I have to say that
I'm somewhat conflicted about writing my review of Mastering
BeagleBone Robotics by Richard Grimmett. I definitely found that
one of the author's
previous book on BeagleBone
Robotics was a gem.
You can imagine my anticipation in
reading a book that I assumed
would take basic project introductions like the previous publication
and get into much more advanced topics for seasoned hobby
robotics practitioners. This wasn't quite the case.
There are advanced projects presented
in this 175 page (Kindle format) publication. After a brief intro,
the book gets into the projects, with some chapters expanding on the
previous and starting afresh. Code is presented and downloadable. I
would recommend Packt Publishing to edit black terminal window
screenshots and make them either black on white or simply use text to
present the typed content and out. It would make for a far more
enjoying reading experience.
In one chapter, where the basics of a
robotic sail boat are presented, the book states “... you can now
build a robot that sails autonomously”. I find the statement to
be on the presumptuous side. My lack of understanding of sailing
leads me to believe that it's a very complex activity. I wish that
more of the theory was presented directly in the book instead of
referenced to external websites. Using my Kindle Whitepaper at a
local coffee shop, I'm simply not going to click on the links and
therefore missing some of the learning potential. Perhaps I am a
difficult reader...
Overall, key BeagleBone concepts for
multiple types of hobby robotics are presented. The information
provided is enough to give the novice hobby enthusiasts the background required to get started. Should you buy this book? Absolutely, if
you haven't bought any previous BeagleBone robotics books from the
same publisher and author. In my always humble opinion, it's a very
strong second edition.
