Microprocessor Systems Design: 68000 Family Hardware, Software, and Interfacing

This is a first impression, as I have only read two chapters. I am an Electrical Engineering major. This is our textbook for a 400 level class in microprocessors. The book is an easy read compared to other textbooks I've had. The explainations are clearand the text is uncluttered. The author uses a building block approach to present the concepts. I think he did a good job.

This book makes all things clear about designing systems controlled by microprocessors and uses the Motorola 68000 family of microprocessors as an example. It is full of clear examples and many exercises for the student, and shows details of both the hardware and programming aspects of microprocessor system design, making it ideal for engineers who are interested in the subject. The book starts with an overview of the microcomputer in general, and shows how the microprocessor and its accessories control the larger microcomputing device. Next, the author introduces the reader specifically to the Motorola 68000 family of microprocessors and their respective architectures and features. Next the author tackles an art that is usually passed down by word of mouth from master to apprentice - how to program a microprocessor and its peripheral devices using the C programming language as well as assembly language. This is followed by chapters on memories, exception handling versus interrupts, and coprocessors and caches. The next few chapters are on the external devices that are usually a necessity for a microprocessor controlled system - parallel and serial ports, external timer devices, special devices to control IEEE-488 buses, and special buses such as the VMEbus and Nubus. Actual existing peripheral devices are used in the examples. There are plenty of circuit diagrams and code snippets in both assembly language and C to show how the various pieces of a microcomputer are assembled to make a working system. Although today RISC designs based on "microprocessor cores" power the vast majority of mass-produced computing devices, the approach to creating the components of these core-based microcomputers is basically the same as it was in the days when we used to wire-wrap a 10MHz 68000 system together. Thus, learning the art of microprocessor system design is something any engineer interested in digital design should know. This book is an excellent source for learning that art. The following is the table of contents: 1. THE MICROCOMPUTER Microprocessor Systems Examples of Microprocessor Systems 2. PROGRAMMING THE 68000 FAMILY Assembly Language Programming and the 68000 Programmer''s Model of the 68000 Addressing Modes of the 68000 An Introduction to the 68000 Family Instruction Set Program Control and the 68000 Miscellaneous Instructions Subroutines and the 68000 Introduction to the 68020's Architecture Speed and Performance of Microprocessors Structured Programming and Pseudocode (PDL) 3. ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE AND C Parameter Passing The Stack and Local Variables C and the 68000 Summary of C''s Syntax 4. THE 68000 CPU HARDWARE MODEL 68000 Interface Timing Diagram Dealing with Timing Problems Minimal Configuration Using the 68000 The 68020 & 68030 Memory Interface Worked Examples 5. MEMORIES IN MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEMS Address Decoding Strategies Designing Address Decoders Designing Static Memory Systems Designing Dynamic Memory Systems Worked E

Unlike many other microprocessor books which mainly focus on programming, this book provides practical and detail knowledge on hardware interfacing. These including design of address decoder and mechanical characteristic of microprocessor buses. For student or fresh engineer who want to get the real thing works, this is the book.

This book presents an excellent intro to the design of microprocessor systems using the very powerful and easy-to-learn Motorola 68000 family. It concentrates on hardware design/interfacing, programming,timing issues, memory mapping and address decoding, serial I/O and peripherals. Covers all the important issues. The information is of high quality and very well written. The reader should have a knowledge of binary/hex number systems and basic digital design as prerequisites. Comes with cd-rom containing software tools. I recommend this book highly.

This book is suitable for a semester course in microprocessor systems. It has good coverage of hardware and software topics. I use it in a senior/master's course which studies the 68000 and SPARC as comparative CISC/RISC architectures. The book comes with a CDROM including a PC-based 68000 simulator for readers who do not have access to real 68000 hardware.