Analog Circuit Design: Art, Science and Personalities

Book Overview

This book is far more than just another tutorial or reference guide - it's a tour through the world of analog design, combining theory and applications with the philosophies behind the design process. Readers will learn how leading analog circuit designers approach problems and how they think about solutions to those problems. They'll also learn about the analog way' - a broad, flexible method of thinking about analog design tasks.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0750696400
• ISBN13: 9780750696401
• Release Date: July 1991
• Publisher: Newnes
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

more than one eighth the price of a VW Beetle..

... was the asking price for Philbrick's P2 amplifier module. It started out [...] in 1960 but demand was too strong. So they upped the price[...]. Discover the inside story behind why this little brick with a mere 7 transistors defied replication by competitors in the instrumentation field for so long. This story is indeed the stuff of legends, told to us by Bob Pease who worked with the original designer of the P2, Bob Malter. Spellbinding for us analogue geeks, and just one absorbing chapter of this wide-ranging book.

Eccentric as analog designer

For people who are not already into analog design, this book only mystifies the subject further. It presents analog design with an aura of eccentricity and a feeling of more artistry than engineering. This is an eclectic collection of articles, but among them there are a few gems. Paul Brokaw's description of linear IC design is by far the best exposition I've seen. Jim Williams' Zoo Circuit makes interesting reading into the mind of the designer.

Tribute

you into Analog ? You got to have this book. Its a tribute to the LEGENDS. Legends that ever were, that ever will be. My boyhood favourite of almost 10 years. Dont miss it on the analog shelf. I would deem it blasphemy.

A Great Look At The Rhythm Of Analog Design

Analysis is a science: there's a right answer out there, and we can all agree when it's found. Troubleshooting is the same way: when the broken bit is found and fixed, the circuit starts working properly. Design, on the other hand, is an art; there's always more than one way to do it, and the individuality of the designer has a strong influence on the way the design turns out: hence "Art, Science, and Personalities".This isn't to say that a good designer does unusual things without a good reason, or adds expensive bells and whistles because he happens to like them. What it means is that for designs that are not routine, the designer's personality has a lot to do with how it comes out. To become an expert designer, you need a well-developed technical taste. Once you have a design that works at some level, it's that sour feeling in the back of your mouth that will tell you that it isn't right yet, that it can be simpler, cheaper, or more reliable. There aren't a lot of other sources of that information.Arts are taught by apprenticeship. But where are you going to go to get taught this stuff nowadays? EE departments are going more and more to software, as shown by the vast number of graduate EEs who don't know which end of a soldering iron to hold. Jim Williams can't be everybody's mentor, but in this informal (and sometimes whimsical) book, he and his friends show us how the best analogue designers in the business go about things. You know what? One of the most important elements in the art of design is *play*.Maybe listening in on these guys playing at being analogue designers isn't quite the same as sitting elbow-to-elbow with them, but it's as close as most of us are going to get, and it's terrifically valuable. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to become a better analogue designer, and who is not easily put off by whimsy in technical writing. (I find it refreshing and fun, myself.) I've owned this book for 6 or 7 years, and it's about ready to fall apart from rereading.

Helps you understand Analog Engineers!

This is a great book to help you understand Analog engineers - I recruit them for an IC design company and am impressed how smart they are - this book gives you an idea of their depth...