You may also order the book from these fine shops:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.de
Amazon.it
Amazon India
Espresso book machine locations around the World (while you drink your cup of coffee the book is being printed). See very interesting youtube video here.
You can buy it also at ebay: check the link.
Still not sure? Read user reviews.
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As a long term professional electronics engineer and a home tinkerer it takes a lot to impress me these days.
Does this book impress? Yes
So what is this book about?
It's a book about how a beginner can start programming Atmel 8 Bit AVR micro-controllers and get the micro-controllers to interface with the real world. However even the professional will find hidden gems of information dotted through the book.
Could it start a beginner on a professional career in electronics?
The answer again is a resounding yes.
If this book had been around when I started programming my first Atmel micro-controller, then I would never have need tablets for high blood pressure.
Would the purist buy this book? Probably not, as code not written in C, C++ or assembler, is often considered to be inferior. I have been using high level languages compiled to assembler for 20 years. Because I can make the final product fast.
The book explains how to programme micro-controllers the simple way, using the high level language of BASIC and a commercial compiler Bascom, the compiler converts BASIC into Assembler.
Is this an expensive way to start programming Atmel AVR's?
I do not think so, Bascom software is sold by the designers MCS a company based in the Netherlands, they provide a full feature demonstration compiler free of charge, which will compile 4K of code, which in terms of micro-controllers is a large amount of code. if you get hooked with the micro bug as a hobby, the L70 for the full version is a lot less than a fisherman will pay for a reel for his hobby. This book will cover its cost whatever programming technique you intend to use.
Why is the working with micro-controllers such a good hobby? Well it takes up little space, in an already over crowded house. The beginners coding mistakes are generally harmless, which is more than can be said for carpentry and it's a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle or the crossword in the newspaper, once picked up, very difficult to put down.
Could a father and son learn to programme a micro-processor from this book on the kitchen table, yes and have a great lot of fun doing so.
Jurij Mikeln the author provides training sessions for programming in Bascom AVR, and the book reads very much as if he is sitting next to you and giving the tutorial.
Jurij has done a brilliant job of putting together an easy to follow book on the basics required to get some meaningful input and output from Atmel’s little plastic micro-processor. Atmel's product data sheets and application notes are excellent but Jurij makes them readable and understandable for the beginner.
I like the way the book deals with Switches and LEDs straight off, this is like writing you first “Hallo World” programme on the PC and is probably the foundation of all micro-controller use. What is especially good is that the author jumps straight in and tells the beginner about switch bounce, lack of this bit of information has given many beginners problems with switches that do not do the expected thing. So A++ for that.
From Input & Output the book follows on to Displaying information as text and graphics on LCD displays and saving information on SD cards. The book then goes onto cover interfacing the micro-controller to analogue and digital sensors that measure the real physical world.
There is an excellent section on how to make your own programming tools for these micro-processors; this is worth the book price alone.
The circuits for all the projects and tools are provide in the book, so if you want to do it from the bottom up with breadboard and soldering iron, it’s all there.
The collections of projects in the latter part of the book have well written explanations and are the building blocks for the book reader’s own explorations into new designs and projects. You do not even have to type in the programmes, as it’s all there on the web waiting to be downloaded.
Jurij writes with great fluidity and has compiled the other contributor’s work into a great collection; the only small complaint is that due to this, writing style changes throughout the book.
Micro-processors are here, affordable and easy to use. Buy the book and enjoy the journey.
Reviewed by
M. C. Mannering, Hampshire, England.
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BASCOM AVR Programming With Practical Applications, is a perfect book for students and beginners wanting to learn to program with Atmel MCU's and the proven MCS Electronics Compiler. Even more experienced programmers can learn coding techniques from many of the example programs. The authors have demonstrated, how easy it is to learn to effectively make some small but useful circuits. The book layout and flow is conducive for easy learning with some very useful examples that can be built as is, modified or incorporated into other applications. It is well edited and easy to read..
The use of the ATtiny2313/4313 in many examples points to the value of this part, at a little over a dollar.
As quoted from the AVR Freak's web page, in the part Summary "Successor of the 1200 and 2313. The Tiny13 and Tiny2313 are designed to address the requirements of battery operated and portable applications by offering low power consumption and a high level of system integration in a small package. Also available in 1.8 volts low voltage version"
I liked the large "A" sized book format. The schematics were all readable and text has a large font size. Nice to see that the referenced web pages have all the examples ready for download plus parts/pcb's are available as well. All very well thought out.
It is nice to see others embracing and contributing to the great combination of Atmel AVR's & a simple to use and effective compiler!!
Reviewed by
Rick Savas, Canada
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The Bascom-AVR programming is one of it's kind down to earth book that has at it's core the
motive of simplifying concepts to its atom state and taking the beginner from there
towards mastering several concepts needed in this domain of physical computing.
It starts with humble concepts, it even defines the difference between a microcontroller &
a microprocessor and then takes on from here its readers to get acquainted with
concepts of reading writing a SD card and connecting similar dated gadgets with
Microcontrollers to get things done. Another very favourable thing about this book
I liked is that it utilised very easily and cheaply available programmers that
were used to programme the Microcontrollers.
In a nutshell this book provides comprehensive coverage of beginner topics and
tends to move on to much harder concepts with well defined tools that are in
most of us people's approach one can master the Bascom-AVR development platform
and then move on by himself to further heights of knowledge by the well defined
platform framed by this book.
Reviewed by
Nishant Sood, Haryana, India
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BASCOM AVR by Jurij Mikeln is a great manual (not book) for beginners, hobbyists as well as recent graduates to quick start with BASCOM or AVR micro-controller. It covers from internal functional blocks of micro-controller like timer, PWM, Analog inputs, I2C, SPI, one-wire, UART to external device interfaces like LCD, 7 segment LEDs, GPS, RTC, SD-Card, etc.
It also covers other essential topics like flash programming (serial, parallel) techniques, different ISP-programmers, debugging techniques and practical projects like Infrared sender and receiver, frequency meter, real time clock, metal detector and many more...
If you are starter who wants to quick start programming micro-controller then this is the right choice for you.
Reviewed by
Pathik Shah, Melbourne Area, Australia
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I received my book today very happy and pleased, especially with the size and amount of infomation I actually was expecting a smallish real type crappy paper back thing but this is really nice and a nice addition to my AVR knowledge base.
Once again Thanks for such a nice book, impressed
Regards Bruc, Australia
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