MICROCONTROLLERS & MICROCOMPUTERS Principles of Software and Hardware Engineering

I am half way through a semester teaching with this book and I could not be happier. It presents topics in a very well thought out way. It does not emphasize one particular processor which is a good idea. It teaches PRINCIPLES, not specifics. When I look at the organization, I can tell that the author is a good teacher. He is a master of presenting material in a logical, well thought out way. The specifics of a particular processor can be found in a data sheet. In fact, other books I have used are little more than expanded versions of processor data sheets.... oh but one major difference... they cost a lot of money. I like the idea of teaching students the principles first then bringing in current (and accurate) material which gives an example of the principle. Using this book, for example, I can talk about registers in general, then give examples in the PIC18, PIC32, MIPS, 6800 Etc processors, and compare. I prefer to teach from principles versus a particular processor. Why? Because (A) In the workplace the student is not likely to use the processor *I* select. If the student does not understand the basic principles he/she will have to start from scratch. (B) processor technology changes quickly. Any particular processor will be dated within a few years. The bottom line: great book about principles BUT, you will need to augment the material with specifics about the processor you may be using. One suggestion for the publisher: It would be great to lower the price of the book a bit given that it is a soft cover...