Build Your Own Universal Computer Interface

Its a great book, everything in it is described in detail, and is very easy to follow, there is no way of making the interface wrong. I already have the first edition and the second one is even better. There is one very important info the author forgot to mention in this second edition, and I think that the people that will buy this book should know. The place to buy assembled and tested board mention in the book, called "Automation in Action" is a Rip off. They will just take your money and you will not receive a single component, they took 939.00 $ from me, without even answering emails or phone calls. Please make sure that you buy the parts from other sources, I will hate to see more people losing their money this way.

From an electrical explaination viewpoint this is a spectacular book. It does a great job of the why it does what it does, and how it does it. It expalins how the data-bus is 'extended outside' the CPU onto his interface, and how the decoding and latching works. My major complaint is the cost that it takes to build it. PC Board scematics are provided at reduced size, they provide addresses for bare boards, and built boards. I can't etch boards, so buying bare ones is needed for me. As the author points out, after parts are added, you are looking at 300.00- 400.00 (U.S. Dollars) to build yourself, almost double that if you want to buy built/tested boards. The basic bare boards run about 100.00 for the 3 boards that build the minimum 'system' (which provides 16 outputs) I believe another 36.00 for an input board (16 ports). then start multiplying the input/outport boards(32?/36? each) for multiples of input and/or output as your 'design' needs. (upto 1536 each is supported). I'm a basic hobbiest, I can build on a bread-board etc. I'm not looking to run a business operation (which this thing CAN do). I was looking to 'play around' with an extra 286/386 I have around. But at these prices, I don't think I'll actually build his design (but I will use some of his circuit ideas in my own bread-boards).

I think Bruce Chubb did an excellent job writing this book. His examples are clear and concise. He really does a good job bringing the techno babble of today to a level that a typical person off the street can understand. The book uses a great example by applying an interface to a model railroad. It's a must read for anyone internested in building a computer interface to control anything from house alarms to running a model railroad.