5 comments about Analog Integrated Circuit Design.

1. I found that the book is just NOT suitable for those who have some foundation. A very few examples are solved and it does not give the explaination in a student friendly manner.
   
   I simply DON'T Recommend this book to anyone.
   
   I also found that if you buy this book you have to buy 10 other books to understand the concepts.



2. A very good book to have in any analog designer's library. It presents analog design tradeoffs in a very simple, intuitive manner. Mathematics is kept to the required minimum so this book should not be used by undergraduates who want to understand how to derive each equation. Many of the topics presented use approximations and hand waving to provide a basic understanding of a circuit. The topic coverage is excellent. In short it provides enough detail for any circuit designer to test his understanding of several topics. That said, Gray and Meyer remains the bible in this field though and Allen and Holberg is the bible for CMOS.



3. This book came on time and I use it for class EEC 212 at University of California, Davis



4. I have had this book since 1999 and I use it a lot for my work. I have to give it 5 stars because I really understand what the authors write in this book compared to many other "Analog IC Design" books in the market. Any new circuit that I have to design and/or tweak, I refer this book first. It best suits 95% of the IC design engineers who are average Joe/Jane like me. Thank you authors.



5. The only real book besides Holdberg teaching the science of Analog System Design. Meticulous treatment of switched caps, A/D convertes and some real pointers on mismatch mitigation and analog system tradeoffs.

5 comments about Schaum's Outline of Digital Principles.

1. Would it have been too difficult to segregate the questions and answers from each other? The answers are right next to each sample question, so you often end up looking at the answer before you've even had a chance to read the question! This is really annoying.

   However, the content is pretty good and clear. It makes for a decent way to review material you haven't touched in years. I just wish they had made it easier to not see the answers.




2. I had to get back to digital principles years after I took the course during my under-grad. The book served a real good purpose for this. For it's price, I think it's the best in the category and yet simple enough for beginners to understand. The examples are really helpful.



3. This Schaum's outline is great for electrical engineering undergraduate students who are taking a first course in digital logic and digital circuit design. It starts out with the binary number system and the various binary codes and then moves on to logic gates. The theory that allows the simplifying of circuits and the substitution of one set of logic gates for another is also covered. The last 60% of the book involves an introduction to the various base devices used in logic design: flip-flops, counters, shift registers, memory devices, and adders among others. Each section shows how more sophisticated devices can be described in terms of the simpler devices already introduced. For students who want a more in-depth treatment of the synthesis and simplification of switching and logic circuits and more advanced Boolean algebra theory than this book provides, I suggest "Schaum's Outline of Boolean Algebra and Switching Circuits".
   The only negative thing I have to say is that most of the problems in the outline involve analysis of circuits rather than circuit design, which is usually the main point of any digital electronics class, even a beginning one. However, I would still recommend it as a supplement.



4. This book was very helpful durning my Digital Logic and Design course. It dosen't cover VHDL and I bought that seperate from Wiley but this book could replace most texts.



5. The book is fine for what it covers, but there are a number of similar books from Schaum's in this space. This makes it difficult to identify that book that covers the material I am most interested in.
   
   This book seemed to be the most appropriate for my needs, but the majority of the book was not relevant to me while the book lack coverage of much of what I was hoping to be covered in the book.

1 comments about Silver Linings: Triumph of the Challenger 7..

1. I absolutely cried when I read of how she watched the terrible explosion. My heart, too, was in pain. I went through it with her and as the book progressed, I too was healed. 5 stars, A+++

5 comments about High Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic (Prentice Hall Modern Semiconductor Design Series' Sub Series: PH Signal Integrity Library).

1. I dont know what the other reviewers are blabbing about...being an ASIC designer myself..I felt this book was the best introduction I could get to cross-talk, signal integrity, EMC and Metastability. Been through and done that a lot of times, but still this is one of the best things around



2. Great book. BTW, the author lists a LOT of errata on his website, enough to take over an hour to mark up my copy (5th printing). Although it's nice he documents this so well, it's a pain in the rear, so you may want to verify the edition you're buying to avoid this extra effort. On page vi, above ISBN, look for reverse sequence; example: "10 9 8 7" indicates 7th printing (cryptic, I know). Most recent printing is 15th edition (least amount of errata). The book is loaded with equations and diagrams. It would be nice to see more derivations, but at least the equations are there in the text, and in the appendix. I thought a few other reviewers were a bit harsh. The book is not perfect, but nevertheless a great resource. His second book is impressive, but more advanced; this original title is my "workhorse" book. also, check out his website (sigcon.com) for lots of articles and resources.



3. Add Johnson and Graham to the list of people who can write large, highly technical books full of useful, pertinent information, and package it all in a way that's mostly very readable and which mixes just the right blend of rigorous academic structure with good old-fashioned "when all else fails, you might get away with this" hacks. This book is by no means a thorough, academic grounding in the subject matter, but it works well as an introduction for people who have some background in conventional electronics, yet little or no background in the specifics of high-speed digital design.
   
   Considering how specialized and complex the book's subject matter is, it's surprising how well the authors manage to avoid hard math; they obviously made a conscious effort to use the most intuitive formulas possible whenever they could. There are maybe a handful of differential equations in the book, but most of the math requires no calculus, just basic algebra. The moderately math-phobic should be able to handle this book if you can understand what derivatives and integrals are.
   
   A bit of a rant: Everybody gets so hung up on the title! Did any of the people who complain that HSDD isn't really "black magic" actually bother to even open the book? Right in the preface, the authors explain that HSDD is regarded as something of a "black magic" by engineers because it isn't taught in most college programs, but "The authors would like to dispel the popular myth that anything unusual or unexplained happens at high speeds. It's simply a matter of knowing which principles apply, and how." The title is meant to be humorous, people; lighten up! A lack of a sense of humor is a sign of an ineffective engineer.
   
   This book really is just an introduction. You're not going to go out and design a gigahertz-level PC motherboard when you've read it through, but it'll prepare you for more advanced material like the "Advanced Black Magic" sequel, and tons of similar advanced books on the market. The book's strength is in its easy writing style and broad, concise scope. Recommended for anyone who knows basic electronics but wants to become a professional signal electronics engineer.



4. I bought this book based on a friend's recommendation seven years ago. I have used this book along with Henry Ott's book as a desk top reference for the past seven years.



5. There was a time when all that was needed to get a digital PCB to work was to get all the nets connected correctly without any shorts. But with a high speed circuit, the PCB nets can be connected correctly and the PCB still won't work when it's built! That's because at the speeds that circuits run at today, circuit traces are no longer just connections; Instead, they inductors, transmission lines, RF stubs and antennas! To many designers, RF circuit design is like black magic (hence the title, a Handbook of Black Magic). But this book gives you an insight into what a high speed circuit is doing, and how to deal with these issues successfully.
   
   Chapter 5 (Ground Planes and Layer Stacking) is especially useful for the high speed PCB designer. Understand this chapter and you will be well on your way to consistently getting high speed PCB layouts to work on the first try. You will also have an understanding of what to fix on PCB layouts that don't work.

5 comments about Practical Stress Analysis for Design Engineers: Design & Analysis of Aerospace Vehicle Structures.

1. this is a very good book. it makes stress analysis simple.
   cover many topics



2. This is an excellent Practical Aerospace Stress Analysis textbook!! It is unique in the aerospace structures world and will complement very well the other two standard texts in the industry (Bruhn's Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures and Niu's Airframe Stress and Sizing). Clearly written with plenty of real life illustrative examples. This book has plenty to offer to both Stress Engineers and Structural Designers either starting out or with several years of experience. Mr. Flabel covers just about all the principal introductory topics. Highly recommended. The author claims in the preface that "the wise and prudent use of this book will provide the competent engineer with many years of practical stress analysis experience". This appears to be a fair statement.



3. Mr. Flabel's book is filled with actual answers to aircraft engineers (metals...sorry future 7E7 folks). In general, it is a "how to" book - answering questions in a straightforward and practical way. It doesn't start with a 'blob' and formulate idealized differential equations that can't be solved in practical application. Many topics provide a working and adaquate examination of the mechanics at hand, and provide one if not several methods of solutions - including worked-out examples. I work as an engineer for an airline, designing repairs primarily, and have found a great deal of use for this book (in fact, it was recommended to me by a major A/C mfg engineer during a training course).



4. I am taking Flabel's course using this book and it's excellent and well worth the money. Anyone that works in aircraft stress analysis should learn these fundamental analysis techniques, they're as practical and valuable as you'll find. A little tip: we're running out of aircraft engineers who can do hand calcs- learn the classical methods in this book and others (Peery, etc) and you will be guaranteed a well paying job for life.



5. Good basic book for A/C structures, but its missing some very important topics such as torsion. Many better books that cover many more topics, such as A/C Structures by Perry (1950).
   
   Whats very nice is the diagrams of the problems. Unlike many books they are not overly simplified and may give confidence in tackling real structures.
   
   Could be a good beginners book for A/C structures

5 comments about Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering (Prentice-Hall International Series in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics).

1. This book is good for graduate level. It contains lots of principles and applications in this field. References listed in the book are very useful as a starting point in geotech research.



2. Topics in geotechnical earthquake engineering is one of the
   most active fields and always in rapid changing. Only with
   several years off, the book by Professor Kramer is going to
   be out-of-dated. Yet it is the BEST book available so far on
   this topic.
   I found the information in this book is useful for learning and
   understanding, yet for the most excellent descriptions, we
   have to refer directly to the scattered publications of
   Berkeley School (i.e. Prof. H.Seed, R. Seed and J. Bray et al).



3. Yes, this is an excellent overall introduction to the geotechnical aspects of earthquake engineering. We use it regularly in practice. The sections on seismic hazard analysis and seismic slope stability are particularly strong.



4. To my knowledge this is one of the best (if not the best) book on the specific subject of Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering. The author manages to present in a concise and clear manner an overview of the latest on earthquake engineering, and then proceeded to the geotechnical engineering field covering all the main topics, including examples and problems of applications that complements and clarifies the subject. As a geotechnical and earthquake engineer I find this book to be an invaluable reference for a student or a practicing civil engineer.



5. This is a great book.
   It is true that some of the material could be updated - the book was published in 1996! Nonetheless, the basic principles of geotechnical earthquake engineering are there. Kramer's writing style makes difficult concepts accessible. The graphics and figures are nice and clear and support the text very well. A classic for anyone in the field.

5 comments about Grob: Basic Electronics (Electronics Books Series).

1. Basic Electronics, 8th Edition, was a big dispointment. I used an earilier edition of Grob in high school. I hardly recognized the book that I received in the mail. Half of each page is given over to pictures that have little or nothing do with the text, and at more than $80 it is over priced. I would recommend "Practical Electronics of Inventors" by Scherz instead.



2. You don't need to go further than this book for a thorough introduction into electronics. The table of contents says it all. It's a must read for anyone needing an understanding of electronics and it serves as a good refrence as well. The presentation is excellent, with the copious use of colour, diagrams and photos. I especially like the little side bars highlighting some of the people whose names are used for units of measurement like Ampere, Marconi, Joule etc. and those whose pioneering work made our current understanding of electronics possible - Millikan etc.



3. If your're a newbie in the electronics world, this is the book you need to begin with, trust me. One can only go so far without a solid foundation and this is just what this book will help you master! I am a college physics major and I will start my BE in september 2007. The thing is that I allready write electronic articles and I feel very confident about my abilities. Again, a solid foundation is paramount and if you buy this book, you will need to buy Dr. Malvino's Electronic Principles after. This book is more about bridging the gap between electricity and electronics wheras Malvino's book is more about electronics (i.e. talks mainly about semiconductors). But i'm amazed at how these two books complement each other as they weren't written by the same author. With these two books you will have all the confidence in the world about the subject!



4. This is a classic for giving the basics of electronics to anyone interested in entering the field. I would classify it as a college level freshman or sophomore level introduction. It is simply one of the best! I personally purchased a new/old book, 4th edition. While some might think this means the material is dated, they would be wrong. The basics of electronics remain the same. A great supplement to Grob is the Tony R. Kuphaldt free e-book. The basics are what these books teach. If you want something shallow then get a book like "Horn's Basic Electronics Theory!" If you really want to learn something, get Grob.
   
   This text leads into Malvino's "Electronic Principles." In this case, I would suggest you get the most recent edition of Malvino's book, which is what I did. If you go through both of these books, you will be more than ready for practical application knowledge.
   
   Lou



5. Book came in condition as promised. Quick delivery. I would definately order from here again - very reliable.

5 comments about Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems, 2nd Edition.

1. If you take the course then you get the book too. And, since Ott is a good lecturer, you will likely learn a lot more than trying to read the book.

   For packaging engineers like myself, this book is not worth the money. You would be better off buying Blackwell's "The Electronic Packaging Handbook" which has an excellent chapter covering all important aspects of EMC. For Electrical Engineers I suspect what you have in your "High Speed Digital Design" (Johnson and Graham) will be more than adequate.

   The real issue is simply too much information. I agree with Ott that some understanding of antennas is needed to understand EMC but not nearly the amount covered in this book. I think that Ott's ham radio hobby has caused him to overdo that material in this book.

   I highly recommend taking the course but I suspect if you buy the book you won't finish reading it.




2. There is a specific topic in this book that I have not seem covered in any of the 25+ book that I have on electromagnetic phenomena. The topic is the shield cut-off frequency of a coaxial cable. Common-mode currents at low frequencies (below a few hundred hertz) cause noise problems with coaxial cables, but signals above tens of kilohertz do not. This is vital data which is apparently not explained in many text books. For me, this topic justifies the cost of the text. Having said that, I am annoyed because the book is quite expensive relative to other books of its size and age. The point is that you have to buy it, but it is expensive to do so.

   Even an advanced designer will benefit from this book, although you, like me, won't necessarily want to read all of it. It is sufficient to pick and choose areas of particular interest. The less advanced designer would clearly benefit more and the book would therefore represent better value for them. Given a choice between this one and Morrison's Grounding and Shielding Techniques in Instrumentation, pick this one. This one is more technically accurate and useful.




3. I greatly appreciate the practicality of this book. If you can't attend one of his seminars, my recommendation is to buy this book, it will help. It's one of those that I plan to keep in the EMC lab and not just on the shelf. -doug



4. I build EEG sensors, and I started reading this book, expecting something like The Art of Electronics, except more detailed and covering only noise techniques. Instead, I got much, much more. The diagrams made *much* more sense than Horowitz and Hill's AOE, and the explanations were clear and consise. I was able to read it cover to cover in a weekend without getting bored from too much detail, and it had many many real measurements of noise in systems that made the information much more quantitative.
   
   For instance, instead of saying "in order to get the most noise reduction, you need to use a shielded cable only grounded on one end", he says "a shielded cable grounded on one end has 84dB of attenuation to magnetic noise and much more for electric, while if the shield is grounded at both ends the attenuation is more like 36dB".
   
   Those numbers are critical if you're trying to balance signal quality with cost.
   
   One of the best textbooks I've ever purchased.



5. Depite this book has a lot of years, the basic principles have not changed and I find this book very instructive to learn things as types of noise, crosstalk, radiation, grounding and shielding techniques or cabling. Henry W. Ott and his book, are a reference in the world about noise control and EMC concepts.
   
   Written in easy way to understand, with very little equations, I suggest that if you want to have a copy of one of the most famous books on this science, buy it

5 comments about Weber Carburetors (HP Books 774).

1. I read this book in one day and then began a complete disassembly of my 40DCOE18 carbs the next day. Where the text was a bit unclear, the pictures more than made up for it. I was able to do both carbs in about 4 hours with no surprises and feeling a lot more confident that I'll be able to tune these when my car gets reassembled in about a month. Great book. Realize that, at this stage, I'm not tuning for racing - so take these comments with that perspective.



2. The book does not contain a schematic diagram of the 40 IDF, one of the most popular carburetors for Porsche 356 and is not of much value to me. I would not have purchased it if I had known this.



3. Good historic and technical info.



4. This book goes beyond being a mere product manual. It is, instead an education into the science of fuel/air intake for the internal combustion engine. Of course, it thoroughly vets its core topic, the Weber/Dellorto carburetor line. You'll learn about the evolution of the Weber carburetor and find out, in depth, how to work on these wonderfully engineered products.



5. Interesting history of Weber carbs, with general theory and specific info on a range of side and downdraft models, but dated (1988). Good for restorers, but if you're doing a new 32/36 or 34 DGEC conversion on a Jeep, for example, it's not covered in this book.

5 comments about Volkswagen Vanagon Official Factory Repair Manual 1980-1991 Including Diesel Syncro and Camper (Volkswagen).

1. this book is quite interesting : you can find information that you cannot find anywhere else. nevertheless, it is not really a bible since some explanation are not enough detailled & the black & white pictures are not always very accurate.
   I think you'll not use 50% of the book depending of your vanagon type & age
   It is good to have this book if you can afford it since you'll always use it one day or another.



2. I bought my vanagon new in El Paso, Tx and have been at the mercy of dealers and their mechanics ever since. This has allowed me to repair at least some of the simpler things and understand a whole lot more about some of the others. I have had to shuffle around in the book a bit because it covers a lot more than my van but everything that I've looked for has been there. Great for the shade tree mechanic!



3. I found this manual after my sister asked me to order it for her from the manufacturer. Well, I decided to browse around a little and found that, yet again, Amazon delivered the goods so to speak. Needless to say, it was considerably cheaper. The end result - brother-in-law said it is perfect for his needs as he usually does a lot of the work on their VW van himself, but occasionally gets stumped. This manual fills in a lot of the gaps. Those are his comments as I know zip about anything mechanical.



4. This manual has ben a great help when working on my vanagon.one of the bast repair manuals that I have used.



5. In Vanagon circles, this is known as the " Bentley Bible ". If you plan on doing any work on your Vanagon. even simple maintenance, this manual is a must have.