What Every Engineer Should Know About Developing Real-Time Products

Engineers will find yet another book series in What Every Engineer Should Know. What makes this one about real-time development stand out is the number of case studies: there are 11 total. They’re presented in detail with analysis for each, as well as across all cases. This alone makes the book worth reading. What I like about the presentation is its consistency. The first chapter provides an overview of all the steps involved, from conception to disposal, and touches on aspects from liability to design trade-offs. This makes it easier for the reader to compare the case studies. The case studies are diverse, ranging from washing machines to automotive engine control and medical implants. The presentation is at a high level so almost anyone involved with embedded applications will find this book worth reading. The real-time aspects come into play because of the types of applications. While there’s some examination of the real-time design aspects, don’t expect a deep technical background in programming for real-time devices. Still, programmers and designers need to know about the overall system design and how it relates to real-time application design tradeoffs. That’s where the book shines.