Book Reviews

Electronics has taken over the modern motor car, so much so that it is difficult to tinker with the car as we used to do in the old days, its all done by a PC. All the key functions are, or can be, controlled with electronics which has benefited the driver.

There are 11 chapters and over 450 pages illustrated with diagrams, circuits and performance graphs, but sadly very few photographs of the electronics. The chapters step the reader through fundamentals of combustion, controls, engine and motion control and diagnostics. After each chapter there is a multiple choice quiz relating to the chapter. You will have to read the text in detail to answer the questions, not speed-read. It's an interesting textbook and ideal for education in the topic. It was easy to read and informative. The book is what it says on the cover "Understanding Automotive Electronics" how the electronics works to improve the safety and performance of the automobile. There is little coverage on the type of componentry, wiring or reliability of different forms of assembly so only of interest to manufacturing engineers if you want to understand the reasons behind the circuits we build.

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