Embedded Controller Hardware Design targets one of the most popular embedded controllers around, the 8051. The book, written by Ken Arnold for LLH Technology Publishing, is a great introduction to low-end, controller design, especially for developers fresh out of college or just off other projects that are used to 32-bit systems running Windows and Linux. Experienced 8-bit embedded designers will not find the book as useful unless they're unfamiliar with the 8051 and need to use it in a new project. The coverage ranges from a novice level introduction of electronics that touches on resistors and tristate buffers to more advanced topics like bus current limitations and using 8-bit microcontrollers and PLDs (programmable logic devices). The bulk of the book concentrates on important detail like bus loading, timing, and the use of I/O, DMA, and interrupts. The software aspects represent a key part of the book but they're not in the majority, so grab an 8051 programming book for software design. Still, there's enough software to touch on the aspects that will affect hardware designs, such as interrupt routine timing and synchronization. The 8051 architecture is discussed in detail. It's suitable for consumption by novices and handy as a quick reference as well. Examples are sprinkled throughout. The book is designed to be used with 8031SDK, which is available online. A CD-ROM, included with the book, offers an eBook version of the text and software samples.