Product Description
Written by best-selling PC repair author and educator Jean Andrews, the fifth edition of A+ Guide to Hardware: Managing, Maintaining, and Troubleshooting maps fully to CompTIA's 2009 A+ Exam objectives. This full-color guide is the most complete, step-by-step book available for learning the fundamentals of supporting and troubleshooting computer hardware. At the same time, it prepares readers to successfully pass the A+ 220-701 and 220-702 exams. The new edition is formatted to support any teaching or learning style and course format, featuring an essentials-to-practical organization within each chapter and inclusion of tabs distinguishing exam content. Further content and live demonstrations with Jean Andrews are available on the accompanying CD, making this new edition a total solution for hardware maintenance and repair. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Flawed
Just an example of how the author doesn't know what (s)he's talking about:

"Probably the best-known technologies used by processors are Intel's Hyper-Threading and AMD's HyperTransport. Both allow each logical processor within the processor package to handle an individual thread in parallel with other threads being handled by other processors within the package."

This is an elementary error, that even amateur hardware enthusiasts know is wrong. Hyper-Threading and HyperTransport are two very different things. The former is what the author describes, the latter is a bus. It suggests that the author doesn't know much about hardware, and probably created the book by googling and using sources that may, or may not be correct.

Very well-written book
This book was written for someone who wants to go from "Caveman" to IT Professional.From beginning to end, this book is compiled with an abundance of great information in a very easy flow of delivery. (It's actually easier to read this book than to listen to lecture!)

Great book with some-what long chapters
I've been dealing with computers, now, for about 13 years. I can say that this is probably one of the better books out there. It goes in-depth into the hardware and how it works. It also describes some of the methodology needed to actually troubleshoot a computer. I say "some of the methodology" because every tech is going to develop their own methodology to get the job done with certain points that are same between all techs; Ms. Andres tells what those points are and gives ideas on effective methodologies.

The book doesn't go into that far into software. It only covers enough to get troubleshooting and installation done. It also only gives enough about OS installation to install an OS effectively. However, unlike what someothers in this review thread have said, software is not covered in the A+ exam, anymore, and hasn't been for about 4+ years. The test is only concerned about how much you know about the hardware, what can go wrong with the hardware, and how to troubleshoot those issues to come up with the correct answer. The A+ domains, or areas that are tested, can be downloaded from the CompTIA website; this will confirm what I've said about the software.

The downside to this book, which is a downside to most technical books I've read, is that it isn't an easy read. Most of the chapters are 30+ pages long. If you can stick through it, though, the A+ exam will be a breaze.

The book is also supposed to come with a CD. That CD has practice exam software on it called Certblaster. While I haven't had much use for it, I have heard others speak very highly of the software.

Terrible Book Done For Money Only
This book was essentially a book about the parts of a computer. I strongly suggest that no one buy this book. Check out the internet to answer the questions you may have about the contents of a computer. A professor of mine picked this book as the class text and it was a complete waste of money and paper. The student CD was missing a lot of referenced images and materials. The online student companion files were inaccessible. The text relied heavily on images from Intel's website. There was nothing original about this text or the contents it had in it. DO NOT USE THIS CLASS FOR A TEXT UNLESS YOU HAVE TO!

book
I received this product on time and was brand new like it said. My only good review out of everything I purchased online.
... Read more

Product Description

• Reflects the latest technology in the field to provide readers with the most up-to-date resource
• Presents examples that cover a broad spectrum of hardware and software systems, from personal computers to mainframes
• Places more emphasis on networking to address increased importance of the communications area
• Consolidates the coverage of buses into one chapter.
• Integrates numerous review questions at the end of each chapter to enhance the reader's understanding of the material

Customer Reviews (4)

Waste of money.... many pages with bunch of examples
This is book is a waste of money. There are hundreds of examples and no important information. You gonna have to go through many pages, until you reach something that it's really worth it.
Anyway, it's matter of choice, but I don't wanna read the author opinions. I want to learn stuff I don't know. The serious material in that book is 100 pages or less out of 700!

Computer Hardware systems software & networking
My order arrived timely. Not enough information to maker buyer aware of having some highlights in the book which would just be a good information.

GREAT
The book is very helpful.
The only complaint is that they do not have a keyword dictionary at the end of each chapter.

Good purchase!
Book seems like new condition so i was satisfied. However, shipping took way to long. I can understand 7-10 business days but 16 days seemed a little ridiculous. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Daniel Amen's breakthrough brain-healing program has helped hundreds of thousands to overcome depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention deficit disorder. The maverick author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Healing ADD now presents his proven program for repairing and strengthening our relationships, child-rearing practices, work and study routines, and, ultimately, our soulful connections, in the deepest ways possible. Guided by this book, each of us can learn to balance and optimize the parts of the brain responsible for inner growth, intimacy, and spiritual health.

Drawing upon his experience with over fourteen thousand brain-imaging studies of patients from all walks of life, Dr. Amen has developed an essential tool called the Amen Brain System Checklist, a 101-question self-test used to evaluate the five brain systems that are key to achieving and maintaining a healthy brain-soul connection. The questionnaire identifies the problem brain areas readers may need to work on, offers insight into the degree to which these imbalances affect their lives, and provides targeted strategies for each area of the brain involved with spiritual issues.

These are just a few of the many "brain prescriptions" to be found in Healing the Hardware of the Soul:

• Develop focus and improve decision-making with the One-Page Miracle for the Soul
• Use prayer, meditation, and diaphragmatic breathing exercises for superior emotional and spiritual flexibility
• Heal painful deep soul memories through thought and behavior exercises
• Learn how forming strong, positive new bonds actually controls impulsive behavior and stabilizes mood swings

Dr. Amen's recommendations include cutting-edge advice on diet, nutritional supplements, and the judicious use of medication when needed. He also explains which medications can unbalance the brain when used improperly. Dramatic before-and-after pictures of the brain demonstrate the medical effectiveness of these clinically based healing techniques.

Whether we learn the self-help strategies of cognitive reprogramming, self-hypnosis, or nutraceutical therapy, seek out psychotherapy, or rely on prescription antidepressants and antianxiety medications, Dr. Amen's sage advice and comprehensive treatment programs give us all the tools we need to optimize our work, relationships, and spiritual connections to become the people we want to be. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

This Book Will Change Your Life
Every person should read this book!Dr. Amen explains the brain and its function in an easy-to-understand manner, then offers both pharmaceutical and natural supplementation solutions.I liked this book so much that I purchased one for each of my loved ones!

helpful- but..
This book has lots of interesting information- a bit tainted by his Roman Catholic bent- but it is possible to ignore that for the help .

Happy with book
I heard Dr.Amen speak one Sunday afternoon on PBS and was taken by his philosophy about brain health so I ordered this book and another about ADD.I want to pass them on to everyone I know because they are so informative.

An Amazing Book
I read this book after reading Dr. Amen's "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life." This was the perfect follow-up.

A lot of the information is the same as "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life" but it is expanded to include spirituality.

Dr. Amen explains his theory on the brain, how it works, and how it can often mis-fire, causing a physical imbalance that is shown on his SPECT scans. He gives great examples of case studies he's done to help the reader relate to an in depth topic.

I greatly enjoyed the authors take on religious and political leaders in regards to brain function.

I found this book very helpful and very insightful. I have gained empathy and respect for myself and everyone close to me. After reading this, you will understand yourself and the people around you so much better. ... Read more

Product Description
What do flashlights, the British invasion, black cats, and seesaws have to do with computers? In CODE, they show us the ingenious ways we manipulate language and invent new ways to communicate with each other. And through CODE, we see how this ingenuity-and our very human compulsion to communicate-have driven the technological innovations of the past two centuries. Now in paperback edition, this critically praised book weaves an inventive and eminently comprehensible narrative for anyone who's ever wondered about the secret inner life of computers and other smart machines. The work of legendary computer book author Charles Petzold has influenced an entire generation of programmers. And with CODE, Microsoft Press is proud to share this gifted teacher and communicator with every reader interested in understanding today's world of PCs, digital media, and the Internet.Amazon.com Review
Charles Petzold's latest book, Code: The Hidden Language ofComputer Hardware and Software, crosses over into general-interestnonfiction from his usual programming genre. It's a carefully written,carefully researched gem that will appeal to anyone who wants tounderstand computer technology at its essence. Readers learn aboutnumber systems (decimal, octal, binary, and all that) throughPetzold's patient (and frequently entertaining) prose and thendiscover the logical systems that are used to process them. There'sloads of historical information too. From Louis Braille's developmentof his eponymous raised-dot code to Intel Corporation's release of itsearly microprocessors, Petzold presents stories of people trying tocommunicate with (and by means of) mechanical and electricaldevices. It's a fascinating progression of technologies, and Petzoldpresents a clear statement of how they fit together.

The realvalue of Code is in its explanation of technologies that havebeen obscured for years behind fancy user interfaces and programmingenvironments, which, in the name of rapid application development,insulate the programmer from the machine. In a section on machinelanguage, Petzold dissects the instruction sets of the genre-definingIntel 8080 and Motorola 6800 processors. He walks the reader throughthe process of performing various operations with each chip,explaining which opcodes poke which values into which registers alongthe way. Petzold knows that the hidden language of computers exhibitsreal beauty. In Code, he helps readers appreciateit. --David Wall

Topics covered: Mechanical andelectrical representations of words and numbers, number systems, logicgates, performing mathematical operations with logic gates,microprocessors, machine code, memory and programming languages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (83)

Excellent
Excellent reading for any seminar intro to CS. It could be outside reading. It is enjoyable.

Now (I think) I know how a computer works
Wow.Before I read this book, I already knew about logic gates, but I did not know (1) how electric and electonic devices can in the real world perform the function of logic gates and (2) how by arranging logic gates wisely one can perform addition and subtraction and (3) more complicated mathematical operations can be performed by doing "a lot of" additions and subtractions.Now I (kind of) know.

All these are gratifying.

Starting from Chapter 17, however, the speed and depth of the book changes gear quite a bit (at least to me).From that chapter onward, it is about the relatively detailed working of a modern computer - e.g. how integrated circuits (chips) work, what microprocessors are, etc.In Chapter 18, for instance, the author answered the question in the preface: "why can't you run Macintosh programs under Windows?".It is quite rewarding to understand why.

Different readers will have different views towards this book.By profession I am a physician and have no experience in serious computing, so I myself find Chapters 21 and 22 particularly difficult.But overall I think I have learned a lot from this book.Five stars.

Good stuff is towards the end
When I first got this book it was required reading for an entry level computer science course, we learned everything that this book talks about but I didn't quite get "why" we were being taught all these things. I made it about half-way through the book and felt it was pretty silly and boring. It was talking about logic gates and using them to buy a cat from the pet store, neutered, female, gray, and all this other stuff that in my mind had nothing to do with computers.

It wasn't until about a year later I picked up this book again and began reading more and more computer science and programming related books. Once I started reading this again I wanted to find out what happens towards the end. And realize why I was taught different number systems and logic gates back in that entry level course. It wasn't until about chapter 17 where I realized what all of it had been leading up to and it was pretty awesome. The following chapters were quite interesting but I felt too short. It felt like all the good stuff was in the last 100 pages or so.

I think Petzold wrote this book so that anyone could understand code and how computers work. So if you're already a computer science person the early stuff might seem a bit boring and repetitive, but once you get to the end it will all make sense. I'm glad I did go back and read it again, because the first time through I never got that far. I think it was mainly because I was focused on passing all my classes and this book was more of an extension of the class and not a requirement to read it. I'd recommend this book to anyone vaguely interested in how computers work, or anyone in the computer science or programming fields. It's really useful to understand exactly what's going on when you are programming. And this book essentially explains how you could build your own computer and know exactly how it works.

Very descriptive as to the inner-workings of a computer
I recall the book being split into three parts:

The first third of this book is a crash-course in various "codes" used for communicating -- Morse code, Braille, and eventually Binary/Octal/Decimal/Hexadecimal.The author simply explains how to communicate messages using only 2 signals (on/off).This

The second third of the book delves into the history of computing, automated machinery, using electrical signals to convey messages (starting with the telegraph), and eventually working up to "Switches" -- the basic building block of a computers.From there, the author explains, very slowly and clearly, how to build a rudimentary computer.Even if you are not interested in the logical diagrams of circuits, you could easily skip past these sections and still find a wealth of information in the book.

In the third part of the book, after building our basic computer, the author goes into Processors: when they were popular and mass-produced, how people programmed with them, what each chip does, etc.The author explains how newer computers had different processors, and how the x86 chip is still commonly used in PCs today. The author also explains how advances in technology are trending.

The book is a little dated -- my edition was only current up to the year 2000.However, not much has changed in how a computer is made and powers itself on since 2000.This is a must-read for anyone interested in being a programmer or computer electrical engineer. It's also vital for anyone who really wants to know how a computer works.

I think it was written with Love
I wanted to write a review for this book for the past few weeks, but held off until I finished reading it completely, in case there was some disappointment at the end. Thankfully that is not the case - the book is excellent from start to finish.

You can see the amount of love and care that the author has put into this work. From the easy to read font, thought-out diagram and image layouts that never make you flip-back the pages - to the excellent teaching-like style with which the author gradually tackles the topic. It is amazing. I found myself holding off reading too much of the book at once, because I wanted to prolong the pleasure!

I recommend this book to anyone. The first seven or eight chapters should be accessible to anyone, regardless of their technical background, and are alone worth the price of the book. This book should be enjoyed from start to finish, just like a novel. Unlike a novel this book not only provides the reader with the pleasing reading experience, but also with some very useful lessons and fundamentals.

I like the author's approach so much that I have purchased his next book "The Annotated Turing". I will post my impressions of that when I am done. ... Read more

Product Description
This new book provides a total solution for learning and teaching embedded system design based on the Freescale HCS12/9S12 microcontroller. Readers will learn step-by-step how to program the HCS12 using both assembly and C languages, as well as how to use such development tools as CodeWarrior, ImageCraft ICC12, MiniIDE, GNU C, and EGNU IDE.Supportive examples clearly illustrate all applications of the HCS12 peripheral functions, including parallel port, timer functions, PWM, UART port, SPI, I2C, CAN, on-chip flash and EEPROM programming, external memory expansion, and more.New sections on C programming style, software development methodology, and software reuse have been added in theis revision. A back-of-book CD contains the source code for all examples in the book, several groups of reusable utility functions, and complimentary freeware development tools for improved learning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Book for Those New to Microcontrollers
I would recommend this book to anybody new to microcontrollers or the HCS12 family.The book does a great job of covering programming of the HCS12 in assembly and C.There are plenty of examples in the book and included on the CD-ROM to guide you along.Additionally, the book provides a basic guide to the C language and the use of several different compilers.Out of all of the microcontroller books and textbooks I've used, I can say with confidence this one is the best. ... Read more

Product Description
The classic textbook for computer systems analysis and design, Computer Organization and Design, has been thoroughly updated to provide a new focus on the revolutionary change taking place in industry today: the switch from uniprocessor to multicore microprocessors. This new emphasis on parallelism is supported by updates reflecting the newest technologies with examples highlighting the latest processor designs, benchmarking standards, languages and tools. As with previous editions, a MIPS processor is the core used to present the fundamentals of hardware technologies, assembly language, computer arithmetic, pipelining, memory hierarchies and I/O. Along with its increased coverage of parallelism, this new edition offers new content on Flash memory and virtual machines as well as a new and important appendix written by industry experts covering the emergence and importance of the modern GPU (graphics processing unit), the highly parallel, highly multithreaded multiprocessor optimized for visual computing.

Instructors looking for 3rd edition teaching materials should e-mail textbook@elsevier.com.

A new exercise paradigm allows instructors to reconfigure the 600 exercises included in the book to easily generate new exercises and solutions of their own.

A CD provides a toolkit of simulators and compilers along with tutorials for using them as well as additional problems and solutions, and references.Amazon.com Review
This textbook provides a basic introduction to thefundamentals of current computer designs. As the title suggests, thetext skirts the border between hardware and software. After anoverview of the subject and a discussion of performance, the booklaunches into technical matter such as instruction sets, how they areconstrained by the underlying processor hardware, the constraints ontheir design, and more. An excellent critique of computer arithmeticmethods leads to a high-level discussion on processor design.Following is a great introduction to pipelining, nice coverage ofmemory issues, and solid attention to peripherals. The book concludeswith a brief discussion of the additional issues inherent inmultiprocessing machines. The extremely lucid description is groundedin real-world examples. Interesting exercises help reinforce thematerial, and each section contains a write-up of the historicalbackground of each idea. Computer Organization and Design isaccessible to the beginner, but also offers plenty of valuableknowledge for experienced engineers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (65)

Better than expected
I bought this book used and I was very surprised at how well kept it was. I saved about $40 by buying it here as apposed to the school Bookstore.

The best book I have used in computer engineering at UCLA
I'm a fourth year UCLA student studying computer engineering, and by far this has been my favorite text. It appeals both to the programmer and circuits guy in me, as well as the DIYer hardware enthusiast. It covers much of the essential computer architecture theory, but also is well supplemented with real world examples. It emphasizes design tradeoffs that real computer architects must solve. The only thing I don't like about it is the omission of some content from the hard text, but those items are provided via CD.

Could be better.
I've only made it through the first chapter, but there has already been answer-changing typos in the homework problems, and there have been several places where units in equations are either not defined or ambiguous and other similar problems.

Masterpiece
I did not buy this book from Amazon portal because of the fact that Elsevier sells low priced editions in my country.

This book is a masterpiece. Every budding CPU hobbyist or enthusiast must own this book. Everything that you needed to know to build a microcomputer on your known can be learnt from this book. By the way, I have the 4th edition of the book which focusses on another modern marvel - ARM. The pipelines, datapaths, control paths, hazards etc are explained with intuitive visuals. This book would have changed my life if I had it 14 years ago. But with teachers like Dave Patterson and John Hennessy, it can never be too late.

I highly recommend this book for undergraduate and advanced courses on the topic.

Awesomeness
The product came as described in the description. I also received it quick and had it for use in class within a few days. I would definitely make another purchase with this seller in the future. ... Read more

Product Description
This new book provides a total solution for learning and teaching embedded system design based on the Motorola HCS12/9S12 microcontroller. Readers will learn step-by-step how to program the HCS12 using both assembly and C languages, as well as how to use such development tools as asmIDE, MiniIDE, GNU C, and EGNU IDE.Supportive examples clearly illustrate all applications of the HCS12 peripheral functions, including parallel port, timer functions, PWM, UART port, SPI, I2C, CAN, on-chip flash and EEPROM programming, external memory expansion, and more.A back-of-book CD contains the source code for all examples in the book, several groups of reusable utility functions, and complimentary freeware development tools for improved learning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Review of Hardware and Software Interfacing
To be honest got overwhelmed with the assembly code bases for the HCS12.I harldy used this book for my class as if I recall correctly the book went more in C approach on hardware programing, and we used assembly.In time I'll go back and relearn what I applied in class, but using C.So hopefully this book will be more handy then.

Review for HCS12/9s12 Book
I always seem to find the right book at the at the right price at amazon.This time was no exception. I went with amazon because of the free shipping and it arrived in a timely manner.I was not disappointed.The book arrived in described condition, and I hope to get my moneys worth out of it. Thanks Amazon.

The book freescale should have wrote
Fantastic reference.
Great examples in asm and "C".
Good explanations.
A must have if you are using this family of MCU's.
Covers tools as well.

Pretty good for a rank novice
Let me state that I'm a rank novice to microcontroller programming and embedded systems.This book seemed quite comprehensive, going as far as recommending demo boards and compilers to run the examples in.There were a few errors (i.e. Chapter 14, table 1 and figure 1 are the same) but the code all seemed to compile and run ok and the CD provided all of the source code for both assembly and C.All in all this book covered pretty much everything I wanted it to and would recommend it for any student looking to use the new HC9S12 family of microprocessors.

Best book on the market for the HCS12
I'm an Electrical Enigineering student and do a lot of work with the Freescale MC9S12 family of 16-bit microcontrollers.After using just about every other book on the market for the HC(S)12 family, I can honestly say that this one is the best - by far.It's definitely the only one you will need on your desk if you work with these chips.The thing that makes it so useful is the wealth of code included in the text - both in assembly and C.Most books on the topic just include assembly, which is a fine place to start, but most of my work is done in C.So having the addition of the extra language is a huge selling point for me.And this book is for JUST the S12 family; it doesn't try to confuse things by adding the older HC12 family.The author includes code for everything that he goes over; and not just one or two snippets, there are many full examples for each of the topics covered.The author thoroughly discusses all of the hardware aboard the S12.It's like he takes the Freescale User Guides, interprets them into a form that's very easy to understand, and then gives you the code, both in assembly and C, to perform the task that was just explained.The author chose to use AsmIDE, MiniIDE, and GNU C for the code in the book.These software tools are freeware which makes the book more appealing to students or those without high-dollar development tools.In addition, they're included in the CD that comes with the book, and since they are freeware IDE's, they have no memory size restriction like the tools included with many other book CD's.Also, a plethora of practical applications are presented such as interfacing the S12 with stepper and DC motors, Servos, keypads, LCD's, external memory and much more.It also explains how to program the onboard Flash memory using both the resident booloader and a BDM.No other book that I have found even comes close to presenting just these two topics as well as Dr. Huang does.Before I had this book, I spent weeks trying to figure out Flash programming and Interrupts.This book makes it simple.Also, if you're just starting out and not familiar with a programming language, this book begins at the ground level introducing assembly and C.Basically, this is THE textbook on how to make the HCS12 microcontroller work.I use mine constantly and all of my other books just sit on the shelf - honestly.Come to think of it, the copy I have isn't even mine but my professor's :) To sum it up, I love this book because it's completely up-to-date, easy to use, and applicable to actual applications that one is likely use with the HCS12.You can tell that Dr. Huang actually uses the S12 and knows what he's talking about; not just a professor writing a text for an academic audience.This book is completely thorough and made to be used in the field.Money well invested!Thank-you Dr. Huang for such a great book! ... Read more

Product Description
This guide to adding graceful inlays and sturdy, functional hinges to wood furniture draws on the popular designs of Gustav Stickley and the Arts and Crafts movement, providing all the information necessary to add a decorative flourish to any piece of furniture. Featuring designs that are presented here for the first time, this primer provides an introduction to Stickley's work, as well indispensable techniques for reproducing many of Stickley's signature motifs. A list of important materials and detailed shop drawings for inlays and hardware is included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A little more please
The title is as it says Stickley and Ellis. I was still hoping to find some Greene and Greene or Maybeck work though.

Robert has put many many hour into reproducing the details, well done.

It would be great to find the artwork in electronic format for CNC cutting.

The hardware examples all from Stickley and limited to pulls and a few hinges.

I found the text in the first part of the book informative reading.

Great Reference Book
I bought this as an inspiration for my wife who makes boxes. We both love the book and have come away with some great ideas!

A great resource for Craftsman enthusiasts!
This book is a great resource for those of us who wish to see in great detail various inlay patterns in Craftsman furniture. Most photo-oriented books really do not take the time to focus-in on the inlay, leaving the details a blurry mystery. The author has taken the time to reproduce authentic inlays using Autocad line drawings.This is a highly specialized kind of book and I was elated to find it! Leave it to Robert Lang to give us the expert's details.

The book could be greatly improved by the addition of close-up color photos of the inlays the designs were taken from.

A great addition to the Craftsman movement! A 5-star effort! ... Read more

Product Description

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Lab Manual, Fourth Edition

Cisco Networking Academy

The only authorized Lab Manual for the Cisco Networking Academy IT Essentials v4.1 course

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Lab Manual is a supplemental book that helps the students in the Cisco^® Networking Academy course prepare to take the CompTIA^® A+ exams (based on the 2009 objectives). The hands-on labs, worksheets, and class discussions from the course are printed within this book to practice performing tasks that will help you become a successful PC technician. By reading and completing this book, you have the opportunity to review all key concepts that the CompTIA exams cover and reinforce those concepts with hands-on exercises.

Related titles

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Companion Guide,
Fourth Edition

ISBN-10: 1-58713-263-X

ISBN-13: 978-1-58713-263-6

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Course Booklet, Version 4.1

ISBN-10: 1-58713-261-3

ISBN-13: 978-1-58713-261-2

31 Days Before Your A+ Exams, Second Edition

ISBN-10: 1-58713-260-5

ISBN-13: 978-1-58713-260-5

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome instruction manual
I am so happy I ordered this item.It is much more in depth than the online version of the manual.It has been a huge help with my class as I am able to hi-lite important items and read anytime, anywhere.This book is a keeper as a reference manual for later troubleshooting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great doorknob book
very good for identification of door hardware. Not so great for timelines of makers,marks or anything else that was not in the pictures presented. It was helpful and a good book to own, but it is very narrow in scope to entrance door type hardware. ... Read more

Product Description

The only Cisco authorized textbook that for the IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software course from the Cisco Networking Academy Program

• New Companion Guide format complements the online curriculum with insight and instruction from Academy instructors
• A portable reference that supports all the topics in the new course, aligning 1:1 with course modules
• Features improved readability, enhanced topic explanations, real-world examples, and all new graphical presentations
• Alignment to A+ objectives

The IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Companion Guide supplements and complements the IT Essentials I: PC Hardware and Software v4.0 online curriculum offered by the Cisco Networking Academy Program.

The Companion Guide is designed as a supplemental textbook for the Networking Academy course, offering students a portable desk reference of the course content to use anytime anywhere as a study aid. The chapter content aligns 1:1 to the online course module topics, but does not merely mimic the content word-for-word. The authors present the course material in the Companion Guide in a comprehensive manner, providing their own examples where necessary to augment a student's understanding of the course material.

• Chapter Objectives as stated as questions at beginning of each chapter
• Key terms listed in the Chapter openers
• Enhanced readability for younger student comprehension
• How To Feature provides step-by-step tasks for common activities
• Key concept recaps, Check Your Understanding Questions, and next chapter previews are in a concise summary at the end of each chapter

The Companion Guide serves as an additional instructional tool for the instructor to assign take-home reading or give vocabulary quizzes to better prepare the students for in-class lab assignments.

Customer Reviews (5)

Great Text
I purchased this book used. The seller said it had some damage to the cover. The book came in like new condition and even include the unopened supplemental student disk.

READING ONLINE IS TOO DIFFICULT
Since I couldn't be reading from Cisco's website I had to buy the book which is accompanied by a cd with virtual lab activities.

It's great and I would strongly recommended.

Cisco PC Hardware and Software Companion Guide (3rd edit)
This is the only text to use with the Cisco course.This edition is up to date and current with the industry standards.Amazon's price was over half of that of Cisco Press or Prentice Hall. This is the only place to purchase the text book without feeling gouged or ripped off.

IT Essentials
I bought this to help in a course I am currently taking. I feel that not only does it lack in written style, there is a wide disconnect between it and the companion lab book.

It Essentials: PC hardware
The book is really nice for entry level people pursuing or even for fun, on learning about PC's. The book also arrived in a quick manner and in brand new condition. Helps alot also if your trying to get your A+ certification. ... Read more

Product Description
A longtime favorite among PC users, the third edition of the book now contains useful information for people running either Windows or Linux operating systems. Written for novices and seasoned professionals alike, the book is packed with useful and unbiased information, including how-to advice for specific components, ample reference material, and a comprehensive case study on building a PC. In addition to coverage of the fundamentals and general tips about working on PCs, the book includes chapters focusing on motherboards, processors, memory, floppies, hard drives, optical drives, tape devices, video devices, input devices, audio components, communications, power supplies, and maintenance. Special emphasis is given to upgrading and troubleshooting existing equipment so you can get the most from your existing investments.Amazon.com Review
PC Hardware in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference relies on an eternal truth of the computer industry: legacy systems never die. This book focuses on the technologies that have provided Wintel personal computers with various capabilities over the years. Like most of its competitors, this book addresses the PC on a subsystem level, and deals with video cards, hard-disk interfaces, memory, and other pieces of the componentry puzzle that hardware integrators need to figure out. The authors do a great job of explaining the differences between (and relative merits of) IDE and SCSI hard-drive interfaces, various video buses, competing processors, and other technologies. They also prove themselves adept at explaining general assembly procedures and troubleshooting strategies.

This book distinguishes itself from its most popular competitors by emphasizing the authors' opinions on hardware products. It's refreshing to see authors recommend Product A for high-performance systems in which price is not an issue, Product B for economical home systems, and Product C for organizational workstations. On the other hand, the recommendations, prices, and similar values will change over time. The authors maintain a great Web site, at which you can find their current recommendations. (The Web site, on the other hand, doesn't include the book's high-quality tutorial on designing and assembling a system from zero.) Even the photographs that appear in this book--traditionally a weak point among hardware books--are clear. --David Wall

Topics covered: Personal computers that comply with Microsoft Windows and Intel compatibility requirements. The authors address processors, memory, hard disks, optical media, removable magnetic disks, video cards, power supplies, and more. Also, there are instructions for assembling a machine from scratch, and some coverage of troubleshooting problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Pull-no-punches opinionated and highly detailed
Robert Thompson is a man who doesn't hold back from giving his opinion on why something is good or bad, either on his website or in his books.In _PC Hardware in a Nutshell_, he tells you just what he thinks of what's good and bad about PC components in just about any category you can think of, and backs it up with all the facts, figures and personal experiences you could ever ask for.Every chapter includes historical information on the components under discussion, detailed reviews of what they do and how they do it, and recommendations on what to use (and what not to use).The final chapter walks you through building your own machine step-by-step, though, this being an omnibus book, the chapter is necessarily slightly skimpy in comparison to _Building The Perfect PC_.The writing style is clear and lively, in fact the book is well worth reading as a book even if you don't need any specific information at the time.The only real complaint I have is something the author has no control over - the fact that new PC hardware comes out so fast that it's just impossible to review every single new thing in a paper edition. (Well, that and the fact that Thompson doesn't like Western Digital because he's had bad experiences with their hard drives, whereas I've been using WD exclusively for years and never yet have had one go out on me.I think that can be chalked up, though, more to the fact that there's just so much PC hardware out there that different people are just going to end up having completely different experiences with components from a particular manufacturer.That, or I just got lucky with WD hard drives.)All in all, this book is truly indispensable.

Power to the People!
Let me start out with a huge thanks to O'Reilly. I'm not a big fan of large corporations or publishers - but I have come to trust O'Reilly implicitly wherever technical issues are concerned. Although I'm certain that they are not the "perfect" publisher, nor in the business for wholly (ha!) altruistic reasons, I AM amazed by the remarkable originality, diversity, range, quality, accuracy, and honorable business practices of this publisher. Oftentimes I wonder how they manage to maintain such a level, when their current library is so chock-full of tough-to-follow acts.

That said, PC Hardware in a Nutshell does not fail to meet up to these high expectations. Let me get the review portion of my review out of the way - simply put, this is the book I have been hunting for a couple years. That I did not immediately search the O'Reilly library only shows that I am a bit silly. I should have known better. End of review.

But I would like to carry this a bit further, and go out on a limb to discuss the only complaint prior reviewers have voiced: that the book is too "Microsoft-centric."

Rather than a weakness, I believe that this is actually a strength. Let me offer big kudos to the authors and publisher for realizing that a serious, yet accessible, compendium of computer hardware knowledge was necessary. The folks who register such complaints are those least in need of an in-depth introduction to PC hardware. These are the high priests of hi-tech, who rule the roost by virtue of their knowledge-monopoly on all issues technical. They would have you believe that if it was not hand-crafted from spare parts, duct tape, and copious amounts of solder and configured with the most obscure version of Linux, then it's only fit for a 4-year-old. They are, quite simply, dead wrong. Let them compile their own "PC Hardware for Only the Most Serious Tech Gurus", I say!

Thompson's very first point is that he intended the book to be of the most practical usability possible. The practical reality is that the people who desperately need such a compendium are poor fools, like Yours Truly, who are too technical to be satisfied with tutorials on how to use Microsoft Office, yet are not quite knowledgeable enough to get right under the hood of their PCs (never mind build a Linux box from spare hatpins and Reynolds Wrap). We, the "psuedo-techies", often do not come equipped with enough experience, knowledge, or confidence to take ourselves to the next level. We are the crowd who are using Microsoft products, yet would love to learn enough to understand exactly WHY Microsoft means "mush-mind" and Linux is God - but will never get there without a guide. This book is the guide, and to me it says, "Psuedo-techies unite! Power to the people!"

A bit dated
This is a great book that covers every aspect of building a PC. However, as of August 2004, the 3rd edition of this book is a bit dated. For example PC3200 memory is considered the newest memory and both Pentium 4 Prescott processors and Athlon 64 processors were not out when this book was published. If you are buying this book, you may want to wait for a 4th edition, unless you are looking to assemble an old computer.

I would not accept the author's hardware recommendations as the final word. For one thing, the components they review are in many cases no longer manufactured. Magazine reviews and PC hardware Web sites are going to have different opinions on what the best components are.

All you need for PC hardware
This book is amazingly concise and thorough, yet also very easy to read. It contains many helpful photographs, and the authors maintain a great website that is tremendously useful and is a great addition to the book. I am not a big fan of the "In a Nutshell" computer books published by O'Reilly, but this book is definitely an exception. It's great for both beginners and experts.

A Gem of a PC primer!
O'Reilly's an up and coming publisher of computer related books. Maybe a kingpin already. This selection is a true quick reference guide. Written by the Thompsons, this selection gives you a thorough look into buying, assembling and operating computers. You do need a basic understanding to get anything out of this book, but if this is the case, you won't be disappointed. I have a first edition copy, and it's still current. That says a lot, a first edition published four years ago is still not too outdated! Think about it. How many computer related books can you think of that's relatively current after four years? Huh? ... Read more

Product Description

Create your own Arduino-based designs, gain in-depth knowledge of the architecture of Arduino, and learn the user-friendly Arduino language all in the context of practical projects that you can build yourself at home. Get hands-on experience using a variety of projects and recipes for everything from home automation to test equipment.

Arduino has taken off as an incredibly popular building block among ubicomp (ubiquitous computing) enthusiasts, robotics hobbyists, and DIY home automation developers. Authors Jonathan Oxer and Hugh Blemings provide detailed instructions for building a wide range of both practical and fun Arduino-related projects, covering areas such as hobbies, automotive, communications, home automation, and instrumentation.

• Take Arduino beyond "blink" to a wide variety of projects from simple to challenging
• Hands-on recipes for everything from home automation to interfacing with your car engine management system
• Explanations of techniques and references to handy resources for ubiquitous computing projects

Supplementary material includes a circuit schematic reference, introductions to a range of electronic engineering principles and general hints & tips. These combine with the projects themselves to make Practical Arduino: Cool Projects for Open Source Hardware an invaluable reference for Arduino users of all levels. You'll learn a wide variety of techniques that can be applied to your own projects.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Needs better editing/proofreading
I agree with the others who reviewed this book.Seems like a first venture for the publisher...orApress uses inexpensive supplies to produce books.The paper is low quality, but I have seen worse, guess it is true you get what you pay for when getting a book published.The photos are not bad, for black and white in my copy, the quality of the photos are mediocre and not real crisp...but hey, it's B/W photos printed on non-photo paper. One of the diagrams for an S-Type video plug, seems to be double "stamped"( Page 66) , it is not just my copy, someone on Apress's website for the book put it in the errata/problems for this book.
I DO NOT like the labyrinth one needs to go through, to download source code, it would have been easier just to go to [...] and look at the few projects I was interested in before buying this book
The index does not match up to the bookpages.The Table of Contents shows the index to be on page 405...it is on page 411.I wonder what was added for the six extra pages.All of the projects start on the correct page listed on the contents page. Many of the projects do not interest me, but there area couple I will be trying out.

Filled with ugly low contrast photos... unreadable.
Shame on Apress for allowing this book to be published in this disgusting condition.

Over 100 photos which are supposed to be showing wiring connections, components, etc... are absolutely useless due to the fact that they're printed as dark blotches with no definition or contrast in the images.

The text constantly makes reference to these useless "photos"... so attempting to read the book is very frustrating.

Apress thinks it's okay to dump their printing mistakes on the public?

It's garbage. I'm returning it.

Deep 'duino
This is a good project book.The projects are fairly complex and probably not suitable for beginners.
Fortunately, the book is not "bulked up" with code listings and the diagrams are good.
Unfortunately, the photos are foggy as noted in the other reviews.

I am looking forward to the sequel.

Very Disappointing
The first thing you notice when you open this book is that it seems to've been printed on recycled Charmin. After that, you'll notice right away how much trouble the authors and publishers took on the photos, i.e. just about none whatsoever. Instead of color photos, we are treated to the exciting world of monochrome. Ah, but not just any monochrome. No sir! The authors evidently went to all the trouble of finding one of Matthew Brady's original cameras, last used to photograph Civil War battlefields. They do provide lots of dim, dark, nearly zero-contrast photos, many of which are almost adequate. The publishers then took these lovely photos and reproduced them with what appears to've been a 1970's copier, still using the original toner cartridge I think. To economize on all that expensive recycled Charmin, the authors have painstakingly avoided any white space and have given us pages that have all the readability of medieval German.

THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR BEGINNERS. The title should have used the word "Advanced" instead of "Practical". There are no easy introductory projects in this book, not one. Also, they seem to be horrified by the idea of easy-to-use breadboards and instead invite us to spend endless hours with a soldering iron, hoping that we can interpret those murky photos and not make any mistakes. As to the quality of the information so densely provided, it may be that once you have struggled through it all, you will have gotten really useful data from this book. I think you'll need to be a real Arduino expert though and extremely patient to boot. To me, the whole thing is spoiled by being so poorly presented. However, if you're one of those people who think form and style count for nothing, I'm sure you will truly appreciate this book. Good luck.

Update as of 10/15/10: Now that I have read the comment attached to this review by one of the authors, I feel sorry for them. Evidently the poor presentation was mainly the fault of the publishers, who appear to have been churlish and unresponsive. I would really like to know what the book would've looked like had the authors had their way. I naively assumed that the publishers took exactly what the authors gave them and simply reproduced it en masse. Evidently it is critically important to select the right publishers; a book that would otherwise have been well received and useful to its buyers might well end up being skewered by heartless reviewers like me.

Good book for beginners looking for a challenge
I agree completely with the top rated reviews that say that this book covers a lot of detail on Arduino. Even though I am not interested in building most of the projects in the book, there are still numerous resources to be found in those chapters. For example, I was just reading the chapter on building an oscilloscope using Arduino to pass data to a computer for display. In this section, there is a detailed explanation of how Arduino does analog and digital reads, the amount of time these reads take, and how to "overclock" the analog read process for greater resolution in reads. This kind of information goes way beyond the basic "connect the green wire to the third connector" and gives you an understanding that transfers to other projects.

For those complaining that the book isn't for beginners, I would disagree for the reason that almost all of the code is well explained. The parts that are not well explained are generally related to extremely low-level hardware interfacing, an example being the code to overclock the analog reads. Even this is explained in enough detail to be able to use it in any project, but not adapt the low-level commands to other functions. I understand fully why this choice was made, given the limitations of the book. Even if there is a section of code that cannot be understood from the instructions, you can just copy-paste it into a project and it will likely work. ... Read more

Product Description
This classic bestseller is now available in a new, compact edition. Ever wonder about those bent-looking washers, or how to replace a pipe fitting correctly the first time? And why are there so many types of screwdrivers anyway? This comprehensive, portable guide (small enough to take along in a pocket while shopping) to absolutely everything sold in a hardware store empowers even the clueless to pick and choose knowledgeably among the unfamiliar-looking tools and devices. It's an essential manual and guidebook for anyone undertaking a home repair project.Featured throughout are practical tips on use, price, and technique, along with black-and-white line drawings to help identify products clearly. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Small Wonder
By Bill Marsano. Putting in a new faucet means taking out your old one, so you head off to the hardware store. So far, so good, but because you are an unrepentant sinner it is not Ace, the place with the helpful hardware man; neither is it, say, Home Depot, which has a pretty aggressive program of training its employees (they call 'em 'associates') so they will understand what you want even when you don't. Which is the case just now. You need that weird little tool with the sping-loaded half-claw gripper that works at right angles to the handle, and the clerk you're talking to breathes through his mouth, can't focus more than one eye at a time and can't think of anything to say except "If you don't see it on the shelf, we're out of it." (That, brothers, is the Official Lie of American retailing.)

Only then does the manager arrive. You start over and within 10 seconds he stops you and says, "Right--a basin wrench. Why didn't you say so?" And now you're the one who feels like a dope. As you would if you needed trammel points (or heads), a spud wrench, some castellated nuts or a box of pinch dogs.

Your house and workshop are full of such things or should be, but they aren't, so you have to go get them at the least convenient times from clerks singularly ill-equipped to assist you.

If you have this little book your life will be a lot easier, because you will be able to ask for things like angle stops, hawks, ballcocks and four-in-hand rasps with the ease of a pro. These item,s have thjeir strange and partoicular little names because they are partocular things. A pinch dog, for example, is not exactly the same as a pinch puppy. We started with a sink, remember? With this book you'll flip to Part VIII (plumbing stuff), flip past fixtures and fittings and pipes and valves until you come to implements of destruction, where sure enough between Plumbing Wrenches (p. 555) and Special Plumbing Tools (p. 571) you will find the basin wrench of your dreams, probably with a nice picture to help you out.

Same goes for all other areas of do-it-yourself house-damaging--walls and floors, electrics, windows and more.

All in all, you would think this is a very handy little book, but it's not. It is very useful and very helpful but not at all handy. In fact it's damned clumsy: It measures 4-1/4 by 5-1/2 inches and is about as thick as a brick. You can see that it isn't especially easy to flip through. Worse, the type and illustrations are commensurate with the page size, which means they're too small unless you're used to reading insurance contracts. OK, it's a good book--but if re-sized to the proportions of a standard paperback it would be terrific. Still, that's its only flaw.--Bill Marsano can drive a nail without hitting his thumb, but that's about it. What he's really good at is going to hardware stores on sale days. ... Read more

Product Description

A beautifully photographed look at the creative possibilities of decorating with antique and contemporary American hardware: doorknobs, drawer pulls, locks, hinges, and more.

Suddenly, hardware seems to be featured everywhere: glossy magazines showcase glimmering arrays of cabinet handles and famous designers are creating door pulls. With the current focus on building and renovating houses, there's a great demand for hardware that is both beautiful and functional and that matches the particular design of the house, whether it is Victorian, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, Contemporary, or another style. Hardware can change the entire look of a room; the fine details on doorknobs and cabinet handles can become the decorative springboard for every room in the home. Compared with the expense of demolition and reconstruction, changing the surface details--replacing the hardware--is a small investment. And if the original hardware is intact, it can serve as a guide to the age and history of a house. It's a part of our heritage.In the first-ever comprehensive book written about decorative hardware, Liz Gordon and Terri Hartman, the owner and the manager of Liz's Antique Hardware, the nation's foremost antique hardware store, delve into this rarely considered aspect of interior design. They reveal the history behind the most loved styles of hardware during the last few hundred years and show you how to fit these decorative, historical pieces of art into your own home. You'll see exquisite homes that incorporate antique and contemporary hinges, handles, knobs, and locks--and find an incredible variety of ways to express your personal style through American decorative hardware.

Customer Reviews (2)

HARDWARE AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE
As the stylist for many of the photographs that make Decorative Hardware a thing of beauty, I have to say that I learned an astonishing amount about the history of hardware while working on this book with photographer Philip Clayton-Thompson and the owner of L.A.'s famed Liz's Antique Hardware - Liz Gordon, and store manager/writer Terri Hartman. I can no longer look at doors, windows or furnishings without noticing the hardware, its era, its patina, or wondering about its history. What a joy this book is to have and to give. Thanks, Liz!

useful reference book
this book is both practical and beautiful.full of useful,specific info plus great photos.good reference book for designers,architects, contractors and homeowners.nicely done. ... Read more

Product Description
How many types of screwdrivers are there? What's the most useful pair of pliers to own? Here's a comprehensive, portable reference containing virtually every tool and product sold in hardware and garden supply stores (except plants!). It's an essential manual and guidebook for any aspiring do-it-yourselfer undertaking a home repair or garden project. The straightforward design makes it easy to find information quickly. Detailed line drawings and diagrams help identify the tool or material, and show how it's used. Includes practical tips on usage, cost, and other considerations. An incomparable resource for the homeowner! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores
Really good reference. I'm glad I own it, but the day it arrived I found a newer printing at Garden Ridge for $4.OO less than I paid with shipping included.

Yes, there is a way to fix almost anything if you have the right tool!
This is a great reference book.Before I had it a week, I had solved some mysteries about pieces and parts of stuff...and where to buy them, and what they looked like!Of course, sometimes it's fun to just graze through the book and find all sorts of items you didn't know existed. If you're into home repair, or home improvement, this gem is a great addition to your how-to collection.

Two books in 1 cover
The _"Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores and Garden Centers"_ (published by Running Press/Courage Books imprint, 2002) has two parts: 1: "Complete Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores" (729 pages, originally published by Macmillan in 1998) and 2: "Complete Guide to Everything Sold in Garden Centers" (368 pages, originally published by Macmillan in 1990). Because they were originally published as separate books, the two sections of this book each have their own introductions, tables-of-contents, indexes, and pagination. If you see this 2002 title/edition listed as only 368 pages, do not despair - it actually has 1,097 pages. So far, all the reviews I've seen have only reviewed the _Hardware Stores_ section.

1:
I would like to add a couple of comments to colobbfan's May 22, 2003, nice review of that section.In the introduction, the author specifies that this buying guide is meant to assist your average/traditional do-it-yourself, renovation or restoration projects. He states that in this book "[y]ou will not find heavy construction materials, or professional tools, or esoteric cabinetmaking tools, or hobby materials." He also says he purposely did not include automotive, boating, electronics, home security or house-wares even though those items may appear in some hardware stores. Appendix A, "Metals and Finishes", is a glossary of 20 terms related to describing metals from "blued" to "zinc-plated". Appendix B, "Basic Tools and Materials Every Homeowner Should Have", is divided into three parts: Hand Tools, Power Tools, and Materials. Stars (*) next to some items on the list denote absolute basics one should have. The starred items would make an excellent gift to college students moving to their first apartment or home. (Don't forget that us ladies need to be self-sufficient, also! Often then index (or lack thereof) makes or breaks a reference book. This one has an excellent, easy-to-read, well-organized index with numerous cross-references. Part of the _Hardware_ section's 37-page index is included in Amazon's "Browse Sample Pages" area, so go take a look at it. The typeface of the hardware section is easy to read and the format is suitable for quick browsing.

2:
I venture to say that despite the difference in page length, the _Garden Center_ section has just as much information as the _Hardware_ section - the difference lies in smaller type with less space between lines, and fewer illustrations (they aren't needed when you are talking about different types of fertilizers, pesticides, and mulches). The Table-of-Contents is separated into three areas (Supplies; Tools Equipment & Accessories; Appendixes) with detailed headings, subheadings, and sub-subheadings (see Amazon's sample pages - since that is available I won't talk much about the different types of garden center items included). The introduction of the _Garden Center_ section states you will not find "pet supplies or farming equipment or landscaping materials [in this section]... Regular home gardening, with a slight nod to decoration is the limit." While the title states that plants are not included in this guide, Appendix A is a 7-page "General Buying Guide for Bulbs, Seeds, Plants, Shrubs and Trees." The main area of the book is chock-full of general buying tips in broad categories as well as for specific products, use tips, and descriptions of specific products. Sometimes popular brand names are listed (not as endorsement but as an aid) and where applicable other terms that may be used to describe a specific item are included.The _Garden Center_ index has much smaller type than the Hardware Store index, so you may want a magnifying glass for it. Overall, I would say that that the format of the _Garden Center_ section is less suited to browsing and more suitable for reading full sections because it includes more discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of particular products.

The arrangement of both the _Hardware Stores_ section and the _Garden Centers_ section is to group the contents as they are usually grouped in those respective stores, which makes the guide very user-friendly. My one complaint is that thumb-tabs or coloration on the page edges would have been useful to distinguish the two indexes from the rest of the book (especially since the index to the _Hardware_ section is in the middle of the book).This book is one of the best gifts I have ever received, though I wish I had discovered it 10 years ago when I first moved out on my own. I expect it to be useful in all my new home repair and gardening projects and it has already earned a prime spot on my closest bookshelf.

Nothing is COMPLETE
Steve Ettlinger writes books that are basic lists of explanations on various subjects. Such as:
*Beer For Dummies®
*The Hardware Cyclopedia (not published yet)
*The Kitchenware Book
*The Restaurant Lover's Companion:
*A Handbook for Deciphering the
Mysteries of Ethnic Menus
*The Complete Illustrated Guide to
Everything Sold in Marine Supply Stores

Like his previous books, there is just enough detail of all the gadgets, tools, and other "stuff" that you find in (duh) Hardware and Garden Centers. He doesn't spend pages on a particular item, just a simple explanation and description of it's use. Like walking through a large home center's departments, the book is broken down into ELEVEN Parts:
Part I: Common Hand Tools
Part II: Power Tools
Part III: General Hardware
Part IV: General Materials
Part V: Paints, Stains, Finishes, Wall Coverings, and Related Products and Tools
Part VI: Wood and Wood Products
Part VII: Wall, Floor, and Ceiling Materials and Tools; Doors
Part VIII: Plumbing Hardware, Materials and Tools
Part IX: Electrical Products and Tools
Part X: Masonry Materials, Products and tools
Part XI: Safety Equipment

This format with the line drawings of the items remind me of the home medical books all American homes had during the 1950's & 1960's. This is a fun book to peruse through when you can't get to your home center and I can't compare it to any other book out to inform you on tools. It isn't COMPLETE though (and never could be with as quickly as items appear in home remodeling, etc.)
...Overall a fun purchase with lots of information in a familiar format.
John Row

Excellent place to start when you don't know what to ask for
If what we've lost in the move from small neighborhood hardware stores to"big box" home centers is help and advice, this book is awonderful substitute. Describes in just enough detail all the gadgets,tools, and other "stuff" that one needs in completing home fix-upprojects.

No, it won't tell you how to build a deck. This book will,though, be thoroughly helpful in explaining everything that you'll use todo it. ... Read more

Product Description
The skills and guidance needed to master RTL hardware design

This book teaches readers how to systematically design efficient, portable, and scalable Register Transfer Level (RTL) digital circuits using the VHDL hardware description language and synthesis software. Focusing on the module-level design, which is composed of functional units, routing circuit, and storage, the book illustrates the relationship between the VHDL constructs and the underlying hardware components, and shows how to develop codes that faithfully reflect the module-level design and can be synthesized into efficient gate-level implementation.

Several unique features distinguish the book:
* Coding style that shows a clear relationship between VHDL constructs and hardware components
* Conceptual diagrams that illustrate the realization of VHDL codes
* Emphasis on the code reuse
* Practical examples that demonstrate and reinforce design concepts, procedures, and techniques
* Two chapters on realizing sequential algorithms in hardware
* Two chapters on scalable and parameterized designs and coding
* One chapter covering the synchronization and interface between multiple clock domains

Although the focus of the book is RTL synthesis, it also examines the synthesis task from the perspective of the overall development process. Readers learn good design practices and guidelines to ensure that an RTL design can accommodate future simulation, verification, and testing needs, and can be easily incorporated into a larger system or reused. Discussion is independent of technology and can be applied to both ASIC and FPGA devices.

With a balanced presentation of fundamentals and practical examples, this is an excellent textbook for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses in advanced digital logic. Engineers who need to make effective use of today's synthesis software and FPGA devices should also refer to this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Best book ever for synthesis
This book focuses on the IEEE 1076.6 VHDL RTL synthesis standard. If you want to do behavioral modeling, look to Peter J. Ashenden's Designer's Guide to VHDL. If you want to make circuits that work. This is your book. VHDL is a complex language that can be used for different purposes. Actual hardware design is only one of these purposes. So if that's what you want to do, get this book that focuses on that particular aspect of the language.

There are plenty of End of Chapter exercises that are challenging but doable. Topics are in depth and good design practices are taught alongside good coding style.

Excellent book for digital IC designer
This is an excellent book for digital IC designer using
VHDL at the RT level. It does not cover the full VHDL
syntax, but it gives a lot of information on how to design
a digital ASIC using VHDL. ... Read more

Product Description

Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking provides a long-needed, practical, and engaging introduction to the craft of making - as well as creatively cannibalizing - electronic circuits for artistic purposes. With a sense of adventure and no prior knowledge, the reader can subvert the intentions designed into devices such as radios and toys to discover a new sonic world. At a time when computers dominate music production, this book offers a rare glimpse into the core technology of early live electronic music, as well as more recent developments at the hands of emerging artists. In addition to advice on hacking found electronics, the reader learns how to make contact microphones, pickups for electromagnetic fields, oscillators, distortion boxes, and unusual signal processors cheaply and quickly.

This revised and expanded second edition is extensively illustrated and includes a DVD featuring eighty-seven video clips and twenty audio tracks by over one hundred hackers, benders, musicians, artists, and inventors from around the world, as well as thirteen video tutorials demonstrating projects in the book. Further enhancements include additional projects, photographs, diagrams, and illustrations.

Customer Reviews (11)

the bese book ever.
This book is what every IC Bender needs it goes from the simple project to various experimental projects and the vidoes are a huge help. A must have for those who want some new ideas in beding.

Great way to get your hands charged for the first time
This book is, apparently, compiled from course materials for what must be a very fun class.It mostly covers two broad topics.First, producing unexpected sounds from radios and the circuit boards in toys, and modifying those devices in simple ways, such as adding photoresistors or new circuit board connections.Second, building simple synthesizers from scratch.The skills taught are basic, and form the building blocks for infinite exploration.The tools and parts needed are all inexpensive (often costing mere pennies).The included CD is great fun, but best saved for later listening, since it contains "spoilers" of what some of the projects might sound like.

Because of the book's origination in a class situation, the explanations and pictures are not always ideally clear.There are a lot of typos. However, the writing is so engaging and the book is so much fun that it still deserves 5 stars.Where the book is incomplete ("how to I de-solder something?"), the Web is there.

The book is clearly aimed at musicians without any electronics experience.Nonmusicians might still enjoy it, but a joy in playing with sound is absolutely required.I suspect the book would be way too basic for people with any significant experience in electronics.

As sidebars, the book includes a considerable amount of history of electronic music -- who's who and what they've been up to.

If you can't crack it open, it doesn't really belong to you.
A great guide to taking apart old electronic noisemakers and turning them into something new. Also includes simple DIY electronic circuits with all the steps. The projects are compelling and workable. Give this to a young person and change their whole outlook on DIY.

Excellent Book, Great For Novices & Experienced Alike
This is a really fun book, with lots of projects for budding electronic musicians. But it goes beyond that: It's a solid intro to electronics and CMOS components. I went into this book thinking it might be too basic, yet I walked away with a lot of ideas, and some interesting new techniquess.

I wish that more electronics writers would cover the material with this author's style and accuracy. Also, kudos for providing parts sources and for using easy to find and inexpensive components. (I've seen many people, myself included, become frustrated by hard-to-find parts lists or the use of discontinued items. These projects suffer from neither of those problems.)

In the end, you'll be left wanting to know more about the components and techniques you've picked up. (You'll probably want to add Don Lancaster's classic CMOS Cookbook to your shopping cart. It will give you the details about many of these components.) Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to other books by this author.

so good for electronic musicians and composers
Ah ! this book is one of the best i bought.
I just love it !! ... Read more

Product Description
Provides detailed explanations of core hardware topics including upgrading issues, overdrives, and i386 clones. This latest edition will continue to amaze and delight with its detailed explanation of every aspect of PC hardware. Previous edition c1997. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

No Updates????
This was a really great book in its day. Why on earth doesn't the author or publisher update it???

Good update, though Mr McGreary is blaming the wrong folk
A useful book for getting to grips with the basics of, especially older, PCs.

I think Mr. McGreary is being unfair. I looked at this and earlier editions and noted that the clunky language I suppose he is complaining about is there in the older editions, not translated by Transcript Alba.

I know that in these situations that publishers often are only willing to pay for translation of the actual updates and the updated bits look fine to me.

Good content, horrible translation.
Hans Messmer does a great job of arranging this vast body of knowledge into one book. I do agree w/the other reviewers on that point.

However, TransScript Alba, which is the company that translated this fourth edition, should have their heads slapped for their absolutely abhorrent use of the English language. You must put your linguistic sensibilities on the stack while your brain processes the text in this book. I'm actually suprised when I find a page that doesn't have incorrect punctuation, misspelled words, or incomplete sentences.

And as a final note, I disagree with the other reviewers that the old architecture info should be trashed to save room, because you can't appreciate change w/out a knowledge of history, and there are plenty of systems still using old PC technology. Until the fundamental architecture of the PC changes, every bit of information in this book is relevant.

"The One Book", for me at least, on PC Hardware
I have not been using this book so much recently, but in the past it has been absolutely invaluable. Definately the best single reference for technical specifics for the PC.

There seem to be dozens if not hundreds of "upgrade your PC", "Fix your PC" and so on - nearly all light weight and I consider not worthwhile.

It has tables on pretty well everything, and the information is quite dense. I have not found it to be inaccurate. Not merely factual tables (Addresses, IRQs, layouts of structure, PCI) it contains good descriptions of of what is going on.

Now in its fourth edition - and I think I have owned all of them, it has stood the test of time and continues to be updated.

Comprehensive
A big book which covers huge area of computer hardware!! Essential for all computer user!! ... Read more

Product Description
From rear cover: The NeXT Bible opens up the box and introduces this machines unique software and hardware components. Topics include: Mach Operation system; NextStep User Interface; Display PostScript; Hardware Elements; Networking; Programming; Built-in Software Applications. (Description by http-mart) ... Read more