Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent PICmicro Book
Review: Myke Predko has done it again!! The second edition of his book is a significant improvement on his already extremely complete first edition. In addition to adding 800 pages, he has also included the most useful CDROM I have ever received with a book. There are numerous data sheets, two complete 100+ page tutorials, and multiple useful software tools on the CDROM. And if that wasn't enough, he even includes a PCB so you can build your own PIC Programmer using commonly available components.The thing that has always impressed me about Predko's books are his in-depth programming examples and projects. When I first got the book, I excitedly skipped to the projects section to see what he had added and I wasn't disappointed! The book also presents an up to date coverage of the latest PICmicro tools and a debugging checklist that I found particularly interesting. A through coverage of software and hardware development techniques is included in the book that is suitable for someone with a moderate level of Microcontroller Development Experience. Those needing a more basic level of knowledge can refer to the tutorials on the CDROM. I highly recommend Programming & Customizing the PICmicro to students and professionals alike, I'm sure you will find it as useful as I have. Ben Wirz President, Wirz Electronics
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book
Review: I am a professional embedded programmer. I purchased this book so that I could get up to speed on the Microchip PIC architecture and its assembly language. I read the first 105 pages of the book in detail so that I'd have a basic understanding of the PIC micro architecture for the mid-range family. (I acquired an MPLAB-ICD, from Microchip, which is based on the 16F877 -midrange chip.) Afterwards I went straight to the section in chap. 14 on the MPLAB-ICD and got the ICD kit running. After that, I went to chapter 15 and did the first 10 experiments using the MPLAB-ICD. Basically, the course that I followed allowed me to get up to speed in the shortest amount of time. Most of these experiments were designed for the 16F84 but they're all easily modified to run on the 16F877. My findings: 1. The book is sprinkled with spelling and grammatical errors, however so is the Microchip documentation on their chips - this is more frustrating because you're taking Microchip's word as absolute truth. 2. It is nice that Myke included the El-Cheapo programmer circuit board. However, given the time and cost associated with building it, I'd rather use the MPLAB-ICD. However (there's always a however) the El-Cheapo programs quite a variety while the ICD only does the 16F877. (Note: Microchip has a new ICD that programs all or most of their chips. It's low cost and is already built.) 3. Unlike other reviewers, I found the code that I ran to be reliable - I found no blatant errors in the code - errors that would keep the code from running "as advertised." I copied my code from the CD - this was a time-saver. 4. The book is way too long to read from cover to cover. I'd die of boredom if I tried to do this. When I was going through the first 10 experiments, I skipped to the earlier chapters to dig for information. This is a fact of life when programming microcontrollers. You typically don't read whole data books on a microcontroller. Fortunately, I found the Microchip data sheets to have most of the information I was looking for. This minimized my searches in Myke's book. 6. Myke should have provided a road map to assist people with different levels of experience get up to speed in the shortest time possible. 7. To be fair, the book was comprehensive and I was able to find answers to most of my PIC architecture/assembly questions. 8. The index is not easy to read. Take a look at it and you'll understand what I mean. Sometimes, I felt like I needed a magnifying glass. The topics and their subtopics are in the same small font and the subtopics are often numerous - sometimes extending to the next page. Myke, for the next edition fix this. 9. Chapter 13 has quite a deal of information on the YAP-II programmer. This information would have been better kept on the CD so as not to pack the book with too much information. 10. I am specifically interested in the electronic thermometer project on page 957. For my application Myke's approach is not adequate, however it may be fine for you. Regardless, I enjoyed seeing his approach and comparing it to mine. Myke uses a thermistor as part of an RC circuit which is charged to 5 volts. The capacitor is then discharged through the thermistor to a known voltage (2.5v) and the time constant for the circuit is determined from this. This measured time is directly related to the thermistor's resistance which is directly related to the temperature. After reading Myke's book, I implemented a 16 by 16 signed multiply on the 16F877. I used a least squares curve fitting program to derive a cubic equation for the thermistor's data (same one Myke used) and implemented this equation on the PIC using fixed point arithmetic. I used information in Chap 15 to get the serial port going - by cutting and pasting. I had a friend write a Visual Basic app to display the temperature on a PC. Armed with the PIC information from Myke's book, I implemented a temperature controller that can accurately hold the temp. in an oven to better than 2 Deg. F. (with minimal over/undershoot) and reports the temperature to a PC. The approach I took yields greater precision and requires less parts however Myke's approach is simpler. Maybe I'll write a book on this... I recommend getting this book if you want to get started with the PIC microcontroller - it's a good reference...
Rating:
Summary: Best PIC Reference Available
Review: I have found this book to be the most thorough compilation of PIC micro information that is available. Again and again, I have looked at other books, then returned to Predko. It covers just about any topic you can imagine - - PIC hardware, timers, LCDs, various types of interfacing & communications, motors & servos, emulators, and on and on. Here, in one book, you can get the author's advice and a short example for just about anything you're doing with the PIC. While I do not recommend this book for people just beginning to learn about PICs, it should be on everyone's shelf as a reference, once you have been through your first course.
Rating:
Summary: Complete Guide on PIC!
Review: Astonishing! Couldn't believe it is the same author of "Programming and Customizing 8051 Microcontroller", which I think is not that recommended. He uses quite a big portion in his PIC book to elaborate on knowledge of PIC and other microcontrollers. He even covers introduction the IDE, computer interface, compiler, assembler, linker etc which is usually not mentioned in other PIC books. I'd say this book is good to intermediate PIC user and beginner of microcontroller. I guess beginner of PIC must be frustrated, as he/she still not be able to get the PIC works after finish reading half of the book. However, this book worth its price.
Rating:
Summary: Indespensible but flawed
Review: If you are new to PICs, this book is great. Background info, assembly programming concepts, and plenty of examples got me up and running quickly. The style is much more enjoyable and accessible than that of some other PIC books I've struggled through. This book is worth the price, so I highly recommend it. I wish I could give the book 5 stars, but the numerous of errors are very distracting. By "numerous," I mean "several per page." I've even found errors in the code--fortunately, some are so flagrant that even a beginner like me would notice. Two things (other than copyediting) I'd like to see in the next edition: 1. The book could use a "quick start" section at the beginning, telling you which chapters to read (in which order) depending on your skills and interests. I ended up reading through lots of technical data on high-end PICs before arriving at some easy programming sections, and there was frequent repetition. 2. The appendices provide much information, but they lack something important: an all-inclusive table of assembly commands and their parameter types. When I first started out, I had to flip through the text of Chap. 4 quite a bit to hunt down the command I wanted.
Rating:
Summary: Complete Guide on PIC!
Review: Astonishing! Couldn't believe it is the same author of "Programming and Customizing 8051 Microcontroller", which I think is not that recommended. He uses quite a big portion in his PIC book to elaborate on knowledge of PIC and other microcontrollers. He even covers introduction the IDE, computer interface, compiler, assembler, linker etc which is usually not mentioned in other PIC books. I'd say this book is good to intermediate PIC user and beginner of microcontroller. I guess beginner of PIC must be frustrated, as he/she still not be able to get the PIC works after finish reading half of the book. However, this book worth its price.
Rating:
Summary: A real learning guide for Picmicro MCU
Review: I think this is a right book for anyone who wants to jump into microcontrollers. The large amount of information provided in the book is a must for such topics as studying microcontrollers. It is true that book has many typos, but after all the book is about microcontrollers programming and not English grammar. A mistake here and there can be tolerated. Some corrections are needed regarding electronics theory. The book can be used by beginner (actually, this is the only one that will be helpful to the beginners) and also by more experienced programmers. I found that CD is not working always as it should. Overall, good work!
Rating: 
Summary: riddled with errors
Review: Just as bad as his 8051 book in the quality of the English. He probably knows how to program the PIC MCUs, but I couldn't stick around long enough to find out. The book desperately needs an editor, and the publisher should be ashamed of letting a semi-literate author get away with this. It reflects on them as much as on him. The bad grammar and spelling can distract one from the technical errors. And there are plenty of those, partly oversight and partly the author's own shallow understanding. Just opening at random to pp. 178-179, on clock oscillators I learn that "applications that require extreme accuracy allow the use of cheaper clock designs." How about "do not require"? Then I learn that "an error of 30% to the target speed are not unheard of." Sure, that's just English, but gee whiz, it's that way through the book. Then I learn that the circuit uses a "Schmidt trigger," presumably the German version of the well-known Schmitt trigger. Lower on the page I find "Crystals and ceramic resonators delay the propagation of a signal a set amount of time. This set amount is dependent on how the crystal is cut." If ever an author were asked to demonstrate that he hasn't a clue about how a crystal works, he couldn't find a better way. And so forth. It's that way on every page. He probably knows the PIC processors pretty well, and I won't take that away from him. One pass through the book by a competent copy editor, and another by a real electronic expert could easily turn this into a much shorter, coherent, accurate, and useful book, but neither of those has happened. All his books seem to have a strange combination of rave reviews and pans, with very little in between. That's unnatural, and the explanation that jumps to mind is bothersome.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, though convoluted
Review: This book is very detailed and has lots of good info on programming. It explains the various peripherals and special features on PIC's in detail. It also has a list of projects with schematics and code at the end. However, it is also not terribly well written. There are several sections I had to reread multiple times and consult other sources and individuals to understand, especially sections pertaining to the program counten. This is a pretty good book and covers a wide range of material, from basic to advanced. However, make sure this is not your only resource, because you may find yourself lost.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book w/ 1024 bit encryption
Review: I believe that Myke does have a very clear understaning of the PicMcu however, the book is rather confusing and hard to understand. It has very Good info other than the fact that he spent too much time explaining the architecture of the processor when he should be explaining the foundamental stuff. It is very difficult for someon that is new to microcontroller to understand. Also the exmaple codes are in in Assembly language rather than C or Basic which I would have prefered. Another problem is that the programer isn't working, so you might want to just buy the Warp 13a which is by far the best programmer i have seen. It can literally program all of the PicMcus avaiable except for the Pic17 family. I would strongly recommend buying the Programming Robot Controller, which is also another book by Myke. The only differences are that, it is basically a decrypted version of this book, containing sample codes in C language.
| 
