[comp.robotics] The Automated Factory Handbook

hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath) (10/06/90)

TAB Professional and Reference Books is trying to sell me something called
_The Automated Factory Handbook, Technology and Management_, by David I.
Cleland and Bopaya Bidanda (832 pages, 250 illustrations, $69.95
hardcover).

The hype makes it look like the reference I wished I had two years ago.
If so, it could still be useful for future projects.

Does anyone out there know anything about it or its editors?  Opinions?
Recommendations?

While I'm at it, Addison-Wesley has a few interesting titles as well:

     Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, Serope Kalpakjian, (1989)
     1199 pages, $51.95 hardcover.

     Computer Control of Machines and Processes, J. G. Bollinger & N.
     A. Duffle, (1988) 544 pages, $53.95 hardcover.

     Digital Control of Dynamic Systems, G. F. Franklin, J. D. Powell,
     & M. L. Workman, (1990) 835 pages, $50.95 hardcover.

These all look interesting, but money's tight around here just now.  I'd
appreciate any reviews and recommendations I can get before I spend
upwards of $225 for books.

Thanks much.

-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, M.A., CDP, aka: hollombe@ttidca.tti.com)
Head Robot Wrangler at Citicorp(+)TTI             Illegitimis non
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (213) 450-9111, x2483       Carborundum
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {csun | philabs | psivax}!ttidca!hollombe

nagle@well.sf.ca.us (John Nagle) (10/07/90)

hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath) writes:


>TAB Professional and Reference Books is trying to sell me something called
>_The Automated Factory Handbook, Technology and Management_, by David I.
>Cleland and Bopaya Bidanda (832 pages, 250 illustrations, $69.95
>hardcover).

     In general, all TAB books are lousy.  They seem consistently to
contain vast amounts of filler material and very little meat.  They
usually read as if someone collected whatever information was easily
available on the subject and reworked it just enough to avoid 
plagarism problems.

Mike.McManus@FtCollins.NCR.com (Mike McManus) (10/12/90)

In article <21055@well.sf.ca.us> nagle@well.sf.ca.us (John Nagle) writes:
>
>	In general, all TAB books are lousy.  They seem consistently to
>   contain vast amounts of filler material and very little meat.  They
>   usually read as if someone collected whatever information was easily
>   available on the subject and reworked it just enough to avoid 
>   plagarism problems.

A sweeping generalization, of course.  It's been 5-6 years since I've seen a
new TAB publication, but there were several that I found very informative.  In
particular, David Heiserman (sp?) has an excellent series of books on
hobby-level robotics.  I don't have exact references, but one that come to
mind:

"How To Build Your Own Working Robot", 1974(?).  Tells how to build "Buster",
an intelligent platform constructed using exclusively TTL logic!

"Intellegent Robotic Projects" (or something like that), 1979(?).  Tells how to
design computer programs (book uses TRS-80 BASIC!) that simulate algorithms
that can be used on intelligent platforms.

"How To Build Your Own Programmable Robot", 1980(?).  An updated
version of Buster, based on microprocessor (8085) technology.  Tells how to
design a self-programming machine which adapts itself ("learns") to its
environment.

"Personal Robotics Handbook" (again, not sure of exact title), 1981(?).  Gives
a good intro to design your own robot systems: how to calculate motor and power
requirements based on required torques, speed and other physical parameters
(great for a EE with little formal mechanical theory/training) of the system,
sensing schemes, programming, etc.

All of these books are geared toward the hobbyist, as opposed to someone who is
involved in industrial robotics or R&D, but really deliver for their intended
audience.  To say that they they contain "vast amounts of filler" is certainly
untrue in this case.
--
Disclaimer: All spelling and/or grammar in this document are guaranteed to be
            correct; any exseptions is the is wurk uv intter-net deemuns,.

Mike McManus                        Mike.McManus@FtCollins.NCR.COM, or
NCR Microelectronics                ncr-mpd!mikemc@ncr-sd.sandiego.ncr.com, or
2001 Danfield Ct.                   uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-mpd!garage!mikemc
Ft. Collins,  Colorado              
(303) 223-5100   Ext. 378
                                    

alien@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Tom von Alten) (10/16/90)

>     In general, all TAB books are lousy.  They seem consistently to
> contain vast amounts of filler material and very little meat.  They
> usually read as if someone collected whatever information was easily
> available on the subject and reworked it just enough to avoid 
> plagarism problems.

To avoid repeating this "sweeping generalization," let me insert
``I've seen'' after ``all TAB books'' before I second this statement.

Yeah, there may be some good ones out there, but the last one I bought
unseen was so bad I resolved to automatically reject TAB published books.
Don't buy books based on publisher hype!  Patronize your local bookstore!

"One unhappy customer = 100 satisfied ones for referral output."
-------------
Tom von Alten		email: alien@hpdmlad.boi.hp.com
                        Hewlett-Packard Disk Mechanisms Division
Opinions completely personal, of course.