30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius Review

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(More customer reviews)Simon Monk provides Arduino newbies a guide that goes way beyond "Getting Started With Arduino", yet deals with the subject in an easy to read, accessible format. His projects are also far more practical eg he deals with flashing a simple led (like every other Arduino text) but then scales this up to high power Luxeon leds in various different applications but based on similar circuitry. This lead me to adapting one of his circuits to a real-world interest of mine, involving led lamps.
I look forward to a sequel where he might take us into the (so far) murky world of timers and interrupts, an area not covered very well (yet) in the Arduino world.

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30 Ways to Have Some Computer-Controlled Evil Fun!
This wickedly inventive guide shows you how to program and build a variety of projects with the Arduino microcontroller development system. Covering Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, 30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius gets you up to speed with the simplified C programming you need to know--no prior programming experience necessary.
Using easy-to-find components and equipment, this do-it-yourself book explains how to attach an Arduino board to your computer, program it, and connect electronics to it to create fiendishly fun projects. The only limit is your imagination!
30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius:
Features step-by-step instructions and helpful illustrations
Provides full schematic and construction details for every project
Covers the scientific principles behind the projects
Removes the frustration factor--all required parts are listed along with sources

Build these and other devious devices:
Morse code translator
High-powered strobe light
Seasonal affective disorder light
LED dice
Keypad security code
Pulse rate monitor
USB temperature logger
Oscilloscope
Light harp
LCD thermostat
Computer-controlled fan
Hypnotizer
Servo-controlled laser
Lie detector
Magnetic door lock
Infrared remote

Each fun, inexpensive Evil Genius project includes a detailed list of materials, sources for parts, schematics, and lots of clear, well-illustrated instructions for easy assembly. The larger workbook-style layout and convenient two-column format make following the step-by-step instructions a breeze.
Make Great Stuff!TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.

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Make: Arduino Bots and Gadgets: Six Embedded Projects with Open Source Hardware and Software (Learning by Discovery) Review

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(More customer reviews)Make: Arduino Bots and Gadgets is a heavily illustrated guide to incorporating the Arduino platform into six projects which illustrate embedded systems concepts. The author's stated ultimate goal is to teach the reader how to build prototypes, and in that they are largely successful. A secondary mission is to allow the reader to "learn embedded systems in a week"; here I'm not so sure they reach the objective.
The format of the book is excellent, combining a lucid narrative with clear photos of the work underway. Parts lists at the start of each project chapter list precisely the materials and tools necessary to complete that project, usually including potential sources of the materials and part numbers in many cases.
One consideration for potential readers is financial. Some projects require components that are relatively expensive, considering that the Arduino Uno can be purchased for about $30. As an example, the first project uses a Ping))) ultrasonic sensor, which costs about $30; another project in the book uses three of these sensors. This is not a massive outlay of funds, but should be factored in if you plan to actually build these projects.
You will also need some foundation tools and skills, such as a digital multimeter, soldering iron, the ability to solder, etc. Fairly generic stuff, but these are not "snap-together" projects.
Overall, this is a great read and an easy introduction to Arduino and embedded systems. Exceptionally clear instructions and excellent supporting photography make it a joy to use.

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Want to build your own robots, turn your ideas into prototypes, control devices with a computer, or make your own cell phone applications? It's a snap with this book and the Arduino open source electronic prototyping platform. Get started with six fun projects and achieve impressive results quickly. Gain the know-how and experience to invent your own cool gadgets. With Arduino, building your own embedded gadgets is easy, even for beginners. Embedded systems are everywhere--inside cars, children's toys, and mobile phones. This book will teach you the basics of embedded systems and help you build your first gadget in just a few days. Each learn-as-you-build project that follows will add to your knowledge and skills. Experiment with Arduino, the popular microcontroller board Build robots and electronic projects with easy-to-follow instructions Turn your ideas into working physical prototypes Use Android phones as remote controls in your projects Work with an uncomplicated programming language created for artists, designers, and hobbyists Get everyone involved, with projects that even beginners can build.

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Wi-Fi(TM), Bluetooth(TM), Zigbee(TM) and WiMax(TM) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book because it promised broad coverage of the currently most important non cellular, wireless technologies. We'll it delivers on the breadth of information but this is an extremely difficult book to read. Here's why:
1. It's coverage of the wireless subjects seems spotty and disorganized in that it jumps around between hardware and software subjects in an almost aimless way. Generally, the book does not provide sufficient and clear coverage of the system level or architectural issues for a given technology before deep diving into selected areas of technical detail. There tends to be too much detail in many specific technical areas without sufficient discussion of how the pieces work together.

2. It's written in broken English (actually seems to be poorly translated from French);
3. It is very poorly edited (includes many incorrect references to figures and tables, incomplete and broken sentences);
4. It suffers from death by acronyms. The book introduces the words behind the acronym once then never seems to use the "words" again, only the acronym. Unless you're already an expert in the subject, reading requires you to access the 16 page acronym dictionary after reading every few sentences. This is doable but makes reading difficult and clearly distracts the reader from appreciating the technical concepts being communicated.
Although the book seems to have a good deal of useful information. I would recommend that potential buyers look around for other coverage of the material before buying this hard to read book.

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The book provides a complete and detailed description of the recent wireless technologies including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee and WiMAX. These technologies are considered to be important topics in the telecommunication industry in the next decade. Some critical subjects are particularly developed such as security, quality of service, roaming and power conservation. The book also includes some chapters on practical aspects.

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Wireless Sensor Networks: Technology, Protocols, and Applications Review

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(More customer reviews)A concise and interesting book for the ones that want to start learning about wireless sensor networks (WSN). It presents facts regarding wireless communication, network function and sensor applications implying all seven layers of the OSI model.
It includes a consistent chapter about middleware (session and presentation layer) that i could not find in other similar books.
It may appear boring for those who know much about WSNs. This book is a very good starting point, but is not suitable for those who want to design WSNs.
I give it 4 stars because it has provided me a very good basic knowledge about WSNs.

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Infrastructure for Homeland Security EnvironmentsWireless Sensor Networks helps readers discover the emerging field of low-cost standards-based sensors that promise a high order of spatial and temporal resolution and accuracy in an ever-increasing universe of applications. It shares the latest advances in science and engineering paving the way towards a large plethora of new applications in such areas as infrastructure protection and security, healthcare, energy, food safety, RFID, ZigBee, and processing.Unlike other books on wireless sensor networks that focus on limited topics in the field, this book is a broad introduction that covers all the major technology, standards, and application topics. It contains everything readers need to know to enter this burgeoning field, including current applications and promising research and development; communication and networking protocols; middleware architecture for wireless sensor networks; and security and management.The straightforward and engaging writing style of this book makes even complex concepts and processes easy to follow and understand. In addition, it offers several features that help readers grasp the material and then apply their knowledge in designing their own wireless sensor network systems:* Examples illustrate how concepts are applied to the development and application of * wireless sensor networks* Detailed case studies set forth all the steps of design and implementation needed to solve real-world problems* Chapter conclusions that serve as an excellent review by stressing the chapter's key concepts* References in each chapter guide readers to in-depth discussions of individual topicsThis book is ideal for networking designers and engineers who want to fully exploit this new technology and for government employees who are concerned about homeland security. With its examples, it is appropriate for use as a coursebook for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students.

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Essentials of Short-Range Wireless (The Cambridge Wireless Essentials Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Essentials of Short-Range Wireless" is an excellent summary of short-range wireless technologies, an area of rapidly growing importance within electronic product design and engineering.
The book manages to be both concise and extremely informative, and is written in a very easy-to-read style which is well-suited for professionals either with engineering degrees or with non-technical backgrounds.
The book provides the best summary of wireless architecture and parameters which I have seen, as well as a deeper analysis and comparison of the Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.15.4/Zigbee, and Bluetooth low energy wireless standards.
In addition, the book provides a great deal of practical information on implementing a wireless solution, as well as a description of the key product applications and emerging markets for short-range wireless technologies.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in wireless product design. Nick Hunn has done the field a great service by writing a guide as compact, useful and descriptive as "Essentials of Short-Range Wireless".

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For engineers, product designers, and technical marketers who need to design a cost-effective, easy-to-use, short-range wireless product that works, this practical guide is a must-have. It explains and compares the major wireless standards - Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 802.11, ZigBee, 802.15.4, and UWB - enabling you to choose the best standard for your product. Packed with practical insights based on the author's 10 years of design experience, and highlighting pitfalls and trade-offs in performance and cost, this book will ensure you get the most out of your chosen standard by teaching you how to tailor it for your specific implementation. With information on intellectual property rights and licensing, production test, and regulatory approvals, as well as analysis of the market for wireless products, this resource truly provides everything you need to design and implement a successful short-range wireless product.

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Building Wireless Sensor Networks: with ZigBee, XBee, Arduino, and Processing Review

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(More customer reviews)Faludi is kind to the reader by using simple language in the old school of: tell-them-what-you're-going-to-say, tell-them and then tell-them-what-you-said.
I bought the book because although I am not a beginner to electronics, I am to ZigBee, and I am lazy and want a quick start to what to get and why and which "start-bugs" to avoid. Faludi does a good job here and tries to please everybody by including non-Windows based (Mac and Linux) examples where he can (this market is clearly biased towards Windows).
Evidently you could simply download the free ZigBee spec' and read it - it is not too boring and took me about four days to scan through it, but for the cheap price, I would recommend that even a professional would recover the cost in time saved from this book but evidently he will not be interested in the simplistic treatment of how to connect A to B, just the tips and hints and as a quick broad outline for both the spec and the parts range.
For the beginner this book is excellent with both diagrams and photographs of how to wire up the half dozen-or-so connections between one module and another plus very full descriptions + screen shots of how to drive the (mainly Windows based) software.
The firmware example-code is consistently of the simplest-only-to-do-the-principle (there is no cheating by padding with large amounts of code) and gradually the reader is taken into more and more detail about protocols and networking in a painless manner.
A huge amount of work has gone into this book to make it look simple. It is also up to date (late 2010). I highly recommend it to anyone.

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Get ready to create distributed sensor systems and intelligent interactive devices using the ZigBee wireless networking protocol and Series 2 XBee radios. By the time you're halfway through this fast-paced, hands-on guide, you'll have built a series of useful projects, including a complete ZigBee wireless network that delivers remotely sensed data.

Radio networking is creating revolutions in volcano monitoring, performance art, clean energy, and consumer electronics. As you follow the examples in each chapter, you'll learn how to tackle inspiring projects of your own. This practical guide is ideal for inventors, hackers, crafters, students, hobbyists, and scientists.

Investigate an assortment of practical and intriguing project ideas
Prep your ZigBee toolbox with an extensive shopping list of parts and programs
Create a simple, working ZigBee network with XBee radios in less than two hours -- for under $100
Use the Arduino open source electronics prototyping platform to build a series of increasingly complex projects
Get familiar with XBee's API mode for creating sensor networks
Build fully scalable sensing and actuation systems with inexpensive components
Learn about power management, source routing, and other XBee technical nuances
Make gateways that connect with neighboring networks, including the Internet

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