control System Design Guide, Third Edition: Using Your Computer to Understand and Diagnose Feedback Controllers.

1. This is a really good book that simplified control system for the real world. Most text spend too much time on theory and analysis and end the discussion with a bunch of equations and graphs without explaining how to implement the design. This book covers both analog and digital control, and lets you download a software from the author's web site. This software, ModelQ, lets you play with various parameters so you can see how the system behaves when it is not optimized.

   One drawback with the book is it only covers PID control and its variants, but doesn't cover state-space control. While state-space control may be considered "overkill" by many control engineers, state-space is used in industry. The decision to use state-space is often not in the hands of individual engineers, so it may not be an option to ignore state-space. It would be nice if Mr. Ellis could cover state-space in his next edition of the book.




2. Ellis has made a fantastic book on PID and similar control loops. He takes a very different tact than most controls books -- he writes with a voice similar to a handbook, but delivers enough content to compete with more traditional textbook-style controls books. It is light on the math in comparison, but I don't find myself wanting for more math.
   
   I do a lot of controls design, consulting, and teaching. I recommend this book often and find that people that buy it uniformly track me down and thank me for the recommendation. I can't think of much higher praise for this book.



3. The author attempts to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and does a good job at it. Familiarity with control concepts will help one to get more out of the book, because the book focuses more on the practical aspects. The explanations in some of the sections can definitely be more complete, and thus I have to give it only a 4 star rating. Overall it is a good book.



4. I had three main reasons for buying this book:
   1. To bridge the gap between the control theory from school and the systems that I now design and build
   2. To gain insight on how to improve the performance and reliability of real motion systems
   3. To find ways to apply advanced techniques to help meet challenging performance requirements
   
   I got all of this and more from this book. The topics covered clearly and concisely in this book span three courses I took at Cal Poly SLO: basic controls, digital controls, and modern/advanced control theory. Mr. Ellis does a great job of quickly introducing these topics and getting straight to the practical implications.
   
   The free software and examples work well to illustrate his points quickly and easily while helping to commit the insights to memory. I also hope to use it as a training tool for our techs.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone working with control systems, especially grad students and people getting started in the field. I look forward to reading his book on observers.



5. Most texts on industrial control are long on theory and short on practice. This book is a rare gem that presents the theory (without overloading you on details) and then explains how to actually use the theory in practice. (One note: the practical applications are focused on electric motor control, which is the author's background.) If I had to have only one book on controls in my library, this would be the one.

5 comments about Principles of Digital Audio.

1. Mr. Pohlmann's book is the most encompassing treatise on Digital Audio that is available today. As an employee at Dolby, I can tell you that you won't find an engineer at Dolby who does not own a copy of Digital Audio. The book can be used in many different ways. Whether you are an expert or a novice, this book will come in handy. I would equate this book to drinking directly from the source of a mountain spring. Don't think about it, just buy it.



2. Prof. Pohlmann's book has become a firm favourite on my technical bookshelf. I enjoy his easy-going style and commend him for writing an informative and interesting book. I cannot imagine why anyone would not feel the same!



3. First off, this book is in its fifth edition, and Amazon has lumped together reviews of all editions of this book. So the oldest review shown, written in 1998, is speaking of the 3rd edition, and reviews written prior to 2005 are talking about the 4th edition.
   This book is more about the principles of digital audio hardware design than anything. The author, also a college professor, starts with the absolute beginning and the binary number system, sampling, quantization, aliasing, and dither and then moves into all of the topics that you need to design and analyze modern digital audio systems. However, if the information in the first two chapters is news to you, chances are the rest of the book will be over your head. The book is full of flow charts, frequency response diagrams, and detailed block diagrams of actual systems. What it is lacking in is any kind of signal processing mathematics to explain the detailed theory behind what is being covered. There is a chapter entitled "Digital Signal Processing", but it barely introduces and defines the terms. It does show some assembly code for performing some simple filtering tasks, though, but that's the extent of the coverage. If you didn't know DSP before you read this chapter, you certainly won't know it after you read this chapter. The book does a pretty good job of discussing some of the more popular audio standards including MP3. I think this book is best suited for someone with an electronics/electrical engineering background that already knows the theory of digital signal processing and wants to apply that knowledge to the actual design and analysis of digital audio processing systems. Amazon shows the table of contents from the 4th edition, so I show the detailed table of contents for the 5th edition here:
   Sound and Numbers
   Fundamental Theory
   Digital Audio Recording
   Digital Audio Reproduction
   Error Correction
   Digital Audio Tape
   Optical Disc Storage
   Compact Disc and SACD
   Recordable CD
   Interconnection
   Perceptual Coding: Theory and Applications
   MPEG-1 and MPEG-2
   MP3 Codec
   MPEG-4 and AAC
   Psychoacoustic Models
   Surround Sound Coding
   Lossless Coding
   DVD-Video and DVD-Audio
   Recordable DVD
   HD-DVD and Blu-ray
   Minidisc
   Desktop Audio
   Network Audio
   Downloadable and Streaming Internet Audio
   File Formats
   Digital Rights Management
   Watermarking and Encryption
   MPEG-7
   Digital Radio and TV Broadcasting
   HD Radio
   Satellite Radio
   Digital Audio Workstations
   Digital Signal Processing: Theory and Applications
   Sigma Delta Conversion and Noise Shaping



4. This book really deserves to be called 'The Ultimate Digital Audio Bible'. It has anything and everything. From basic DSP to video, it's not limited to audio topics. When I read the reviews, I would not hope to read the book from the start, just use it as a reference to explain specific standard highlights. But this book is very readable. I loved it. If you are a computer eng. major who wants to dwell in DSP in any field, this book is great. I don't agree with the prejudice that the book is not very readable. There are sections that are more difficult, but the author explains things in very good analogies and examples. I must mention that I'm a comp. eng. a few months away from MS, so I may not be doing justice to the average reader. But I would never expect to find myself reading through that 700+ book with pleasure. Don't think, buy it. Then try and conceal this secret gem from others.



5. I think its a great first book for anyone wanting to know more technical details about the workings of the CD, digital audio in general, digital interfaces and some DSP.
   What I like most about this book was it was easy to read and simple to understand, unlike some other books that are just plain cryptic.

5 comments about Understanding GPS: Principles and Applications, Second Edition.

1. I've been an engineer and PM working with GPS and GPS systems since the inception of GPS in the mid-80s. While employed by a major DOD research lab I was fortunate enough not only to have access to practically every GPS book and article available, but I also had the opportunity to meet many of the key people responsible for the design and development of the system (many of whom contributed to this text). From system design to receiver architecture, this is by far the best general reference I have found on GPS.



2. This is a great book to read if you plan on developing any type of GPS tracking system. While the book covers the the basics, you'll need some further resources on interfacing GPS receivers and such hardware to real-world devices.

   An interesting article entitled "Tracking a Vehicle With GPS" can be read at www.closerworlds.com

   A lot of mobile solutions are soon to hit the market such as mobile phones using GSM or GPRS to track a person. This book will help to understand how it all fits together. It would have been nice if the book could have touched on how older communication systems like VHF radios can transmit GPS data. For that you'll have to visit www.closerworlds.com or some other website with such resources.




3. I'm an aerospace professional that is very close to the GPS system. This book is one of the best in depth references that I could recomend. I am not a novice and this text may intimidate some.



4. If you are looking at the first edition, please note that the publisher plans to issue a second edition in December 2005.



5. [A review of the SECOND EDITION, 2005.]
   
   In the last 15 years, GPS has moved from an expensive and specialised application to a mass consumer market. There are numerous books on GPS; mostly directly at that mass readership. These typically concern how to use a device with a GPS receiver.
   
   By contrast, this book is meant for the engineer who has to design such a device. It is a compendium of technical papers covering many aspects you are likely to need. And undoubtedly some you won't, which should be reassuring. Because it means that you do not have to read all of this book for it to be useful.
   
   The sensitivity of the GPS satellites and the resultant GPS ground resolution is amazing, as can be appreciated from some of the papers in the book. Due mostly to the stability of the satellites' orbits and their onboard atomic clocks. Chapter 7 describes how GPS requires corrections due to Einstein's Theory of General Relativity! Not just Special Relativity. As a physicist, I found this fascinating. GPS is perhaps the first field where General Relativity is used, not to be tested, but as providing a necessary quantitative model for getting correct results. Akin to how Newton's Equations have been used for 300 years in ballistics. Granted, most readers will be engineers, who might find GR a trifle exotic.
   
   The book also has good coverage of the Russian GLONASS system. Perhaps for those who also want to use this for redundancy. Or to combine the signals from this with GPS for enhanced resolution.

No comments about Implementing 802.1X Security Solutions for Wired and Wireless Networks.

5 comments about Power Generation, Operation, and Control.

1. I have used the first and second edition of this book for almost twenty years and I believe that it is a classic. It is not an introductory text but all engineers with an understanding of the basics of power systems should find it a very useful introduction to the mathematical methods used in power system operation. I have recommended it to my graduate students and to engineers from industry who were taking a continuing education course based on this text. I am looking forward to a third edition.



2. This book is a must for any one who needs to learn about advanced topics in Power System Computational Methods with emphasis on generation economics and Control. The examples are extremely helpful to the reader without being overly simplistic. The degree of detail is just about right for the intended audience. The book has been the chosen text for many generations of power system practioners, and is highly recommended.



3. This is the second edition of an extremely well written and carefully thought out book. The material is systematically developed and is a graduate text book which provides a solid foundation in various aspects of power system operation and control. At Iowa State University we have used this book ever since the first edition was published for an introductory graduate course in our graduate curriculum. The book has been extremely well received by our students. It provides detailed analysis of the steps involved in each aspect of power system operation and complements this with excellent examples. The problems at the end of each chapter reinforce the material presented and test the understanding of the student. The diskette which accompanies the book is also very helpful in working the problems and provides rich experience to the student.

   This book is ideally suited for the serious student who takes time to carefully read the material, assimilate the material and applies it in a practical setting.

   This was also one of the first texts to introduce several important concepts related to the deregulation of the utility industry.




4. This is the first authoritative and comprehensive text on power system operations and control. The book provides an excellent overview of the basic topics that need to be covered in such a course at either the advanced undergraduate or the introductory graduate level. The improved second edition of the book has been widely used in various power programs throughout the world. I learned everything about "power system operation and control" by studying the first edition of this book in the mid 1980. I have used it as a professor and recommended it to all my students. This book still has no rivals in the market and is the single best source for a text in the subject area.



5. This book is essential for the understanding of how generation is dispatched in the US. Great for engineers beginning in the power industry as well as seasoned professionals.

5 comments about Sound System Engineering, Third Edition.

1. Congratulations to Don Davis and Eugene Patronis, Jr. for writing the most informative book on sound system engineering ever. The book contains all of the elements of theory, design and practical installation. The book is an excellent reference for the sound system engineer.
   
   Sound System Engineering, Third Edition is the most complete technical book on sound system engineering I have ever read. It is a concentrated capsule of knowledge that gives the theory as well as instructions of how to implement the theory. Don has recorded for us how to do the installation process. Dr. Patronis has given us the physics back of the theory and he added the mathematics so one can reporduce the results. There are places that Doc uses the "It is intuitively obvious..." leap of knowledge that some might have trouble working through but it can be done.
   
   Thank you for such a great work
   
   Don Eger, Owner, Don Eger & Associates



2. Sound System Engineering, 3rd Edition contains a wealth of information on the design, implementation and testing of sound reinforcement systems. Don Davis' section on audio and acoustic measurements is a must read for anyone serious about performing such tasks. The concepts he discusses about signal delay/synchronization and room acoustics will help the reader to understand what is at the very basis of these topics.
   
   Similarly, Eugene Patronis' section on loudspeakers and arrays is not to be missed. It will have you going back again and again to find that piece of information you need about horns, direct radiators, crossovers and arrays. His presentation of signal processing starts with basic sampling and progresses through system theory and digital audio.
   
   Two of the latter chapters on equalization and "putting it all together" are true gems. They yield practical information that you'll be using the next time you're faced with the issues covered.
   
   Sound System Engineering, 3rd Edition takes all of the knowledge contained in the 2nd edition and augments it with up-to-date interface methods and advances in the field of audio and acoustics since its last publication. This text is equally suited for both the novice and the veteran audio practitioner. It is written in such a manner that each time you read a portion of it, something new will come to light.
   
   
   Charlie Hughes
   President
   Excelsior Audio Design & Services



3. I owned 1st version before and the 3rd revision is a more complete version and gives more information on digital processing aspect.



4. One of the better books in my collection, and I have many on acoustics and audio from the highly technical to hands-on.



5. I have collected and used books on sound system engineering for many years and this book has quickly become my favorite. Mine has been borrowed by other engineers so often that I have purchased a second copy. Don and Gene are among the most experienced in the field. They have also both tried to share thier knowledge with others throughout thier careers. This combination of knowledge and desire to share it has produced a book that explains complex ideas in a way that leaves the reader with few questions. It is clear and concise, and is supported by a great number of charts and diagrams. I can't imagine a better way to capture thier knowledge and share it with others. A great number of professionals are going to benefit from this book, and I expect it will be the industry standard for many years to come.

1 comments about Fundamentals of Circuit Analysis.

1. The book helps people to learn the basics of electrical engineering. its not the most impressive book, but it will help college students understand the basics and the explanations of the book and problem are good.

5 comments about iPod: The Missing Manual.

1. This is a great book for any Ipod owner, seeing how what you get with your new Ipod is very little. It shows how much more than listening to music that these little guys can do!



2. I am so pleased with this book. My son bought it from my wish list and it is great. Is shows what a person can do with an Ipod. Very easy to use and seems to cover everything that can be done with an Ipod. I wondered how to put pictures and video on the Ipod and this explains how to accomplish those tasks.



3. Great book! I never knew the iPod was so versatile. A must read.



4. Are you getting the most out of your iPod? If you're not, then this book is for you. Author J D Biersdorfer, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that has easy to follow graphics, crystal-clear explanations, and guidance of the most useful things your iPod can do.
   
   Biersdorfer, begins by showing you what lies underneath all of the menus on your iPod or iPod Nanao and what each item does. Then, the author focuses on introducing you to iTunes most basic and useful tools. Next, she shows you how to make playlists of songs you've added to iTunes. She also looks at how much you will spend in the iTunes store. The author then spotlights the video side of iTunes. Then, she shows you even more ways to use your iPod. The author continues by explaining the simple procedures for playing your iPod songs through the woofers and tweeters in your life. Then, she explains what to do if your iPod's acting weird. Finally, the author kicks it up a notch and gives you some ideas of what else you can do with iTunes and the iPod besides just watching and listening.
   
   In this most excellent book, you'll learn how to install iTunes. Perhaps more importantly, this book will show you everything from turning your iPod on, to charging your iPod without a computer.



5. 'iPod: The Missing Manual' by Jude Biersdorfer is the perfect reference for all iPod fans, users, and geeks alike. With 200+ pages of material spread out over 11 chapters, you will learn all the ins and outs of your iPod and iTunes better than ever before!! From the basics like general usage of your iPod to learning how to use iTunes to import music and add to your library to creating playlists and working with photos and videos, this truly is a gem. Unlike other 'Missing Manual' books, this one is a smaller format and is presented in a glossy, stylish package that meshes perfectly with your 'i' collection!!
   
   If you want to get the most out of you iPod and/or iTunes and want to have fun doing so, pick up this wonderful sidekick to your Apple world and enjoy!!
   
   ***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

No comments about SPICE (The Oxford Series in Electrical and Computer Engineering).

3 comments about Electrical Engineering Uncovered (2nd Edition).

1. This book provides a nice overview for not-yet-geekie types, like yours truly. I especially like the analogies of electricity to water flow, which -- as a chemical engineer -- is how I've tried to envision the "juice" for years. The authors do have quite a few chapters off-the-subject of electricity, apparently in an effort to enrich the understanding and skills of the readers. I didn't buy the book for this, but it's somewhat interesting and helpful. At $50 for a paperback, this book is not for the casual reader or Holiday gift-giving.



2. This book is fine if you want a brief survey into the field, but not very useful for reference into "hardcore" electrical engineering. As it turns out, courses taught in Berkeley (including the freshman course) delve much deeper into the topics dicussed in the book, so buy other reference books if this is required as a textbook.

   Also, the labs turned out to be quite challenging for the introductory course and the given level of knowledge, but exploring telephones, sound amplifiers, radios, and such were interesting.

   For a casual reader interested in the field, this book will help you get a general idea of RC circuits, MOSFETs, transistors, inductors, and other EE components, but otherwise, you should reconsider.




3. It may be good to look over briefly if you have never heard of a resistor, but other than that it is a horribly laid out book. The chapters are incredibly short and nondescriptive, leaving much to be desired. A chapter consists of about 2 pages of text and 4 pages of problems where one is supposed to derive formulas for resistors in parallel and other annoying problems that would be far easier to understand from even the most basic of physics books. No one should buy this book for any reason, as it doesn't teach you anything. The first 114 pages are useless babble about where the internet has brought us, a little about running a business(why? this is supposed to be about electronics.) and such. There has to be a better book out there.