As an engineering consultant, Fred Eady has implemented communications networks for the space program and designed hardware and firmware for the medical, retail and public utility industries. He currently writes a monthly embedded design column for a popular electronics enthusiast magazine. Fred also composes monthly articles for a popular robotics magazine. Fred has been dabbling in electronics for over 30 years. His embedded design expertise spans the spectrum and includes Intel's 8748 and 8051 microcontrollers, the entire Microchip PIC microcontroller family and the Atmel AVR microcontrollers. Fred recently retired from his consulting work and is focused on writing magazine columns and embedded design books.