The first book I wanted to review was “Signal Integrity Issues and Printed Circuit Board Design” by Mr. Douglas Brooks (ISBN 0-13-141884-X). This book was one of the first books i read, within a couple of years of getting into the industry.

What is in it?

The book contains 400 pages of information related to basic electronics, Signal Integrity issues, PCB layout design and also about EMC. Though it starts from basic electronics, the book is segmented into two halves having both a beginner and the advanced reader in mind. The first set can be bypassed by engineers who have the electronics fundamentals in place already.

Content:

The content page can be downloaded from Mr.Douglas Brooks website – Contents . As you can see it starts from electronics concepts in part 1 and after explaining the basics, he shifts into top gear in part 2, talking about SI and EMC concepts. The book includes a number of simulations to explain crosstalk and transmission lines and also includes elaborate explanations on decoupling and bypass capacitors calculations. Although a number of free articles from Mr. Douglas Brooks’ free articles section reappear in this book, he has filled the gaps with interesting concepts and examples, thereby doing justice to the reader who has paid his/her hard earned cash!

How is it to read?

The book flows quite brilliantly and i never faced a point where i was stuck or lost in the concept. This was one of the books that painlessly explains even the toughest concepts involved in high speed digital design. The text is easy to read and has been written for the masses.

Who is it aimed at?

The book is aimed at engineers looking to better their knowledge in EMC and SI concepts, but is very easy for anyone who is interested in Electronics or is looking to improve his/her understanding in electronics.

How much does it cost?

The book costs around $100 but during the time of this post it was priced at $79.2 in Amazon – Signal Integrity Issues and Printed Circuit Board Design

The bottom Line:

It is a very well thought through and well written book that would be very useful for professionals looking to move into high speed electronics domain or graduates and young engineers who would want to better their knowledge in EMC and SI concepts.

Target Audience : Beginner – Intermediate

Book Rating : 5/5

Verdict : Strong Buy.