303 Dynamic Electronic Circuits by Frank P. Tedeschi and Raymond W. McIntyre, and: How to Repair Video Games by Robert Goodman (review)

Books 79 practical information into so compact a manual and the publisher for selling it at a reasonable price. Visual artists who use electricity in their artworks will find this a valuable aid. 303 Dynamic Electronic Circuits. Frank P. Tedeschi and Raymond W. McIntyre. 308 pp., illus. Paper, $6.95. How to Repair Video Games. Robert Goodman. 270 pp., illus. Paper, $7.95. Both published by Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, Penn. in 1978. Reviewed by A. T. Lawton' The back cover of the first book states: 'This huge encyclopedic compilation of some of the world's hardest working, most usable circuits, contains practical circuits packed with versatility specially designed to tackle tough problems, ready for thousands of real-world applications. . .. With this handy guide, you'll never again be stumped for a circuit or a circuit idea.' I generally agree with these sentiments but with certain reservations as to its universal acceptability, and I must point out straightaway that it is not a book for beginners. Tedeschi and McIntyre assume one has the ability to read a circuit diagram, plan a suitable layout and fix up either a printed circuit or a wire and pin board. The circuit function descriptions are accurate and concise but are only the barest essentials necessary to inform readers as to how the circuit works. A beginner without the required experience might go badly astray. These are, however, minor criticisms of what is essentially a very good compendium of useful circuits covering a wide range of analog and digital functions. The sections on measuring instruments, musical tone generators, DC sources and power supplies, SCR circuits and automobile 'add-on-goodies' are particularly detailed with well tried circuits. The authors are careful to quote the component types used and fully cover the integrated circuits and transistor types employed. The book was basically written for the component market in the U.S.A., therefore users in other countries may have difficulty in obtaining some of the components and will have to substitute equivalent types. Here experienced users would have little difficulty, but beginners would have problems . To sum up, I consider this book to be a very useful addition to the personal collection of electronic engineers and circuit designers, and, once the circuits are memorised (and most of them can be), users are then equipped with a formidable armoury of circuits for a wide variety of applications. The second book was written by Goodman primarily to meet the requirements of those who service and repair video games. Furthermore, it deals with circuits of manufacturers in the U.S.A., and, therefore, may not be of wide appeal to interested persons in other countries. This is an excellent compendium of circuit diagrams, functional descriptions of systems and detailed fault-finding charts of eight of the leading manufacturers of TV video games in the U.S.A., including systems specifically intended for colour TV sets. Detailed explanations of how items function and can be serviced have been provided. This detail is adequate for skilled 'do-it-yourself persons to build their own video games system. Goodman is careful to explain the secrecy that had hitherto surrounded some of the more complex and advanced systems, and he points out that only recently have the manufacturers been persuaded to publish details of their circuits. Although obviously useful to those who service and repair video games, I am not sure of its value as a teaching aid and an instructional book for students of electronics. American Furniture and Its Makers: Winterthur Portfolio 13. Ian M. G. Quimby, ed. Univ. Chicago Press, London, 1979. 244 pp., illus. £13.00. Reviewed by Mike Nevelson** "13 Gastonbridge Road, Shepperton, Middlesex TW17 8HH, England. "P.O. Box 8952, 3 Milltown Road, New Fairfield, CT 06810, U.S.A. The objective of this annual publication is to make available authoritative references on colonial and early cultural manifestations in the U.S.A. This volume about furniture used in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries includes studies by Robert Blair St. George, William L. Dulaney, Cathryn J. McElroy, Kathleen M. Catalano, Constance V. Hershey, Deborah Dependahl Waters, Martin Eli Weil, Phillip D. Zimmerman and Donald C. Peirce...