[SI-LIST] Re: METASTABILITY

  • From: Hal Murray <hmurray@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 00:44:15 -0800

> a good point : a quick look for "metastability" in the index of my
> half-dozen SI books didn't get many hits. 

~15 years ago, when I was browsing for general digital logic books, I used 
Metastability as my test case.  When I saw a book that looked interesting, I 
would open it to the index and look for Metastability.  (This was long before 
Amazon, so you could find books in bookstores where you could touch them.)

This was an amazingly quick way to evaluate a book.  First, you got to check 
the index which I consider to be important.  If I didn't find anything then I 
was suspicious.  If I did, then I would go check out that section.  I think I 
understand Metastability so it doesn't take long to find out if the author 
says something sensible.

Two books in my collection have good sections on Metastability:

  High-Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic
  Howard Johnson and Martin Graham

  Digital Design: Principles and Practices
  John F. Wakerly


My opinions:

Anybody interested in SI should have a copy of "Black Magic".  I like the 
style.  Every time I open it to look up something I get suckered in just 
rereading a section I've already read many times.

Wakerly is now up to the 4th edition (2005).  Mine is a couple back.  I still 
learn something every time I open it.  I wish I had a copy many many years 
ago.

Both are a bit old, mostly using MSI (DIPs) as examples.  But the ideas 
haven't changed.  I may be biased since I did a lot of work with MSI and I 
can easily relate to their examples.


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