 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | The MSP430 is a simple 16-bit microcontroller with a compact and economical CPU containing only 27 instructions and 16 registers. It offers other advantages which make it suitable for low power applications: a rich variety of peripherals for analog input and output; rapid processing wake up time; the treatment of data and address on equal footing.
Introduction to the MSP430 combines a tutorial approach with a description of the CPU and main peripherals. The tutorial builds from a basic program for lighting LEDs to the use of a timer. It uses the C programming language from the start but programs are also developed in assembly language to show how a program interacts with the hardware. To demonstrate the special features of the MSP430 full coverage is given to the instruction set, sigma-delta analog-digital converters and timers. Finally, the book gives an introduction to the MSP430 which extends the architecture to address more memory and which provides a bridge to the ARM 7 processor.
Contents:
1.Embedded electronic systems and microcontrollers; 2. Texas MSP430; 3. Development; 4. A simple tour of the MSP430; 5. Architecture of the MSP430; 6.Functions, interrupts and low-power modes; 7.Digital input, output and displays; 8. Timers; 9. Mixed-signal systems: Analog input and output; 10. Communication; 11. The future: MSP430X; Appendices.
*The only tutorial book on the MSP430
*Uses both C and assembly language
*A CDROM containing a development kit to help the engineer and hobbyist program the MSP430. |
Average Customer Rating:  The book that ties the technical references and reality together I just bought this book and almost immediately read through the first 3 chapters. The first 3 chapters are mainly an overview of the entire MSP430 family, how to read datasheets and find the information you want, and a brief history of microcontrollers in general. These first 3 chapters alone are almost invaluable when starting embedded electronics! I have skimmed through the rest of the book (and plan to read through it as soon as my homebrew programming board actually works).
I found one error while reading the first section of the book, and emailed the author who promptly replied, and immediately updated the errata sheet (within about a day). This is a good sign as the author definitely cares about the book, the topic, and that the information he is providing is correct. I will definitely buy the 2nd edition if it is created!
While the book tends to talk about commercially available demo-boards (though is in NO way locked into using them) the companion website is extremely useful. There, you can find the errata sheet, and a pdf with instructions on building your own demo-boards.
I would highly recommend this book as it is up-to-date, extremely well written, and useful to both the beginner and the advanced embedded developer! Great book! Great book! I agree with all previous reviews! Great for getting well grounded on the MSP430. Very practical examples, and yes the book is beyond the basics. It is thorough enough that it will be a great reference for MSP430 development. This is a winner! Best MSP430 Book Available! The best all-around MSP430 book.
Well-written, easy to follow. The coverage is impressive for a "Basics" book. Far more than a mere re-hashing of the online MSP430 User's Guide, I like the way the CPU and peripherals are covered in a practical manner. For example, instead of just listing the assembler mnemonics, helpful tips are given about which assembly instructions to use for what purpose and which typical MCU instructions are missing. C is covered, as well, as are development environments and everything else necessary to getting up and running. Gotcha's to watch out for are given throughout. This alone makes this book worth the price of entry. I wish I had this book when I was learning to code this uC.
More explanation could be given on why certain peripheral control parameters are set up the way they are. One example is the sample code that reads the internal temperature sensor. The offset is hard-coded, as is the slope. No mention is made about this value varying widely amongst individual chips. You'll need to calibrate your readings and although the best fit values can vary by 10% of the value given, neither this fact, nor the procedure is discussed. The slope, on the other hand varies far less from chip to chip, but no explanation for how it was arrived at is given, either. (The slope given is derived from the equation in the TI MSP430 User's Guide, adjusted for Celsius, and should be close enough for most applications, but it would have been helpful to most users if this were explained, as well as how to get the result in degrees Fahrenheit.)
There are similar issues with other peripheral sample code, but this does not purport to be an advanced-level book, even though it is so comprehensive that it seems like it could easily be taken that way. With the word "basics" in its title, it's hard to complain -- you get more than what you bargained for anyway.
There are other MSP430 books available with good information, but they either have a slant toward a particular 3rd party development board, or are not as well rounded as this one. No others have the depth of coverage: development environments, development boards, processor variations, software, hardware architecture, the newer 430X architecture, and all on-board peripherals.
More than just a basics book with an excellent overview of the MSP 430 uC, it's a great source of programming tips, where details are given, including examples of interfacing with external hardware (ADC, DAC, parallel port I/O, serial I/O, etc.). I think "Essentials" would be a more appropriate title.
If you're serious about learning to program the MSP430, this is the first book to get. You may not need another. More than "Basics" - quintessential for learning about the '430 Excellent.
This book is a solid, clean resource for learning about the TI MSP430 microcontroller. I am impressed with the full coverage of topics that are glossed over in other '430 books. This book bundles together a lot of practical information gleaned from a wide span of TI data sheets and app notes and does so in a way that makes very good sense. EVERYTHING that I see as a MSP430 feature is explained, and explained well.
This should be the definitive starting purchase for any embedded developer wishing to master the TI MSP430 microcontroller.
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