Microcontrollers and Microcomputers: Principles of Software and Hardware Engineering

Microcontrollers and Microcomputers: Principles of Software and Hardware Engineering, Second Edition, is an ideal introductory text for an embedded system or microcontroller course. While most texts discuss only one specific microcontroller, this book offers a unique approach by covering the common ground among all microcontrollers in one volume.
Since the text does not focus on a particular processor, it can be used with processor-specific material—such as manufacturer's data sheets and reference manuals—or with texts, including author Fredrick M. Cady's Software and Hardware Engineering: Motorola M68HC11 or Software and Hardware Engineering: Motorola M68HC12. Now fully updated, the second edition covers the fundamental operation of standard microcontroller features, including parallel and serial I/O interfaces, interrupts, analog-to-digital conversion, and timers, focusing on the electrical interfaces as needed. It devotes one chapter to showing how a variety of devices can be used, and emphasizes C program software development, design, and debugging.

There are a mind-boggling number of microcontrollers in use today. Hundreds of millions are shipped every year in products such as automobiles and coffee makers. In order to fully understand this technology, it is necessary to grasp current principles of microprocessor technology and their relationship to microcontrollers. Microcontrollers and Microcomputers: Principles of Software and Hardware Engineering is a top-down introductory treatment of microprocessors which provides students with an accessible and thorough overview of the key hardware and software engineering issues of today.
The text begins with an explanation of the mystery of a stored-program computer, and goes on to explore the resources of the processor in a laboratory setting. Cady leads students step-by-step through examples that utilize various instructions. More difficult programming assignments are given as readers progress. These assignments demonstrate the need for techniques used in debugging, which is a critical step in developing software for microprocessors. A key chapter dedicated to software design presents top down design and promotes pseudocode.
Ideal for use in microprocessor courses in electrical engineering and computer science, the text is accompanied by an instructor's manual which includes problem solutions and a course outline. A World Wide Web site provides an errata and other additional information: http://www.coe.montana.edu/ee/cady/cadyhmpg.htm.

Montana State University, Bozeman