Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Bob Dobkin, Co-Editor of Analog Circuit Design

Jim Williams Bob Dobkin

Dear Amazon Readers,

The fundamental difference between analog and digital is ‘‘information.’’ With digital information the output is always the same: a set of ones and zeros that represents the information. This information is independent of the supply voltages or the circuitry that is used to generate it. With analog, the output information is basic electrical values–volts, current, charge–and is always related to some real world parameters. With analog, the methodology used to arrive at the answers is intrinsic to the quality of those answers. Errors such as temperature, noise, delay and time stability can all affect the analog output and all are a function of the circuitry that generates the output. It is this analog output that is difficult to derive and requires experience and circuit design talent. With integrated circuits (ICs) so prevalent, combined with application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) in most systems, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good analog examples for teaching engineers analog design. Engineering schools provide the basics of device terminal characteristics and some circuit hookup information, but this is not adequate for designing finished circuits or applying modern IC design techniques. The analog circuitry in today’s systems is often difficult to decipher without help from the original designer. The ability to design complex analog systems relies on the ability of engineers to learn from what has gone before. One of the best avenues for learning analog design is to use the application notes and information from companies who supply analog integrated circuits. These application notes include circuitry, test results, and the basic reasoning for some of the choices made in the design of these analog circuits. They provide a good starting point for new designs. Since the applications are aimed at solving problems, the application notes, combined with the capability to simulate circuits on Spice, provide a key learning pathway for engineers. The analog information in most of these application notes is timeless and will be as valid twenty years from now as it is today. It’s my hope that anyone reading this book is helped through the science and art of good analog design.

Read an excerpt from Analog Circuit Design.

Robert Dobkin
Co-Founder, Vice President, Engineering, and Chief Technical Officer
Linear Technology Corporation

Images from Inside Jim Williams’s Lab

“This book is a great companion volume to Volume I with informative application notes and a full complement of reference designs. The chapters are not just every day application notes and reference designs, but give insights to problem-solving, design decision-making the thought process that goes along with a robust, successful design. That’s why I love this book…This book is a keeper that needs to be on every designer’s bookshelf, right next to Volume I.” –EDN.com, March 2013

“Subtitled ‘Immersion in the black art of analog design’, this huge book has over 1,200 A4 pages of joy…you will learn something from every page…delightfully readable.” –ElectronicsWeekly.com, April 2013

“…this is quite an extensive work with 1250 pages. A collection of “application notes”…[it will] help you understand and solve practical problems. Here interesting questions will be answered such as ‘Why is my phone ringing,’ but also highly complex power supply circuits.” –Design and Elektronik, February 2013

“For analog designers or anyone who brushes against analog design issues…Analog Circuit Design: A Tutorial Guide to Applications and Solutions…is a great place to start. Each time I look through this book, I get new insight and understanding based on the knowledge, experience, challenges, and mysteries the authors and other contributors bring…books like this can help you get your job done faster and with fewer re-spins.” –Planet Analog, January 2013

“This in-depth source book of circuit design solutions supplies engineers with practical design techniques that focus on common analog challenges. The full support package includes online resources such as data sheets, design notes and LTspice design simulation software tools from Linear Technology.” –EETimes.com and others, December 2012

“The 932-page book compiles 41 of Linear Tech’s applications and each app note has its own chapter. The book divides information into two sections; one that covers power management (19 app notes) and a second that covers data conversion, signal conditioning, and Highfrequency & RF (22 app notes)… Anyone who works with analog electronics–and those who hope to–should own a copy of this book.” –Dev-Monkey.com

“This is a handsome book that I will happily find space for on my shelf. It is extremely good value for money and is, thank heavens, a prime example of why it will be some time before e-books have a real place in the publication of technology texts. There should be a place for this latest ANALOG Circuit Design in the hands of every novice, journeyman, and experienced analog designer.” –En Genius.net

“In September, three months after a stroke ended Jim’s life, the book – what may be the only coffee table book for analog engineers – came out. What’s remarkable is how easy it is to get into, how much it makes you want to browse – like a traditional coffee-table book. As my friend Paul Rako, described Jim’s writing style, ‘He never tried to impress you with his math or his intellect. He didn’t make things complicated so you would think he was smart. He made things look simple. That is why he was brilliant.’” –Electronic Design.com