Components Books

Power distribution networks are critical to the correct functionality of high performance digital systems. The design of such networks gets harder with the increasing speed of the digital designs they support, in particular, microprocessors. A microprocessor IC consumes an incredible amount of power despite its small physical size and a great amount of work goes into supplying high quality power to that tiny chip. Computers are implemented on boards that combine such power hungry ICs and must feed them simultaneously. This book focuses on the board level power distribution network (as opposed to package and IC).

A successful engineering implementation combines design, analysis, simulation and measurement and this book does a great job in presenting those different aspects of implementation thoroughly and coherently. The reader sees how the different disciplines complement each other in a successful project. The emphasis, however, is on simulation and measurement. I consider that a strength since the other aspects have been treated well in previous publications but this is certainly the most thorough treatment of power distribution network measurement. There is a lot of attention to detail, and one only has to go to the lab to make some measurements to see how some of those details will save you days if not weeks of frustration.

Simulation is used judiciously and for insight as opposed to "blind" verification. The judicious use of simulation may be strongly motivated by the inherent capacity limitations of today's fullwave field solvers, but it also ends up providing valuable intuition to the reader on why as well as the how. The authors have taken great pains to validate their simulation results at every step.

In a field [digital design] dominated by time domain thinking, this book provides a refreshing frequency domain approach. Although it is a difficult leap for most digital designers, it is one worth taking since the additional insights [into the signal integrity implications of frequency domain analysis] could well make the difference between a functional design and one that spends months on the testbench for debugging.

This is a book written not by pure theorists but practitioners of the field and it shows. The authors do not waste much time on hypothetical examples and plunge directly into problems they surely have dealt with themselves as they worked on high performance designs. Although the sections on modeling are rigorous, they are succinct and probably not for people not well trained in the field. But for the expert, this is an invaluable book.

I just bought the book, but I was looking for something like this since a long time ago. Until now, there were only articles about a little part of the subject, or just introductions. So, a complete book was really needed about this topic. All the other parts of high-speed digital design was well documented in books already, except this, until now. I think everyone who designs or/and simulates high-speed digital PCBs should read it. High-speed design is not only about interconnect design. Lots of designers just dont care too much about proper power distribution design. They should.

This book is must-read, the authors cover a range of very important
topics in a thorough yet practical way. It is an enjoyable read that
takes you through the various aspects within power-distribution systems,
from the basics to very advanced topics. In addition, by reading this
book you are bound to find answers to many PI controversial topics as
well. The chapter about planes is a master-piece. The one about
frequency-domain measurements is comprehensive, filled with a slew of
impressive data and measurement advice. The chapter about
3D-field solver simulations is full of suggestions for engineers trying
to accurately model power-distribution elements, in order to help them
avoid many common (and not so) pitfalls. In summary, this book is a
must-have for any engineer who fully wants to understand how to model,
simulate and measure power-distribution systems. I highly recommend it.

This is a very good RF & Microwave engineering book.
It combines a clear explanation of the basics with a
series of new different kinds of devices (in chapters
4, 7-13). This makes this book equally useful for
students and for experienced engineers.
This book also integrates the basic analysis of wide
range of passive devices (reciprocal and
nonreciprocal) with essential reference information in
the main text and in the Appendixes. In addition, a
series of important real applications with practical
details are included.
I do give these book 5 stars because it does help you
understand passive RF and microwave devices much better.

This book treats RF and microwave passive components and control devices and accomplish

the ascention from microwave fundamental transmission lines and simplest elements to move

complicated devices and subassemlies. The most interesting materials are analysis of different

print transmission lines, the distributed and lumped elements of integrated circuits, including novel

termination and planar inductors, analysis and synthesis of print directional couplers, dividers,

combiners, filters. Different modern miniature filters including the novel wiggly coupled lines BPF

and irregular lines LPF are discussed. Also, the diode control devices (switches, attenuators, limiters,

phase shifters) are described in the book. New conceptions of design of isolators and circulators

are considered. Several examples of microwave integrated subassemlies using passive components

and control devices are described. The final chapter represents principal concepts of design and

fabrication technology of RF and microwave integrated circuits.

I do give this book 5 stars because it does help engineers and students understand passive RF and

microwave integrated circuits better. This book is only one of a few books on this topic.

I strongly recommend this book as it offers thorough, clear and practical guidelines for the development of passive RF and microwave circuits. It starts from consideration of basic types and characteristics of planar transmission lines followed by detailed description of design procedures leading to the realization of passive RF and microwave components and IC's, including ferrite devices. The last Chapter discusses the fabrication aspects of multylayer IC's. Thorough theoretical analysis is supported by numerous practical examples. This book conveniently includes many theoretical expressions and data tables, which are very useful for RF engineers.

This book is a must read for anyone willing to remain updated in the microwave field . It is very clearly written and has a very good balance between theoretical aspects and practical examples for today's modern times.

These books were written by two well-known lectures in the RF/MW field with many years of teaching experience. Their goal was to provide a practical exposition of circuit design in the RF/MW field that appealed to students, academicians, and design engineers. They certainly succeeded. The reader will find that fundamental and advanced principles are properly explained with emphasis in CAD techniques. While the mathematical manipulations are kept to a minimum, the associated results are well referenced and extensively discussed.

Volume I:
This volume focuses mainly on passive circuits and systems. The first two chapters provide a review of RF/MW circuit fundamentals. The emphasis is placed on topics related to RF/MW circuits, such a resonance, series and parallel conversions, quality factor, power transfer, transmission lines, reflection coefficients, and mismatch loss. Chapter 3 describes several radio systems and illustrates how the system's specifications relate to the various individual components. Receiver's characteristics are discussed, such as receiver noise and sensitivity, nonlinearities and dynamic range, and automatic control. The chapter includes the analysis of a CDMA handset from a system point of view. Chapters 4 and 5 describe the use of S parameters, the Smith chart, impedance matching networks, and bandwidth considerations. Many impedance matching design examples are provided with their associated frequency responses. Both lumped and microstrip matching circuits are considered. Chapter 6 shows the use of CAD programs for RF/MW circuit design. This chapter underlines the major key areas in CAD, such as linear circuit analysis, electromagnetic simulation, tuning, synthesis, optimization, non-linear simulations, and statistical techniques. Passive component models are discussed in Chapter 7, which include RLC components, distributed components, transformers, crystals, dielectric resonators, and surface acoustic wave resonators. The authors show how actual parts affect the behavior of a design, and how to account for them in the final product. Chapter 8 gives an overview of passive filters and the techniques used for their design in the RF/MW area. Such topics as the Richards' transformation, Norton transformations, and Kuroda identities are discussed. Chapter 9 is an overview of the major differences and similarities between RF and high-speed digital systems.

Volume II:
This volume focuses mainly on active circuits and systems. The volume begins with a discussion of linear RF/MW amplifier design techniques. The first two chapters deal with stability conditions, stability circles and the various design techniques for transducer gain, operating power gain, and associated gain. Material in low-noise amplifier design and broadband techniques is included, as well as dc considerations. Chapter 3 discusses the modeling of the actual devices (such as BJT, GaAs, HETM, etc). Chapter 4 deals with nonlinear CAD simulations techniques, and their uses. Time and frequency domain methods are discussed and compared. A good discussion of the harmonic balance method is given, including a section on harmonic balance simulation of oscillators. Chapter 5 considers the topic of power transistor amplifiers. The categories of amplifiers are presented and the topics of bias considerations, distortion reduction and predistortion are included. The chapter includes a detailed power amplifier design. Oscillators are discussed in Chapter 6, with emphasis on the negative resistance design approach and CAD simulations. A section is devoted to the description of phase noise. Several design examples are included. An interesting example uses a ceramic resonator, another example involves a crystal resonator, and one example deals with a Colpitts VCO using a varactor diode. Chapter 7 deals with mixers and frequency multipliers. The authors discuss diodes and transistor mixers and their effect on the overall system. The final chapter gives an overview of several wireless systems.

The material covered in these two volumes extends from the basic to the advance. The texts are suitable for short courses in RF/MW circuits, since they provide a comprehensive description of the RF/MW circuit design field. They are also suitable for a course (or courses) at the senior/graduate level in the RF/MW field. The books strongly emphasize design and the use of CAD techniques. Enough information is provided in their CAD examples that the simulations can easily be implemented with one of the major CAD programs available for RF/MW circuits.

These texts contain a tremendous amount of information for RF/MW circuit designers. Especially, for those working in wireless communications. Discrete design is covered in detail-from the individual component specification to the overall system performance. The presentation is clear and well organized. It certainly makes for a good addition to the designer's library.

There is so much information for a practicing engineer;it will take six months to absorb the techniques described. I finally understand what causes oscillation and how I can prevent it when it shows up unexpectedly.
I also appreciate that the math is minimized to the necessary level, without lots of proofs and derivations (I had enough of that in college). What I expected--and got--are techniques I can use in my work immediately.

I spent more than six months swimming through the internet, trying to find an exhaustive source that would give me textbook-like explanations of the overvoltage protection I needed for my project. After wading for so long, I bit the bullet and looked for a real textbook and bought this one.

Two weeks later, I knew everything I needed to know to finish my overvoltage protection design. A week after that, I had finished my design. All for ~$30. I'm bashing my head on my desk as I write for not getting this book sooner. This is a $150 value book being practically given away.

Dr. Standler follows a logical order for the overvoltage protection beginner. It begins with the source of overvoltages and how they end up propagating into your circuit (including a fun explanation of how nuclear weapons cause electromagnetic pulses!).

Standler then explains in detail all of the waveforms that are used to approximate the overvoltages. These include 8/20 us current waveform, 1.2/50 us voltage waveform, ring waveform, Electrical Fast Transient (EFT ), 10/1000 us, 10/700 us, and more. I remember seeing the 8/20 us nomenclature everywhere as I waded through the Internet, and having a foggy idea of what it was, but never getting a precise explanation of what it and other test waveforms were. For me, those chapters alone are worth the $150 value.

The book then continues from the approximate waveforms of overvoltages into exhaustive explanations of the protection devices used in electronic circuits. These include gas tubes, spark gaps, varistors of all kinds including MOVs, avalanche and Zener diodes, typical diodes and rectifiers, thyristors including SCRs and Triacs, the simple devices no one thinks to use - resistors, inductors, and capacitors, positive-temperature-coefficient resistors (PTC fuses), filters, and finally isolation devices such as isolation transformers, optical isolators, and fiber optics. Isolation devices is one of the places that this book is noticeably out-of-date, as it makes no mention of capacitive isolation devices such as the Texas Instruments ISO124 and DCP01 chips. However, the practical explanations of how to use isolation devices in your design are still valid and useful. Standler also has an in-depth discussion of the parasitic inductance of all of these devices (including the inadvertent transformer effect), how it can degrade the performance of the devices, and practical ways of reducing these effects.

Again, the in-depth explanations of all of the protective devices (that I kinda sorta maybe in a way knew about by using the Internet) and how to use them correctly, for me was worth the $150 value of this book. But then Standler takes the devices you just learned all about and applies them in ways that you need. There are about 100 pages of example circuits and explanations of how to apply the devices for several different applications, such as signal circuits, DC power supplies, and on the AC mains. Standler gives so many example design circuits that you are bound to find one that works for you exactly as presented. If not -- as it was in my case -- you can take several of the ideas from separate circuits in the book and combine them for the application you need. The amount of working designs that Standler presents here is astounding.

Finally, Standler finishes the book with methods to test the overvoltage protection of your design circuit, and safety measures while working in high-voltage environments.

You may be tempted to skip the first couple sections and go right to the applications section. While worth a look to really see how many different designs he presents, it's well worth it to read this book from beginning to end. There is such a wealth of information in every chapter and every section that I do not recommend skipping any of them. It's an easy read for anyone familiar with the basics of electronic design (i.e. diodes, resistors, capacitors, inductors, op amps, etc.), so I recommend doing yourself that favor and read it from cover to cover.

One last note: Don't be fooled by the low price of the book. Under its previous publisher it did cost somewhere around $150 like most textbooks do. However, since the previous publisher stopped publishing it, Dr. Standler and Dover Publishing have now started offering it at this low price. I've also tried another textbook, Overvoltage Protection of Low-Voltage Systems (Iee Power & Energy Series, 33), which cost ~$90 when I bought it, and it was absolutely useless for me. It had no explanations or practical circuit ideas like Standler presents here.

While it's always worth it to find as many sources as you can, this is quite simply the definitive source on overvoltage protection of electronic circuits. If you think you need it, buy it. You'll know what you need to know in two weeks flat.



For persective, I have a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, graduated 2007.

If you need to protect a circuit from overvoltages, this is the book.

The book is based on the author's vast experience with overvoltage protection. Research up to and including 1989 are incorporated into the book. Mr. Standler applies the results of many scientific papers on overvoltage to the real world.

Even though it was written in 1989, the physics are still valid and can be applied today.

Exhaustive reference of tvss technologies and applications

This book is the result of over a decade of research by the author at the University of Twente. Merrienboer has managed to synthesize much of the current thinking and research in cognitive psychology, instructional design, and training. He has integrated the theoretical with the practical to provide a handbook for designing complex task training.

This book should appeal to the theorist as well as the practitioner. While it could be used in an introductory instructional design course and it is very clearly written, it could be somewhat difficult for persons who do not have some background in learning theory and instructional design.

The four-component (4C/ID) model creates a nice bridge between descriptive theory and prescriptive empirical practices. It breaks the analysis and design phases of the ADDIE model of instructional development into four layers (two layers for each phase). This approach allows the instructional designer to break complex cognitive skills into constituent skills so that appropriate instructional methods can be selected for the design of the learning environment.

The four components (Compilation, Restricted coding, Elaboration, and Induction) define specific activities for each of the first three layers of analysis and design. For those that are faced with the front-end analysis for an instruction system to teach complex cognitive skills, this book is a definite boon.

The book is divided into three parts. Part A gives the theoretical underpinnings for the model based on cognitive strategies. Part B provides methods for analysis, including skill as well as decomposition, recurrent constituent skills, prerequisite knowledge, supportive knowledge, and strategic knowledge. Part C covers prescriptive methods for the design of instructional systems to teach complex cognitive skills.

This book should be useful for those interested in the study of instruction design as a field as those tasked with designing instructional training materials, including full training systems, electronic performance support systems, and just-in-time training systems.

This book is simply the best and most comprehensive description of a training design system for complex knowledge available anywhere. The information it presents is firmly based in the best research conducted on the learning and teaching of knowledge needed for complex jobs and tasks. The book is clearly written. Trainers with practical experience and an introductory level knowledge of learning research will understand it and find ways to apply it. The information it presents can easily be applied for internet, Web-based, computer-based or classroom-based training delivery. Van Merrienboer supplies the missing ingredients in most modern training design system - the specific methods and conditions that must be present for complex learning to occur. This book is the best I've read in the past 25 years that I've been designing training and teaching design to graduate students. If you are interested in training, buy it!

I have always felt that the most important single source for instructional designers is Gagne's "Conditions of Learning", published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1985. In my opinion Merrienboer now ranks with Gagne as a fundamental foundation for instructional design.  Whereas Gagne is based on the best theory available during the 60's, 70's and 80's van Merrienboer is based on the new theory in cognitive psychology available during the late 80's and 90's.  This book should be must reading for all instructional designers. 

Why am I so enthusiastic about this book?  First, it is the best integration of much of the current work in instructional design that is available.  van Merrienboer's model integrates the best of both the instructivist and constructivist approachs to learning.  He shows how these two ways of viewing instruction are both valuable and necessary to effective instructional design.   Second, he incorporates the best suggestions from the best of the instructional models that are summarized in other books such as Reigeluth's "Instructional Design Theories and Models, Vol. 2" and Tennyson, Schott, Seel & Dijkstra, "Instructional Design:  International Perspective" both published by Erlbaum. Third, he starts by summarizing important theory from cognitive psychology research and then relates the two aspects of instructional design, analysis and design, to this cognitive theory.  Fourth,  many of the prescriptions he suggests are supported by solid research which he cites.  Finally, it is one of the best examples of technical writing that I have experienced.  The content is complex but extremely well organized and easy to read.  The organization of the book is tight, his summaries are concise and very helpful, he includes a list of all the important concepts introduced in each section, and he includes suggested readings (not just references) for each section of the book. 

If you read this book, and you are involved or hope to be involved  in instructional design, it will change your life.  It is the top of my top 10 books that should be read and studied by every instructional designer.

Electronics has taken over control of the modern automobile, so much so that it is difficult to tinker with the car as we used to do in the old days, since all of the electronics is contained in embedded systems and diagnostics are usually performed by a PC. All the key functions are, or can be, controlled with electronics which has greatly benefited the driver.

There are 11 chapters and over 450 pages illustrated with diagrams, circuits and performance graphs, but very few photographs of the electronics. The chapters step the reader through fundamentals of combustion, controls, engine and motion control and diagnostics. After each chapter there is a multiple choice quiz relating to the chapter. You will have to read the text in detail to answer the questions, not speed-read. It's an interesting textbook and ideal for education in the topic. I found it to be easy to read and informative. The book shows how the electronics works to improve the safety and performance of the automobile. There is little coverage on the type of componentry, wiring or reliability of different forms of assembly, so the book is only of interest to manufacturing engineers if they want to understand the reasons behind the circuits built into automobiles. Instead there are quite a few block diagrams, equations, snippets of assembly language code, and even explanations of more elementary electronic devices and systems that will probably be most interesting to the electrical engineer who is interested in how electronics controls the modern automobile.

The book title, Understanding Automotive Electronics, is an understatement. This book, in chapters 5, 6, and 7, gives one of the best explanations of modern engine control systems I have ever read. Every major concept of OBD-II vehicles is discussed in clear precise language. These chapters alone are worth the price of the book.

My favorite feature of the book is the end of chapter questions which can be used to test your understanding of the material. And in the back of the book, you can check your answers.

Be careful when buying automotive books. Many are written by good in-shop mechanics who have poor writing skills. This book is different. Mr. Ribbens not only knows his stuff but can communicate it to others as well.

You won't be disappointed, from air/fuel/spark to control systems, this is a very well written and informative book.

I am almost computer illiterate, but I purchased this book because I needed to learn WordPerfect 11 on my job. This book walked me through the learning process step by step. This book is indeed a very simple approach to something that seems difficult. If I can learn how to use word perfect anybody can.

I am a first time computer owner. I knew nothing about a computer and the computer I bought had WordPerfect in it. I went to the Internet and found Dr. Langston's book and ordered it. I went through the book and did the lessons. I found the lessons quite user friendly, very self-explantory, and easy to follow. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

I am currently a Business Education student at Chicago State University, and this book was assigned as part of the reading and application for one of my graduate courses. Dr. Langston's approach and writing ability makes it a great text and reference book. In the Chapter on Merging she gives step by step instruction on how to create documents using data fields and form letters. This word-processing function is one of the most difficult for a beginning word-processing student to grasp, but Dr. Langston makes learning it a breeze throughout the chapter. I highly recommend this book to people learning WordPerfect and teachers who are teaching this language to their class as part of their Business Education Program.

electronic control uni

electronic control uni

It is assumed that the reader of this book has had a first course in circuit analysis and is familiar with Laplace transforms. Because the book is intended for undergraduates, algebra is used to explain the mathematical workings of the various filters rather than calculus if at all possible. The book concentrates on inductorless filters. Such filters are required for voice and data communications systems where the size and weight of inductors make their use not very feasible. An advantage of this approach is that the usefulness of the op amp can be stressed. Chapter 2 introduces the op amp in analog operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and integration. Chapters 3 and 4 constitute a review of sinusoidal steady-state topics recast to provide an introduction to first-order filters. Chapter five features the universal biquad, and through it the standard forms of filter response: lowpass, bandpass, highpass, bandstop, and allpass.

In the chapters that follow, the functions of a filter are studied in combination with the frequency-response approximation used by filter designers: Butterworth, Chebyshev, Bessel-Thompson, inverse Chebyshev, and elliptic. Chapter 14 treats the synthesis of doubly terminated passive ladders. This, together with Chapter 11, constitute an introduction to passive filter design. An important conclusion is reached in Chapter 14 in regards to sensitivity - the passive ladder circuit has low sensitivity. The study of simulated ladder circuits is begun in chapters 15 through 17. Simulation of the passive ladder is accomplished in three ways: by introducing new elements which make it possible to exclude the inductor, through the simulation of the block diagram representation of the ladder, and through the simulation of resistors using switched capacitors. All of these methods are discussed.

In spite of its academic origins this really is a very helpful design book. It has the circuits side by side with the math, and it also has design rules in numbered steps with very good illustrations and examples throughout. I highly recommend it for the library of the practicing engineer as well as the student.

(Reviewed by a practicing electrical engineer) This book is an excellent introductory text about analog filter design. It was written for use in teaching a junior-senior level undergraduate class at the University level. The book begins with a review of basic op amp circuits and then progresses to simple one-pole circuit designs. From there, the author builds a step-by-step theoretical background for active filter design, starting with the most fundamental two-pole building block (the biquad circuit), and then showing how to use these to design Chebyshev, Butterworth, and Bessel filter characteristics of any number of poles. Cauer, Inverse Chebyshev, and switched capacitor designs are also covered. Other highly useful chapters cover delay equalization, sensitivity to component variations, as well as a general design approach for choosing appropriate filter characteristics for a design requirement. The book's main focus is on active filter design using op amp's, although there is also one chapter devoted to passive filter design. Design is stressed in the examples and problems from the very beginning pages, as opposed to mere mathematical analysis. The mathematics are fairly straightforward, mostly algebra, and the text is fairly easy to read and follow. Examples illustrate each chapter segment, and each chapter has questions at the end. I would recommend this book for anyone seeking a basic theoretical understanding and design capability for active filters. (Probably other introductory texts would be better for passive filters.) This is not a "handbook" or "filter cookbook"; it actually lays the theoretical and mathematical groundwork for the filters it teaches you to design.

To my knowledge, this is the best book on this subject (at this level). I believe if you go through this book THROUGHLY and finish all the projects included, it is worth at least two year practical experience. For me an electrical engineer with 10 year working experience, I still find this book very useful.

The author could make the book even better if a bit more contents are added in Chapter 3: Digital Control of Aanlog Functions, such as examples with microcontroller applications (interface with A/D & D/A), though it may be beyond 'Analog' IC application.

Also, I found some parts used in the book are no longer available (therefore I would suggest the author to update some contents if he is planning to do so), you better check vendor's website to find the most current one.

This is a great book. I am presently one of Jacobs' students and he is the best professor i have ever had. His reading material in this book is easy to read and very interesting. Most technical books are boring and hard to understand, but not this one. His teaching style is integrated in this book with excitement and wonderful theory. This book explains the OP AMP in detail along with power supplies, layout procedures, waveform generators, filters, non-linear circuits, and many more great concepts. Even if you are not taking the course, the book is an excellent reference.