Book Review: Microwave Measurement

Digital Electronics with Microprocessor Applications: A. C. DIXON and J. ANTONAKOS (J. Wiley, 1987,724 pp., £29.95) The objective of this book is to give an introduction to relevant digital electronics and microprocessor hardware and software. The first eight chapters are devoted to digital electronics and the remaining eight to processors. The first part proceeds from number systems to multiplexers and data transmission techniques clearly and carefully. There are plenty of good timing and schematic diagrams, and much manufacturers data. The coverage is comprehensive tri-state buffers are described at an early stage but is not academically deep. For example, the transistor-level circuit of an inverter is given in TTL, CMOS and ECL forms, but no other gate circuits are given. The RS latch is described in the cross-coupled gates form, but the JK is passed over very quickly with barely adequate description and no distinction between edge-triggered and master-slave versions. Combinational logic reduction with Karnaugh maps is well covered. PAL methods are briefly but usefully described. The part devoted to microprocessors follows on the same lines. The 8080A is described in detail, with reference also to the 8085. A beginner could find enough information in this book to enable him to build and program a basic 8085 system. A lot of example programs are described, some simple and others advanced, for example the WAND program which reads supermarket bar-codes. It is not clear to your reviewer what useful function the inclusion of this latter serves. It would be very difficult for anybody but the most experienced programmer to understand it. The concept of structured programming is not discussed at all. Peripheral chips used in microprocessor systems are dealt with very well, as in the first part of the book. A useful discussion of the Z80 and Motorola 6800 processor is included, but the section on 16-bit processors isjust an overview. There is a chapter on testing and troubleshooting, using, for example, logic analysers. There is a great deal of information on ASCII codes and standard transmission conventions. The chapters are 'structured', with objects and aims at the start, and example and laboratory exercises at the end. I would recommend this book to those engaged in technician education, and to anyone needing a reference book for all kinds of computer-related data. G. C. DAVEY, Division ofElectrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hatfield Polytechnic