This book takes a unique "processor-agnostic" approach to teaching the core course on microcontrollers or embedded systems, taught at most schools of electrical and computer engineering. Most books for this course teach students using only one specific microcontroller in the class. Cady, however, studies the common ground between microcontrollers in one volume. As there is no other book available to serve this purpose in the classroom, readership is broadened to anyone who accepts its pedagogical value, not simply those courses that use the same microcontroller. Because the text is purposefully processor non-specific, it can be used with processor-specific material, such as manufacturer's data sheets and reference manuals, or with texts such as Software and Hardware Engineering: Motorola M68HC11 or Software and Hardware Engineering: Motorola M68HC12. The fundamental operation of standard microcontroller features such as parallel and serial I/O interfaces, interrupts, analog-to-digital conversion, and timers is covered, with attention paid to the electrical interfaces needed.