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Digital systems
Tocci R., Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1991. Type: Book (9780132131339)
Date Reviewed: Nov 1 1991

Little or no previous background in math or electronics is required for this introductory text on the principles of digital logic systems. It is a substantially revised edition of the author’s 1988 text, with new material and added examples, answers, and problems. According to the author, it is intended as a classroom text for two- and four-year programs in technology, engineering and computer science. The material is presented in 12 chapters:

  • Introductory Concepts

  • Number Systems and Codes

  • Logic Gates and Boolean Algebra

  • Combinatorial Logic Circuits

  • Flip-flops and Related Devices

  • Digital Arithmetic

  • Counters and Registers

  • Integrated Circuit Logic Families

  • MSI Logic Circuits

  • Interfacing With the Analog World

  • Memory Devices

  • Introduction to the Microprocessor and Microcomputer

Each chapter includes review problems with answers, worked examples, and exercises. The book contains over 200 worked examples and about 450 exercises for homework assignments, with selected answers at the back of the text. An extensive glossary of terms is found in Appendix 1, and the index is adequate at 16 pages. No references are provided.

I commend the author for a lucid, readable, and extremely well illustrated text. He makes liberal and effective use of examples, which are further strengthened by review questions with answers and a set of problems, ranging from simple to difficult, in each chapter. Other authors would do well to examine this text and consider adopting the style and format. Few texts are this well formatted, which may be why the book is in its fifth edition.

While the format is outstanding, the content is not. The author states that the book is intended for two- and four-year programs in technology, engineering, and computer science, but it does not deliver the depth required for a digital logic design course in a four-year program. It is satisfactory for a two-year technology program and might even be considered outstanding.

The main problem is that Tocci’s approach is “this is how these circuits work” instead of “these are the underlying principles.” He gets high marks for describing how logic circuits behave, but low marks for exposing design principles. For example, he treats the use of Karnaugh maps for up to four variables, but provides no information on how to extend them to a greater number of variables or use other minimization techniques. He omits some simple but useful approaches, such as how to treat EXOR minimization using mapping techniques. He fails to treat important basic design ideas like product-of-sums (only sum-of-products is covered). Mealy-Moore models are totally neglected. Although many of the chapters include discussions on troubleshooting (the technician model), they lack any discussion of hazards. The book covers fan-out but neglects fan-in, which might lead the reader to believe that all inputs impose a single standard load.

I recommend this text for use in technology programs in a trade school or community college, for in-house technical training, or possibly in a service course outside of engineering or computer science. In these settings it is equal to, if not better than, much of the material in circulation. I do not recommend it as a text for four-year engineering or computer science programs, since it does not cover the underlying principles of design and implementation found in modern logic design texts.

Reviewer:  Robert E. Mahan Review #: CR115337
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General (B.6.0 )
 
 
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) (B.7.1 ... )
 
 
Design Styles (B.3.2 )
 
 
General (B.5.0 )
 
 
Microcomputers (C.5.3 )
 
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