123 PIC Microcontroller Experiments for the Evil Genius

I have actually finished the first 50 projects. I did every one of them and made them work, exactly as advertised. The book is awesome although not without problems. There were no significant errors in the C code unless you consider using '11', instead of '++' to increment a for loop to be serious? Anyway, this is a trivial error and anyone remotely familiar with C would detect it immedidately. Otherwise all 50 projects have compiled flawlessly with the exception of Experiment 49 which uses a 16F684 to decode a keypad. The code consumed all of the code space but, once understood, was easily resolved by hard-coding a few constants in order to conserve space. As for the circuits, nary a hitch with the single exception, again in project 49, of failing to connect pin 5 of an LCD to ground. But again, this is easily understandable if you are paying attention to his previous project. Another issue is the author's usage of Enlish. There are some syntax problems but, again, if you want to concentrate on the project, you will understand what is being said and done. If the remaining projects even approach these first 50, I will consider this a magnficent accomplishment. If you want to master the PIC 16F, you cannot go wrong with this book.

I wanted to learn to program in a C language and this is perfect so far. Well explained and the projects are actually pretty cheap.

I was impressed by the in depth coverage of C and assembly. As an introduction to PIC Microcontrollers, I found the step by step approach easy to handle. I don't think this book belongs in the Evil Genius category, but it was well worth the purchase.

Any electronics whiz seeking projects for programming and customizing the PIC MCU will find 123 PIC Microcontroller Experiments For The Evil Genius a wonderful technical project guide for creating projects and games. More than just a collection of projects, Predko explains the science and techniques beyond the ideas, tells how to set up a microcontroller and development lab based on an inexpensive Microchip PICkit 1 starter kit, and provides a healthy dose of assembly and language applications in the process, imparting a thorough education.

Mr. Predko is (IMHO) among the best writers extant today in the field of electronics. He writes with a friendly, easy to read and understand style and understands his subject well enough to make it easy to understand. BUT--KNOW THIS---this book was written to be the 2nd book in a series--the first book is "123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius". A great book, and as well written as the PIC book, but if you are an electronics novice, "robotics" needs to be read and understood first. Buy and enjoy. I do not believe you will be disappointed.