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Average Customer Rating: 
123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius (TAB Robotics) >
Customer Review #1:
 Buyer beware!
First of all Im puzzled about this books intent. It begins with trivial kindergarden level constructions but ends with some pretty sophisticated computer programming. In the middle it deals with *very* basic electronics mixed with some fairly advanced stuff.
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lt;br />However, the big problem is the circuit board provided with the book. It is necessary for most of the experiments and vital for the microprocessor work at the end, but finding the parts for it may be quite difficult. The parts list is inadequate and inaccurate. You cant get what you need from The Shack, youll have to go to an electronics supply house, and even then, you will have trouble finding what you need. (The author did not supply manufacturers or part numbers.) You may end up, as I did, buying a prebuilt board from the microprocessor manufacturer and they arent cheap!.
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lt;br />It also calls for other parts I had a lot of trouble finding. Some of the transistors are not garden variety in the US and no mention is made of suitable substitutions.
123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius (TAB Robotics) >
Customer Review #2:
 A mixed bag of feelings
This is a good book, in the sense that it teaches you a variety of topics from basic electronics to intermediate/advanced robotics, including some MCU programming. It does this in a series of experiments (lessons) that you follow thru. However, the books goal is *not* to teach you how to build a single unique robot, instead, you learn how the different "parts" (circuits or sub-systems) of a robot do work by themselves. So you understand how each piece of the puzzle works, but its up to you to actually "assemble" the puzzle on to completion.
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lt;br />I found some of the lessons vague, and not all of them include pictures. Without a picture, you must read the descriptions carefully, and just hope you are doing everything right. Many times, the author simply forgets that a picture speaks for a thousand words.
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lt;br />Another con I find is this: for every lesson, you need a parts list. That is, imagine you are only interested in completing 30% of the lessons. You will then have to travel 37 times to The Shack or some online store to get the parts. And no, no catalog part numbers. And worse yet, for many of the lessons you must buy or get hard-to-find parts that will only be used in that particular lesson. I dont find that neither inexpensive or enjoyable.
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lt;br />It is a good book, but I dont think it would be a good choice for beginners. In fact, I am still unsure of its target audience.
123 Robotics Experiments for the Evil Genius (TAB Robotics) >
Customer Review #3:
 A great intro to electronics and robotics
The first 2/3rds of this book are more about electronics in general than robotics, but its a great way to see how all the parts really work and interrelate. It really takes away a lot of the mystery. The authors writing style is geared towards high-schoolers, but at the same time he doesnt dumb it down. As a 40-year old with little electronics background, but lots of computer programming, this was a great relief to me.Each recipe comes with a full list of parts and tools required, so you can head to RadioShack or wherever knowing you have what you need. Highly recommended.
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