The first edition of this book started with the words: ‘A modern society could no longer function without the microprocessor.’
This is certainly still true but it is even truer if we include the microcontroller. While the microprocessor is at the heart of our computers, with a great deal of publicity, the microcontroller is quietly running the rest of our world. They share our homes, our vehicles and our workplace, and sing to us from our greetings cards. They are our constant, unseen companions and billions are being installed every year with little or no publicity. The purpose of this book is to give a worry-free introduction to microprocessors and microcontrollers. It starts at the beginning and does not assume any previous knowledge of microprocessors or microcontrollers and, in gentle steps, introduces the knowledge necessary to take those vital first steps into the world of the micro.
John Crisp
What’s gone wrong now?
What’s gone wrong now?
The whole process of fault-finding should be undertaken slowly and carefully. There is a popular misconception that you have to keep busy, taking measurements, making adjustments and changing components. But, in fact, most of the time is spent just sitting and thinking (don’t forget the last two words!).
Collect the symptoms and write them down. Be wary of other people’s idea of the symptoms. If they have misunderstood what is happening you could waste hours or days going off at a tangent. If you forget to write them down, then sooner or later you will be back repeating the same checks.
