Embedded Controllers Using C and Arduino - 2e

Reviewed by David Breski, Adjunct Professor, Engineering and Applied Technology, Cape Cod Community College on 11/13/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

It could spend more time on conditionals but overall it covers the C language and its applicability to Arduino programming quite well.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

There were no obvious errors in the book.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This book was published in 2018 so it is relatively recent in its content. Though the C programming language is a stable language without a lot of ongoing changes like other languages like Java and Python. A couple of the Arduino examples are slightly dated but seem to work well on newer versions of the platform.

Clarity rating: 5

One of the uses of this textbook in my courses will be as a refresher in C. The author does a good job of explaining the constructs of the language and provides relevant examples.

Consistency rating: 5

The books uses standard and consistent terminology

Modularity rating: 5

It is easy to create classes and activities around the various sections of the book and it fits into our class syllabus fairly easily.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is broken up into logical chapters with a clear distinction between the C language portions and the Arduino portions. Since I use this book as a reference in two different classes, one that focuses on computer systems using C and the other on the computer architecture using the Arduino, I don't have to do much in the way of reordering the topics for the two different classes.

Interface rating: 5

I saw no issues in navigation through the book on line. Sections that were needed in hard copy for working through examples printed easily and clearly.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no obvious grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found none.

Comments

As I said earlier, I plan to use this book in two different classes that are offered in sequence. In the past I used two different text books, Kernahan and Ritchie for the C language and an Arduino programming guide. I can now use this book for both classes focusing on the sections that apply to a particular class. A plus in doing this, aside from the cost savings, is that students will be familiar with the textbook when they take the subsequent class. There is always a learning curve and time to get familiar with a new text book, and this way that up front effort is only needed to be done once.

Reviewed by Thomas Pittman, Instructor, Electronic Technology and Automated Systems, Northland Community and Technical College on 8/2/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text is a very in-depth introduction to the C programming language, starting with native programming in a development environment chosen by the reader. The exercises in the early chapters give the reader a more in-depth understanding of the mechanics of C than the usual introduction included with strictly Arduino texts. When combined with the lab manual written by this author, most Arduino functions are fully detailed.
The author "opens the hood" on some of the functions, files and libraries included with the Arduino development environment to give the student a thorough understanding of what is going on in the background of this easy to use development system. The earlier introduction to the C language gives the student the tools to understand these breakdowns.
Given the greater depth and detail that this text treats the subject, I would consider it for a second course in programming. It would make a great transition for a student moving from programming in Arduino into programming on a bare Atmel microcontroller.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is accurate and error-free. It should be highlighted that the code in the early chapters is not designed for the Arduino development environment.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is up to date and relevant. There doesn't appear to be any reliance on immature or private libraries that would change in the future.

Clarity rating: 4

In general, the text is clearly written and easy to follow, although the use of a story to introduce the Arduino hardware in chapter 17 is less clear. (The author does alert the reader that an appreciation for film noir will help here.)

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent in terminology and each section follows the same format of introducing a topic, giving a code example, and then breaking down the example completely.

Modularity rating: 5

While not strictly divided into a chapter=module format, the sections are clearly divided into subject areas that would be easy to assign as one or two chapter readings per class. As declared by the author, this text would be well covered in a 15 week course.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics are presented in a clear fashion and a logical flow. An early tutorial on a specific C environment would help students get started quickly.

Interface rating: 5

There are no formatting or navigation problems. The code sections are formatted and use a font in a way that clearly separate them from the rest of the text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.

Comments

For a student that has some programming experience, this is a great text to gain a deeper understanding of microcontrollers and how to use them in and out of the Arduino environment. The sections on pointers and linked lists, as well of the breakdown of header files and included functions give a lot more detail than most introduction texts. Again, I would consider this a second programming course, not an introduction to programming.