PC Interfacing

Dr. Montassar Aidi Sharif

Mechatronics Concept Map
User
Interface
Power
Source

Controller
(Hardware & Software)
Power
Interface

INTEGRATION Signal
Conditioning
Actuator

Sensor

System to
Control
Why do we need to learn Microcontroller

cell phone
air conditioner,
washer/dryer

Toys
Component of microcontroller
Component of microcontroller
Types of Microcontrollers
ATmega328 Internal Architecture

ATmega328 data sheet pp. 2, 5

http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=50
 ATmega328 Features

ATmega328 data sheet p. 1

http://www.atmel.com/Images/Atmel-8271-8-bit-AVR-Microcontroller-
ATmega48A-48PA-88A-88PA-168A-168PA-328-328P_datasheet.pdf
 Arduino Duemilanove
http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardDuemilanove
See the handout: Arduino_ATmega328_pin_mapping_and_schematic

Pin 13 LED
Digital pins header
USB
connector Reset button

ATmega328 MCU

Barrel jack Analog pins header

Power-ground header
http://arduino.cc/en/uploads/Main/ArduinoDuemilanove.jpg
 Arduino Uno R3
ATmega16u2 replaces FT232RL for USB-serial communication

http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=50

See: http://learn.adafruit.com/arduino-tips-tricks-and-techniques/arduino-uno-faq
Arduino Due
Note: 3.3 V !!

Atmel SAM3X8E processor (32 bit ARM Cortex M3 architecture, 84MHz)

http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=1076

See: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardDue
Arduino Duemilanove/Uno Features
Microcontroller ATmega168/328
Operating Voltage 5V
Input Voltage (recommended) 7-12V
Input Voltage (limits) 6-20V
Digital I/O Pins 14 (of which 6 provide PWM output)
Analog Input Pins 6
DC Current per I/O Pin 40 mA
DC Current for 3.3V Pin 50 mA
16 KB (ATmega168) or 32 KB (ATmega328) of which 2 KB
Flash Memory
used by bootloader
SRAM 1 KB (ATmega168) or 2 KB (ATmega328)
EEPROM 512 bytes (ATmega168) or 1 KB (ATmega328)
Clock Speed 16 MHz

http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardDuemilanove
ATmega328 Microcontroller
Pin number
Pin name

Special
function

Note the
limitations!
p. 316 Source:http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/product_card.asp?PN=ATmega328P
Port Pin Data Directionality

• Input
• When you want to take information from the external
world (sensors) into the MCU
• Output
• When you want to change the state of something outside
the MCU (turn a motor on or off, etc.)
• Pins default to input direction on power-up or reset
• Your program can set or change the directionality of
a pin at any time
 Setting the Pin Data Direction
• Arduino
• pinMode(pin_no., dir)
• Ex. Make Arduino pin 3 (PD3) an output
• pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
• pinMode(PIN_D3, OUTPUT); // with me106.h
• Note: one pin at a time
• Suppose you wanted Arduino pins 3, 5, and 7 (PD3, PD5, and PD7) to be outputs?
• Is there a way to make them all outputs at the same time?
• Yes! Answer coming later…
Pin Voltages

• Microcontrollers are fundamentally digital devices. For digital IO pins:

• Information is ‘coded’ in two discrete states:
• HIGH or LOW (logic: 1 or 0)
• Voltages
• TTL
• 5 V (for HIGH)
• 0 V (for LOW)
• 3.3 V CMOS
• 3.3 V (for HIGH)
• 0 V (for LOW)
 Pin Used as an Output
• Turn on an LED, which is connected
to pin Arduino pin 0 (PD0) (note the ATmega328
resistor!)
• What should the data direction be for pin 0 (PD0)? Arduino
• pinMode(____, ____); pin 0
• Turn on the LED (PD0)
• digitalWrite(PIN_LED,HIGH);
• Turn off the LED
• digitalWrite(PIN_LED,LOW);
 Pins as Inputs and Pull-up Resistors - 1
• Using a switch as a sensor
• Ex. Seat belt sensor ATmega328
• Detect the switch state
• What should the data direction be for Arduino pin 3 (PD3)?
• pinMode(____, ____); Arduino
• What will the voltage be on PD3 when the switch is closed? pin 3
• What will the voltage be on PD3 when the switch is open? (PD3)
• Indeterminate!

SPST

momentary
 Pins as Inputs and Pull-up Resistors - 2
• Switch as a sensor, cont.
• Make the voltage on the pin ATmega328
determinate by turning on the pull-up VTG= +5V
resistor for PD3
• Assuming PD3 is an input:
• digitalWrite(PIN_SWITCH,HIGH); 1
PD3
turns on the “pull-up” resistor
0
• pinMode(PIN_SWITCH,INPUT_PULLUP);
• What will the voltage on PD3 be when the
switch is open?
• VTG
• What will the voltage on PD3 be when the
switch is closed?
 Pins as Inputs and Pull-up Resistors - 3
• Switch as a sensor, cont.
• To turn off the pull-up resistor ATmega328
• Assuming PD3 is an input:
digitalWrite(PIN_SWITCH,LOW); VTG= +5V
turns the “pull-up” resistor off

1
PD3
0
 Pins as Inputs and Pull-up Resistors - 4
• Possibility of ‘weak drive’ when pull-up resistor
is turned on ATmega328
• Pin set as an input with a pull-up resistor turned on
can source a small current VTG= +5V
• Remember this!
iweak
1
PD3
0
Structure of an Arduino Program
/* Blink - turns on an LED for DELAY_ON msec,
then off for DELAY_OFF msec, and repeats
• An arduino program == ‘sketch’ BJ Furman rev. 1.1 Last rev: 22JAN2011
• Must have: */
#define LED_PIN 13 // LED on digital pin 13
• setup() #define DELAY_ON 1000
• loop() #define DELAY_OFF 1000
• setup() void setup()
• configures pin modes and {
registers // initialize the digital pin as an output:
pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
• loop() }
• runs the main body of the
program forever // loop() method runs forever,
// as long as the Arduino has power
• like while(1) {…}
• Where is main() ? void loop()
• Arduino simplifies things {
digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH); // set the LED on
• Does things for you delay(DELAY_ON); // wait for DELAY_ON msec
digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW); // set the LED off
delay(DELAY_OFF); // wait for DELAY_OFF msec
}
 Digital IO – Practice 1
• ‘Reading a pin’
• Write some lines of C code for the ATmega328
Arduino to determine a course of action
if the seat belt has been latched (switch
closed).
• If latched, the ignition should be enabled PD3
through a call to a function ig_enable().
• If not latched, the ignition should be disabled
through a call to a function ig_disable()
• Write pseudocode first
 Digital IO – Practice 1 Pseudocode
• ‘Reading a pin’
• Pseudocode: ATmega328
Set up PD3 as an input
VTG= +5V
Turn on PD3 pull-up resistor
Read voltage on Arduino pin 3 (PIN_D3)
IF PIN_D3 voltage is LOW (latched), THEN 1
call function ig_enable() PD3
ELSE 0
call function ig_disable()
 Digital IO – Practice 1 Code
• ‘Reading a pin’ ATmega328
• Pseudocode:
VTG= +5V
Set up PD3 as an input
Turn on PD3 pull-up resistor
Read voltage on Arduino pin 3 (PIN_D3)
1
IF PIN_D3 voltage is LOW (latched), THEN PD3
call function ig_enable() 0
ELSE
call function ig_disable()

One way → #define PIN_SWITCH 3

(snippet, not full program) #define LATCHED LOW
pinMode(PIN_SWITCH,INPUT_PULLUP);
belt_state = digitalRead(PIN_SWITCH);
if (belt_state == LATCHED)
{ ig_enable(); }
else
{ ig_disabled(); }
 Digital IO – Practice 2
• ‘Reading from and writing to a pin’ ATmega328
• Write some lines of C code for the PD3
Arduino to turn on a lamp (PD2) and
PD2
buzzer (PD3) if the key is in the
ignition (PD0 closed), but seat belt is
not latched (PD1 open)
• (diagram shows only one of the two
switches, but both are similar) PD0, PD1
• Pseudocode first
 Digital IO – Practice 2 Pseudocode
• Pseudocode:
Set up data direction of pins ATmega328
Make PD0 and PD1 inputs
Turn on pull up resistors for PD0 and PD1 PD3
Make PD2 and PD3 outputs
Loop forever PD2
IF key is in ignition THEN
IF belt is latched, THEN
Turn off buzzer
VTG= +5V
Turn off lamp
ELSE
Turn on lamp
Turn on buzzer
1
ELSE PD0, PD1
Turn off buzzer
Turn off lamp 0
Digital IO – Practice 2 (Arduino style code)
#define PIN_IGNITION 0
#define PIN_SEATBELT 1
#define PIN_LED 2 ATmega328
#define PIN_BUZZER 3
#define SEATBELT_LATCHED LOW
PD3
#define KEY_IN_IGNITION LOW
#define LED_ON HIGH PD2
#define LED_OFF LOW
#define BUZZER_ON HIGH VTG= +5V
#define BUZZER_OFF LOW
void setup()
{
pinMode(PIN_IGNITION, INPUT_PULLUP); // key switch 1
PD0, PD1
pinMode(PIN_SEATBELT, INPUT_PULLUP); // belt latch switch
pinMode(PIN_LED, OUTPUT); // lamp 0
pinMode(PIN_BUZZER, OUTPUT); // buzzer
}
void loop()
{ /* see next page for code */}
Digital IO – Practice 2 (Arduino style code)
/* see previous page for code before loop() */
void loop()
{ ATmega328
int key_state = digitalRead(PIN_IGNITION);
int belt_state = digitalRead(PIN_SEATBELT);
PD3
if (key_state == KEY_IN_IGNITION)
{ PD2
if (belt_state == SEATBELT_LATCHED)
{ VTG= +5V
digitalWrite(PIN_BUZZER, BUZZER_OFF);
digitalWrite(PIN_LED, LED_OFF);
}
else // key is in ignition, but seatbelt NOT latched 1
PD0, PD1
{
digitalWrite(PIN_BUZZER, BUZZER_ON); 0
digitalWrite(PIN_LED, LED_ON);
}
else // key is NOT in ignition
{
digitalWrite(PIN_BUZZER, BUZZER_OFF);
digitalWrite(PIN_LED, LED_OFF);
}
}
}
Digital IO – Practice 3 (Register style code)
/* NOTE: #defines use predefined PORT pin numbers for ATmega328 */
#define PIN_IGNITION PD0 ATmega328
#define PIN_SEATBELT PD1 PD3
#define PIN_LED PD2
#define PIN_BUZZER PD3
#define SEATBELT_LATCHED LOW
PD2
#define KEY_IN_IGNITION LOW
#define LED_ON HIGH VTG= +5V
#define LED_OFF LOW
#define BUZZER_ON HIGH
#define BUZZER_OFF LOW 1
PD0, PD1
#define _BIT_MASK( bit ) ( 1 << (bit) ) // same as _BV( bit)
0
void setup()
{
PORTD = 0; // all PORTD pullups off
DDRD = _BIT_MASK(PIN_LED) | _BIT_MASK(PIN_BUZZER); // LED and buzzer
PORTD | = _BV(PIN_IGNITION) | _BV(PIN_SEATBELT); // pullups for switches
}

/* See next page for loop() code */

Digital IO – Practice 3 (Register style code)
/* see previous page for setup() code */
void loop()
{ ATmega328
uint8_t current_PORTD_state, key_state, belt_state;
current_PORTD_state = PIND; // snapshot of PORTD pins
PD3
key_state = current_PORTD_state & _BV(PIN_IGNITION);
belt_state = current_PORTD_state & _BV(PIN_SEATBELT); PD2
if (key_state == KEY_IN_IGNITION)
{ VTG= +5V
if (belt_state == SEATBELT_LATCHED)
{
PORTD & = ~( _BV(PIN_LED) | _BV(PIN_BUZZER) ); 1
}
PD0, PD1
else 0
{
PORTD | = ( _BV(PIN_LED) | _BV(PIN_BUZZER) );
}
}
else
{
PORTD & = ~( _BV(PIN_LED) | _BV(PIN_BUZZER) );
}
}
Summary

• Data direction
• Input is default, but okay to set explictly
• Output
• Arduino style: pinMode(pin_no, mode)
• Alternate: Set bits in DDRx
• Pull-up resistors
• Pin must be an input
• Arduino style: digitalWrite(pin_no, state)
• Alternate style: Set bits in PORTx
Summary, cont.

• Read digital state of a pin

• Arduino style: digitalRead(pin_no)
• ‘Register-style’: need to form a bit mask and use it to ‘single-out’ the bit of
interest
• Write to a pin (assuming it is an output)
• Arduino style: digitalWrite(pin_no, state)
• ‘Register-style’: use a bit mask and bit manipulation techniques to set or
clear only the bits of interest
 Analog to Digital Converters
What is Analog to Digital Converters (ADC)?

(ADC) are an electronic integrated circuit

(IC) which transforms a signal from
analog to digital form.
 All microprocessors works
with digital signal so ADC
Why ADC is
Provides a link between the
needed? analog and the digital worlds
of signal processing.
 What is ADC 1) The first group includes SAR,
classification ? and flash-type converters.
SAR (Successive Approximation Register)

2) The second group includes

integrator and voltage to
frequency converters.
SAR ADC: The SAR ADC was the first converter to go mainstream. Over time, this
converter topology appeared across a variety of applications, including process control,
medical, and early digital audio systems. These applications benefit from the SAR
ADC’s output conversion ranges of 8 bits to 20 bits. However, the SAR ADC’s claim to
fame is that it captures a snapshot of the analog input signal, using multiple signal
snapshots to paint a picture over time. Successive Approximation Register (SAR)
Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) are a great choice when you need low power
consumption and superior AC and DC performance in your analog-to-digital
conversion application.
VFC ADC: Since an analog to digital converter ends up producing a number, wouldn't
it be convenient if we could simply count something and have that something
proportional to the potential being measured? A voltage to frequency converter ADC
does just that. A voltage is integrated until it reaches some pre-set threshold, at which
point a comparator trips, doing 2 things:
1) short circuit the capacitor, resetting the integrator to zero.
2) produce a pulse that is counted.
V to F converters integrate noise, and so are useful under circumstances similar to dual
slope units. V to F ADCs are precise, accurate, simple, and inexpensive. The precision
is directly proportional to the time over which counting occurs, and inversely
proportional to the time required to integrate a single count.
What is the tradeoff between ADC
groups?

Accuracy Speed
What is the uses of ADC (successive-
approximation and the Integrator)?

successive-approximation The integrator types are

is used as data loggers used as digital meter
 Sampling and Holding
What is ADC process?

Quantizing and Encoding

Sampling and Holding:-
It is a process of taking a sufficient number of discrete
values at point on a waveform that will define the shape
of waveform.
For a 3-bit A/D, with Vmin=0 V, V max=10 V, what is the
code-word for Vin=5.7 Volts?
Resolution:-
Resolution is the number of bits used for conversion
(8 bits, 12 bits, …)
How to increase Accuracy of A/D Conversion?

Increasing the resolution

Increasing the sampling

 Flash A/D Converter

What is flash A/D Converter Components

1)Resistors use the resistors to form a ladder
voltage divider
2) Comparators comparing input signal to
reference voltage.
3) Priority encoder produces a binary output.
Find the code-word for a 3 bit, flash A/D with
Vref=8V with Vin=5.6V.
How does Flash A/D work?
2- The voltage on the
1- Vref is divided resistors is compared
over the resistors with Vin

3- The output of the

comparator is fed to the
priority encoder.
 What is sigma delta A/D Converter
Components draw the CCT

1- Adder
2- Integrator
3- Comparator
4- D/A
 What is dual slope A/D Converter
Components draw the CCT

Integrator
Electronically
Cont
Counter
Clock
Control Logic
Comparator
 Digital to Analog Converters
What is the D/A? why is it needed? Do we
always need it?

(DAC) converts a digital signal or values

to an analog voltage or current output.
 Derive the equation for Vout for a binary
weighted resister with Rf=R/2.

𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = −𝐼 𝑅𝑓
𝑉1 𝑉2 𝑉3 𝑉𝑛
= −𝑅𝑓 + + + ⋯ 𝑛−1
𝑅 2𝑅 4𝑅 2 𝑅

IF 𝑅𝑓 = 𝑅/2
𝑉1 𝑉2 𝑉3 𝑉𝑛
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − + + +⋯ 𝑛
2 4 8 2

For example, a 4-Bit converter yield

1 1 1 1
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − 𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑓 ( 𝑏3 + 𝑏2 + 𝑏1 +𝑏0 )
2 4 8 16
Where b corresponds to Bit-3, b to Bit-2, etc.
 Derive the equation for Vout for a binary
weighted resister with Rf=R/3. Draw the block-
diagram of a binary-weighted resistor cct.
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = −𝐼 𝑅𝑓
𝑉1 𝑉2 𝑉3 𝑉𝑛
= −𝑅𝑓 + + + ⋯ 𝑛−1
𝑅 2𝑅 4𝑅 2 𝑅
𝑅
IF 𝑅𝑓 =
3
𝑉1 𝑉2 𝑉3 𝑉𝑛
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − + + + ⋯ 𝑛
3 6 12 2

For example, a 4-Bit converter yield

1 1 1 1
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − 𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑓 ( 𝑏3 + 𝑏2 + 𝑏1 +𝑏0 )
3 6 12 24
Where b corresponds to Bit-3, b to Bit-2, etc.
 Derive the equation for Vout for a
binary weighted resister with Rf=R/6.
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = −𝐼 𝑅𝑓
𝑉1 𝑉2 𝑉3 𝑉𝑛
= −𝑅𝑓 + + + ⋯ 𝑛−1
𝑅 2𝑅 4𝑅 2 𝑅

𝑅
IF 𝑅𝑓 =
6
𝑉1 𝑉2 𝑉3 𝑉𝑛
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − + + + ⋯ 𝑛
6 12 24 2

For example, a 4-Bit converter yield

1 1 1 1
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − 𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑓 ( 𝑏3 + 𝑏2 + 𝑏1 +𝑏0 )
6 12 24 42
Where b corresponds to Bit-3, b to Bit-2, etc.
 Find Vout for a binary weighted resistor D/A
with Vref=5 Volts, and codeword = 101111

For a 6-Bit converter yield

1 1 1 1 1 1
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − 𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑓 𝑏5 + 𝑏4 + 𝑏3 + 𝑏2 + 𝑏1 +𝑏0
2 4 8 16 32 64
1 1 1 1 1 1
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = −5 1 ∗ + 0 ∗ + 1∗ +1∗ +1∗ +1 ∗ = -3.6718
2 4 8 16 32 64
 Find Vout for a binary weighted resistor D/A
with Vref=3.3 Volts, and codeword = 101101

For a 6-Bit converter yield

1 1 1 1 1 1
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = − 𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑓 𝑏5 + 𝑏4 + 𝑏3 + 𝑏2 + 𝑏1 +𝑏0
2 4 8 16 32 64
1 1 1 1 1 1
𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡 = −3.3 1 ∗ + 0 ∗ + 1∗ +1∗ +0∗ +1 ∗ =-2,3203
2 4 8 16 32 64
 DC Power Supply
The aim of a DC power supply is to provide the required level of
DC power to the load using an AC supply at the input. DC power
supplies usually have the following parts: Transformer, Rectifier,
Smoothing, and Regulation.
 power supply using Zener diode
The simplest way of
generating a fixed voltage
is to use Zener diodes. The
regulated voltage can vary
from 2.4V to 75V using the
BZX79 series diodes. The
diodes in this series are
rated at 500 mW and the
tolerance of the stabilizing
voltage is
5%.
Voltage Regulator
a L200C adjustable voltage
regulator. It can supply a regulated
voltage from 2.85 to 36V with an
output current up to 2 A. It
features current limiting, thermal
shutdown and input over voltage
protection up to 60V. The
quiescent current is typically 4.2
mA.
 Voltage Converters
a voltage inverter which converts +5V voltage to-5V
using an SI7660CJ voltage converter (Siliconix). The
chip is able to generate a negative voltage output
which is equal to the positive voltage input in the
range 1.5V to 10V.
 Voltage Converters
MAX680CPA converts a +5V voltage to +10V and-10V it is doubler
and inverter (Maxim). The input voltage ranges from 2V to 6V. The
internal resistances for the positive and negative output are 150
~and 90Ω respectively. If a 10 mA current is drawn from both
outputs, the positive voltage falls to 7V and the negative voltage
becomes -6.1V. The quiescent current of the device is typically 1 mA
for a 5V power supply.
 Isolated voltage supply circuits
This circuit is used when a complete
isolation between two circuits is required.
NME and NMA series DC-to-DC converters
are high efficiency voltage converters.
The NME series operate from a 5V or 12V
DC input and provide an isolated +5V, 12V
or 15V output, depending on types. Up to
200 mA supply current is available from the
5V type, 84 mA from the 12V type and 67
mA from the 15V type. The NMA series
provide dual +-5V, +-12V and +-15V DC
supplies from a single 5V or 12V DC input.
Up to 100 mA is available from the 5V type
and 42 mA from the 15V type
 Digital signal generators
an eight-channel logic status generator circuit. It consists of eight single pole
double throw (SPDT) switches and eight l k metal film resistors.
When a switch is off, the status of the corresponding channel is high. When it is
switched on, a logic low is generated. This logic generator suffers that the
output signal is not 'clean' when it changes the status. When the switch
changes position, the output signal does not change from one state to the
other instantly. It consists of a number of oscillations within a very short period
of time.
 Digital signal generators
To solve this problem, a de-bouncing
circuit is used. (circuit using a Schmitt
trigger inverter, 74LS14). When the
switch is closed, the output gives logic generator circuit with
1. When the switch is open, the output (SPDT)
gives logic 0.
#include <Wire.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27,20,4); // set the LCD address to

0x27 for a 16 chars and 2 line display

void setup()
{
lcd.init(); // initialize the lcd
lcd.init();
// Print a message to the LCD.
lcd.backlight();
lcd.setCursor(1,0);
lcd.print("hello everyone");
lcd.setCursor(1,1);
lcd.print("konichiwaa");
}

void loop()
{
}
#include<UltraDistSensor.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27,20,4);

UltraDistSensor mysensor;
float reading;

void setup() {
lcd.init(); // initialize the lcd
lcd.backlight();
Serial.begin(9600);
mysensor.attach(12,13);//Trigger pin , Echo pin
}

void loop() {
reading=mysensor.distanceInCm();
lcd.setCursor(0,0);
lcd.print("Distance :- ");
lcd.print(reading);

delay(1000);
}
 Introduction to

PC Interfacing
Software Engineering Dept.
Technical College of Kirkuk
4th Class

1 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

References

• PC Interfacing Using Centronic, RS323, and game ports, 1988

By: Pei Ann
ISBN: 0240514483

• The 8085 microprocessor architecture and programming

By: R. Gaunkar

Introduction to

2 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 Parallel
Interfacing

3 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 Lecture No.1
Parallel Port Interfacing

Introduction

• Port: is a physical interface through which data or signal is transferred to or

received from peripherals.
• The Centronic, RS232 and game ports are the most common I/O ports that a
modern computer has.
• Some notebook computers may not have a game port, but centronic and the
RS232 ports are the universal feature of all types of computers.
• Originally, these ports were designed for specific application, centronic ports are
used for connecting computers to printers; RS232 ports for connecting printers,
modems, and mice; and game ports for connecting joysticks. They can also be
used for other application.
• Therefore it is very useful to understand how these ports works and how to make
the best use of them.

The Centronic (Parallel) port

• It is also known as LPT (Line Print Port) or printer port.

• It is an industrial standard interface designed for connecting printers to a
computer.
• A traditional computer at least has one LPT port installed.
• In total, four Centronic ports may be installed on a computer and they have logic
names LPT1 to LPT4.

4 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 Port Connectors

• The port connectors on a computer and on a printer are different in design.

• The one on the computer is a 25-pin D-type female connector.

• The one on the printer is a 36-pin Centronic-type female connector

• The pin functions of the two connectors are shown in the table below.

C0

D0 To D7

S6
S7
S5
S4
C1
S3
C2
C3

5 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 • A printer cable is used to connect the PC and the printer, the length of the cable
must not exceed 5 meters.

Internal Hardware Organization

• The I/O lines in the port are organized into three groups, namely, the data group,
the control group and the status group.
• Figure (1.b) shows the logic structure of the LPT port.

D0 2
D1 3
Data Ports D2 4
D3 5
(Output) D4 6
D5 7
Base Address
D6 8
D7 9

Control Ports C0 1
(Output) C1 14
C2 16
Base Address + 2 C3 17

S3 15
Status Ports 13
S4
(Input) S5 12
S6 10
Base Address + 1 S7 11

6 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Data Group

This group sends data from PCs to external devices. It has 8 latched output lines and the
group is associated with an 8-bit CPU port. The address is : base address.

Control Group

This group controls the operation of external devices. It contains 4 latched output lines.
The group is controlled by a CPU port having an address : base address + 2.

Note that bit 0,1 and 3 are inverted, and bit 2 is not.

Status Group

The group is used by the computer to obtain the current status of external devices. It
contains 5 lines. It is fed into a CPU port, the address of which base address is : base
address + 1. Note that bit-7 is inverted.

7 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

LPT Port Base Addresses

➢ The base address of LPT1 and LPT2 are shown below:

LPT1 : 956 (03BCH) or 888 (0378H)
LPT2 : 632 (278H)

➢ The base address of LPT1 varies. This depends on the hardware configuration of
the computer.
➢ The base address can be found directly from the user’s program by using the
facilities provided by the computer Basic Input Output System (BIOS).
➢ When a computer is powered on or reset, the BIOS checks all possible Centronic
ports. If it finds one, it writes the addresses (a 2 byte or Word) of that port to two
specific memory locations as the size of each memory location is 8 bit.
➢ The port address is stored in a reserved memory location specifically designed for
this task.
➢ By reading the contents of these memory locations, the base address of LPT1 or
others can be obtained.
➢ The memory locations for where the base address of LPT1 to LPT4 are listed
below:

LPT1: 0408H – 0409H

LPT2: 040AH – 040BH
LPT3: 040CH – 040DH
LPT4: 040EH – 040FH

8 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

➢ There is another useful 8 bit memory location (0411H). it stores the total number
of Centronic ports installed. The information is contained in bits 6 and 7, as
follows:

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
* * - - - - - -

Bit 7 Bit 6 Meaning

0 0 No Centronic ports installed
0 1 One Centronic ports installed
1 0 Two Centronic ports installed
1 1 Three Centronic ports installed

➢ The following is written in QBasic. It displays the total number of installed

Centronic ports and the base address of LPT1 to LPT4.

10 DEF SEG = 0
20 PRINT “The number total number of Centronic ports is:”,(PEEK(&H0411) AND (128 + 64)) / 64
30 PRINT “Address of LPT1:”,PEEK(&0408) + 256 * PEEK(&H0409)
40 PRINT “Address of LPT2:”,PEEK(&040A) + 256 * PEEK(&H040B)
50 PRINT “Address of LPT3:”,PEEK(&040C) + 256 * PEEK(&H040D)
60 PRINT “Address of LPT4:”,PEEK(&040E) + 256 * PEEK(&H040F)
70 INPUT X

Line 20 reads the byte stored in memory location 0411H using the “PEEK()”
command. Bits 6 and 7 of this byte are masked by “AND (128 + 64)”. Then, the
result is shifted 6 bits towards the LSB using a division command “/64”. Line 30
reads two bytes from two memory locations holding the LSB and MSB part of the
base address for LPT1.
Lines 40,50 and 60 perform the same action for LPT2, LPT3 and LPT4.

9 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

How to Output and Input Data Via Centronic Port

The Centronic port is treated as three components as three separate I/O ports:
Two of which is output and one is input.

Let us take an example of controlling the LPT1. Assuming that the address of the
data, control and status ports is 888,890 and 889 respectively. In order to send
data to data port and control port, the following QBasic commands are used:

OUT 888 , X
OUT 890, X

Where X is the output value in decimal.

Some lines of the control and status ports are inverted. This has to be taken into
consideration when outputting data.

To read data from the status port, the following command can be used:

Y = INP(889)

Where Y is the decimal value of the input data

The input data bits correspond to bits 3 to 7 of the status port, and one line is
inverted. This has to be taken into account.

10 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 Bit Manipulation

Here are some useful basic bit manipulation techniques:

➢ Bit Weight:
The relationship between a bit and its weight is given below:

Bit 0 1 decimal value

Bit 1 2
Bit 2 4
Bit 3 8
Bit 4 16
Bit 5 32
Bit 6 64
Bit 7 128

➢ To Make a bit high:

The following example shows how to make bit 3 (bit weight = 8) of the data port
to go high while keeping the status of the other unchanged. If the original status
of bit 3 is high, it will still be high. If the original status is low, it becomes high.

10 X = original_Data OR 8
20 OUT 888, X

➢ To make a bit low:

The following Qbasic example shows how to make bit 4 (weight = 16) of the data
port go low

10 X = Original_Data AND (255 – 16)

20 OUT 888 , X

Parallel port Interfacing – Examples

11 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed
 EX1: Design a 4 bit data link to connect two PCs through the printer port. And
write a QBasic algorithm to operate this link and send 10 blocks of data each has
4 bits , state any assumptions needed.

Assumptions:
o One of the two computers is the master and the other should be the slave.
o The master sends the data (4 – bit) and the slave receives it.
o The selection of a computer to be master or a slave is performed manually.

SLAVE MASTER

C2 = 0 means not C2 = 0 means no data

ready to receive data sent
C2 =1 means ready to C2 =1 means data has
receive data been sent

Hardware Design of the LPT Port

DIM a(10) : b(10)

Baseaddress = 888
D_Port = Baseaddress

12 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 C_Port = Baseaddress + 2
S_Port = Baseaddress + 1
PRINT “This Computer is :”
PRINT “[1] Master”
PRINT “[2] Slave”
INPUT S
IF S = 2 THEN GOTO 500
REM --- MASTER PROGRAM ---
i=0
100 OUT C_Port, 0000 0000 B
200 X = INP (S_Port)
If ( X AND 128 ) / 128 = 0 THEN GOTO 300
FOR J = 0 TO 100
NEXT J
GOTO 200
300 if i + 1 > 10 THEN GOTO 400
i=i+1
OUT D_Port , a(i)
OUT C_Port, 0000 0100B
FOR J =1 TO 100
NEXT J
GOTO 100
400 PRINT “End Of Transmission”
GOTO 900
500 REM ---SLAVE PROGRAM---
i=1 : k=1
600 OUT C_Port, 0000 0100
700 X = INP ( S_Port )
IF ( X AND 128) / 128 = 0 THEN 800
FOR J=0 TO 1000
NEXT J
k=k+1
IF K > 3 THEN GOTO 850
GOTO 700
800 OUT C_Port, 0000 0000
b(i) = INP (S_Port)
i=i+1
GOTO 600
850 PRINT “End of Transmission”
900 END

HOMEWORK (1):

13 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Design a PC interface to control the operation of a water heater through computer
software. Suggest a suitable hardware, and then write a QBasic code to:

1. Set the value of the required temperature.

2. Read the actual temperature (5 Bits)
3. Compare the actual temperature with the set temperature such that:

If tset > tact then turn the heater ON

If tset <= tact then turn the heater OFF

4. GOTO the first step after a suitable delay

Homework (1) Solution:

Baseaddress = 888
D_PORT = Baseaddress
S_PORT = Baseaddress + 1
C_PORT = Baseaddress + 2
TSET = 20D
OUT D_PORT , 0
200 X = (INP(S_PORT) XOR 1000 00002)
IF (X AND 248) / 8 < TSET GOTO 300

OUT D_PORT, 0000 00002

FOR J=0 TO J = 4000
NEXT J
GOTO 200

300 OUT D_PORT, 0000 00012

FOR J=0 TO J = 4000
NEXT J
GOTO 200

HOMEWORK 2:

14 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 (A) Suggest a suitable hardware for a computer controlled lighting system. The lights
must be turned ON and OFF according to a light sensor connected to a PC through
LPT1 port. Note that the output of the light sensor is binary as follows: 1 for
daylight and 0 for darkness.
(B) Write the required software algorithm in QB

HOMEWORK 3:

(A) Suggest a suitable hardware for a computer to control a LED bulletin (‫)نشرة ضوئية‬
consisted of 8 LED, the LED bulletin should only be on at night and automatically
shut off at daylight. The bulletin has two patterns:
The first pattern of the LED bulletin should be as follows and repeated for 5 times
(LED1 – ON) (LED2 – OFF) (LED3 – ON) (LED4 – OFF) (LED5 – ON) (LED6 – OFF) (LED7 – ON) (LED8 – OFF)

The second pattern is also should be repeated for 5 times as follows:

(LED1 – ON) (LED2 – ON) (LED3 – OFF) (LED4 – OFF) (LED5 – ON) (LED6 – ON) (LED7 – OFF) (LED8 – OFF)

(B) Write a software algorithm to operate this LED bulletin.

Note: Assume that each LED will emit light for 1 sec during operation.

15 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Introduction to

Serial
Interfacing

16 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Introduction to Serial communication

Data transfer within a system is generally in parallel. All the data bits are transferred in
parallel at the same instant. In some cases particularly in transferring in long distance,
it is preferred to transfer the data in serial form. The transmitted bits are converted to
a serial stream of bits by parallel to serial converter and one bit at a time is transferred
on a single line to a receiving system. At the receiving end the data bits are
reconstructed by serial to parallel conversion.

Serial Data Transfer Types:

There are three general types of serial data transfer

• Simplex (data transferred in one Direction Only)

• Half-Duplex (data transferred in Either direction
• Full Duplex (data transferred in both direction)

Serial Communication Formats:

In serial communication, data are transferred in either

• Synchronous or
• Asynchronous

The data transfer speed in these two formats is different.

17 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Synchronous Communication:

In this format, the transmitter and the receiver use a common clock signal for
synchronizing the data transfer. The error in synchronous mode is detected by
checksum technique in which the sum of all the bytes in the block is found and it’s 2’s
complement is transmitted as the last byte in the block. The receiver adds all the bytes
(including the last) and checks it is result is zero in which it indicates no error. This
format is used in high speed communication.

Data transmitted 00000000 0010 0010 +

2’s Complement of the data 1101 1110
checksum detect ----------------------
0000 0000

Asynchronous Communication:

Asynchronous data transfer is used for low speed communication, typically at standard
rates 110, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600 and 112500 baud rate. The baud rate is the
speed of data transfer in serial communication, it represents the rate at which the bits
are transmitted and it is given as the number of bits per second.

The asynchronous communication format does not use any synchronizing clock or
timing signal, instead it adds a framing bits with each character being transmitted, when
no character is sent, the transmitter output logic high. Transmission of a character starts
with a start bit (logic 0) followed by the character LSB bits first, a parity bit and end up
with one or two stop bits (logic 1), this is called as one frame. The line remains in logic 1
till the transmission of next character begins with another start bit. The figure below
shows the transmission of two 7-bit ASCII characters, ‘M’ (4DH) and ‘E’ (45H). It
transmits a start bit, character bits (data bits), parity bit (for even parity) and two stop
bits.

18 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

The parity bit is included in the frame for the receiver to check errors that may occur
during transmission. The bit is made 0 or 1, so that the number of 1s in the character
plus the parity bit is always is an odd in odd parity systems or even in even parity
systems.

Asynchronous Serial Data Format Explained

The serial data stream contains the information of synchronounzation and the actual
data to be transferred.

A serial data format includes four parts:

➢ A start bit ( 1 bits).

➢ Serial data bits ( 5,6,7 or 8 bits).
➢ parity check bit ( 1 bit).
➢ stop bit (1, 1.5 or 2 bits).

The electronic device that is responsible for generating and receives asynchronous serial
data format is called Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART). The serial
data transmission format is generated by the transmitting UART.

The receiver detects the leading edge of the start bit, it then waits for one and a half bit
times before reading the data bit. The reading should come exactly in the middle of the
19 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed
first data bit. Then it waits for one bit time and reads the second bit. After reading all
the data bits, the receiver detects the parity of the received data for error checking and
reset itself during the stop bit. It is then ready for receiving the next data transmission.

Serial I/O Standards

There are several standards that specify the protocol for data transfer between devices
such as RS-232, RS-422A, RS-423A and RS485. The RS-232 is the most commonly used
standard.

RS-232 Serial Port Interfacing

The RS232 serial interface is an industrial bi-directional asynchronous serial data

communication interface. For computers, it is used to connect printers, modems, mice
and … etc. the maximum communication distance is 20 meters.

Unlike parallel I/O ports, which consist of a number of data lines and each time transmits
a byte; the serial data transmission requires only one line. A byte is transmitted bit-by-
bit. This reduces data lines between devices. It reduces the rate of the data transferred
too.

RS-232 Port Connector and Connections:

20 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

A standard RS232 interface is a 25 pin interfaced housed in a 25 pin or 9 pin D-Type male
connector. The figure below shows the functions of the connectors.

25 pin 9 pin Name Direction Description

1 Prot -- Protective Ground
2 3 TD Output Transmit data
3 2 RD Input Receive data
4 7 RTS Output Request to send
5 8 CTS Input Clear to send
6 6 DSR Input Data set ready
7 5 GND -- Ground
8 1 DCD Input Data carrier detect
20 4 DTR Output Data terminal ready
22 9 RI Input Ring indicator
23 DSRD I/O Data signal rate detector

The arrows show the direction of data flow.

RS-232 Connectors and Cables

There are two types of RS232 link between a computer and an external device, as shown
in the figure below (Null Modem)

21 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Internal Hardware Organization:

An IBM-PC computer can have up to 4 RS232 interfaces. They are labeled COM1 to
COM4. Each COM port is associated with a 16450 UART inside a computer.

The 8250/16450 UART:

22 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

There are eight 8 bits internal registers within the UART. The I/O addresses of these
internal registers are calculated by adding the offset of the register to the base address
of the COM port.

The offset and functions of the UART registers are summarized below:

00H: Transmitter hold register / receiver buffer register

Holds the data to be transmitted and stores received data

01H: Interrupt enable register

Sets the mode of interrupt request

02H: Interrupt Identification register

Check s the mode of interrupt request

03H: Data Format Register.

Sets the format of the serial transmission

04H: Modem control register

Sets the modem controls (RTS, DTR,…etc)

05H: Serialization status register

Contains information on status of the receiver and transmitter section.

06H: Modem status register.

Contains current status of the DCD,RI,DSR and CTS.

07H: Scratch pad register.

Acts as a general purpose memory byte.

OFFSET 03H: is the data format register which defines the serial data format such as the
baud rate, number of data bits, number of stop bits and parity check.

23 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

The bit functions of the data format register are given below:

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
DLAB BRK PAR2 PAR1 PAR0 STOP DAB1 DAB0

DLAB (Divisor Latch Bit):

1 = access to the divisor latch in which it is used to load the divisor to find the baud rate.
0 = access to the receiver buffer / transmitter hold register (offset 00H) and the interrupt
enable register (offset 01H)

BRK (Break):
1 = Break on , 0 = break off

PAR2,1,0 (Parity):
000 = none (no parity)
001 = odd parity
011 = even parity
101 = mark
111 = space

STOP:
1 = 2 stop bits
0 = 1 stop bit

DAB1,0 (Data Bit):

00 = 5 data bit
01 = 6 data bit
10 = 7 data bit
11 = 8 data bit

OFFSET 00H: is the receiver buffer register and the transmitter hold register. The
transmitter hold register can be accessed if the DLAB bit in the data format register

24 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

(offset 03H) is zero. If a byte is written to this address (00H) it is transferred to the
transmitter shift register and it is output serially.

After a serial data is successfully received and converted into parallel format the data is
transferred in the receiver buffer register. After reading the data from the register, the
receiver buffer is cleared and is ready for receiving the next data.

When DLAB bit is 1, the receiver buffer / transmitter hold register (00H) and the
interrupt enable register (01H) are used for loading the divisor. The first one holds the
LSB byte and the second one holds the MSB byte of the divisor, they form a 16 bit divisor,
and the value is calculated using the following equation:

Divisor = bytereg (00H) + 256 * bytereg (01H)

In a computer the clock frequency to the UART is 1.8432 MHz. inside the UART, the
reference frequency is the clock frequency divided by 16, giving 115200 HZ, the
relationship between the divisor and the baud rate is :

Baud Rate = 115200 / Divisor

Baud rate of 9600 requires a divisor of 12. Therefore, when loading the divisor bytes
into the registers, ‘12’ should be loaded into the receiver / transmitter buffer register at
offset (00H) and ‘00’ loaded into the interrupt enable register at offset (01H). if 1 is
loaded into the divisor register, it gives highest baud rate 115200.

OFFSET (07H): is a scratch pad memory which is a random access memory byte. Writing
data into this register has no effect on the operation of the UART.

25 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

 Internal Register design of the UART 16450

26 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

RS-232 Driver/Receiver:

Most AT computers uses the 16450 UARTs. XT computers use 8250 UART in which they
are the same in specifications and internal architecture.

The UART uses the TTL voltage level. In order to achieve a longer distance
communication, the TTL voltage level is converted to a higher voltage level (logic0=-12
to -3, logic 1 = +3 to +12). This is achieved by using dedicated RS232 drivers/Receiver’s.

All drivers and receivers have an inverting actions. Al the UART produces the TTL or
CMOS voltage levels only.

The RS 232 line driver/ receiver are connected between the UART and the RS-232
connector. The logic structure of the RS-232 port is shown in the below figure:

RS232
8250/16450 UART driver Port Pins

Register Name Offset bit

Trans hold Reg. 00H 0-7 TD 3 - TD
Modem Control Reg. 04H 1 RTS 7 -RTS
Modem Control Reg. 04H 0 DTR 4 -DTR

Receiver buffer Reg. 00H 0-7 RD 2 - RD

Modem status Reg. 06H 4 CTS 8 - CTS
Modem status Reg. 06H 5 DSR 6 - DSR
Modem status Reg. 06H 7 DCD 1 - DCD
5 - GND
Computer RS232 RS232
Receiver 9 – Pin D- Type male
Connector

27 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Base address of COM ports:

The base address of COM1 to COM4 are shown below

COM1 : 3F8H
COM2 : 2F8H
COM3 : 3E8H
COM4 : 2E8H

When a computer is switched or reset, the BIOS checks all possible RS232 addresses. If
its fins an installed one, it writes the base address (a 2 byte address) into a specific
memory locations.

For COM1 the location is 400H and 401H.

By reading these locations, the base address can be obtained.

The memory locations for COM1 to Com4 are listed below:

COM1 : 400H – 401H

COM2 : 402H – 403H
COM3 : 404H – 405H
COM4 : 406H – 407H

Another usefull 1 byte memory location is the 411H memory location. It stores the total
number of COMs installed. The information is obtained be checking the values of bits
0,1 and 2 as follows:

Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 0

0 0 0 No COM ports installed
0 0 1 One COM port Installed
0 1 0 Two COM port Installed
0 1 1 Three COM port Installed
1 0 0 Four COM port Installed

28 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

The following program is written in QBasic. It prints the number of COM ports installed
and the base address of each port

10 SEG DEF = 0
20 PRINT “the Number of COM Ports installed is:”, (PEEK(&H411) AND (1+2+4))
30 PRINT “the base address for COM1 is:”, PEEK(&H400) +256 * PEEK(&H401)
40 PRINT “the base address for COM2 is:”, PEEK(&H402) +256 * PEEK(&H403)
50 PRINT “the base address for COM3 is:”, PEEK(&H404) +256 * PEEK(&H405)
60 PRINT “the base address for COM4 is:”, PEEK(&H406) +256 * PEEK(&H407)
70 INPUT X

How to Initialize a COM Port:

Before a COM port can be used, it must be configured to have a specific serial data
format. The configuration includes the setting of the baud rate, number of data bits,
parity and number of stop bits.

There are three methods of doing this:

1. DOS prompt
2. BIOS INT 14
3. Direct configuration to data format register.

The first method is to use the ‘MODE’ command under windows (DOS prompt). The
syntax of the comman is:

MODE COMm: baud = b,parity=p,data=d,stop=s

Or MODE COMm : b,p,d,s

MODE COM1:96,n,8,1 configures COM1 port to have a baud rate of 9600 bps, no parity
check, 8-bit data length and 1 stop bit. The disadvantage of this method is that it does
not allow users to change the serial data format within the user’s program.

29 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

The Second method uses the BIOS interrupt, INT 14H, which allows the configuration to
be made within the user program.

The INT 14 that the BIOS use has 4 different service functions and it deals with the AH,AL
and DX registers only.

The register AH is used to indicate the INT 14H service function that the BIOS has to
execute (Configure, read, write or get port status) and can be selected as shown below:

AH = 00H - Configuration of the UART Service function AH = 01H –

AH = 01H – Write data bits to port
AH = 02H – Read data bits from port
AH = 03H – get status of the port

The DX register is used to set the port number to use:

DX = 00H using COM1
DX = 01H using COM2
DX = 02H using COM3
DX = 03H using COM4

The register AL is used as follows:

If AH = 00H, the AL register should contain the initialization bits of the COM port such
as baud rate, data bits, stop bits and parity bits

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
BD2 BD1 BD0 PAR1 PAR0 STOP DA1 DA0

Bit 7, 6 and 5 will define the baud rate as follows

110 baud – 000 1200 baud - 100

150 baud - 001 2400 baud - 101
300 baud - 010 4800 baud - 110
600 baud - 011 9600 baud - 111

Bit 4 and 3 will define the parity: 00 – for no parity, 01 for odd and 11 for even parity.

30 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Bit 2 will define the stop bit: 0 – for 1 stop bit and 1 –for 2 stop bits.
Bit 1 and 0 is used to define the data length

00 -5 bits data
01 - 6 bits data
10 - 7 bits data
11 – 8 bits data

The table below will summarize the functions of the registers used in INT 14H as well as
the AL register.

Function AH Other register Returns

Al = initialize parameters AH = *port status
Initialize Serial Port 00H
DX = port No. AL = #modem status
AL = data to be written If success AH(7) = 0
Write data to serial port 01H
DX = port No. If fail AH(7) = 1
AL = data read
Read data from serial
02H DX = port No. If success AH(7) = 0
port
If fail AH(7) = 1
AH = *Port Status
AL = #Modem status
Get port status 03H DX = port No. NOTE: AH(0) = 0 means data
not ready
AH(0) = 1 means data ready

*Bit Pattern of Port Status byte # Bit Pattern of modem status byte
D7 Time – out D7 Receive line signal detected
D6 Transmitter shift register empty D6 Ring indicator
D5 Transmitter hold register empty D5 Data set ready
D4 Break detected D4 Clear to send
D3 Framing error D3 Change in receive line signal detect
D2 Parity error D2 Ring indicator
D1 Overrun error D1 Change in data set ready status
D0 Data ready D0 Change in clear to send status

Bit details of the status and modem status port

Example: Use BIOS serial port service to
31 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed
 (i) Initialize COM1 port to 9600 baud, 8 bit data, 1 stop bit and no parity
(ii) Write the character ‘A’ to COM1 (‘A’ = 41H)
(iii) Read character form COM1
(iv) Read character by checking the status of the port

(i) MOV AH,00H

MOV DX,00H
MOV AL,E3H
INT 14

(ii) MOV AH,01H

MOV DX,00H
MOV AL,41H
INT 14

(iii) MOV AH,02H

MOV DX,00H
INT 14H

(iv) WAIT: MOV AH,03H

MOV DX,00H
INT 14
AND AH,01H
JZ WAIT
MOV AH,02H
MOV DX,00H
INT 14H

As a Summary, the limitation of this method is that we can not get higher buad rate as
the maximum is 9600 bps while the 16450 UART can run at 115200 bps.

The Second method

32 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed
In this method, the COM port is initialized and configured by directly writing the
configuration data into the data format register (offset 03H) of the UART. This is the most
flexible way to configure the serial data format.
The following QBasic program configures the data format register as specified by the
user for COM1:

Baseaddress = &H3F8
PRINT “enter the baudrate”
INPUT baudrate
PRINT “enter the number of data bits”
INPUT data
PRINT “Select a parity option [0] no parity,[1] odd parity,[3] even parity
[5]mark or [7] space”
Input parity
PRINT “enter the number of stop bits: 1 or 2 ”
INPUT stopbits

Divisor = 115200 / baudrate

IF divisor < 256 THEN
divisor_byte1 = divisor
divisor_byte2 = 0
END IF

IF divisor >= 256 THEN

divisor_byte1 = divisor mod 256
divisor_byte2 = divisor / 256
END IF

port_format_byte = (data -5) + (stopbits – 1) * 4 + (parity * 8)

OUT baseaddress + 3, 128
OUT baseaddress , divisor_byte1
OUT baseaddress + 1, divisor_byte2
OUT baseaddress + 3, port_format_byte

33 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Example:

Write software algorithm to configure COM1 port according to the following values, bit
rate = 9600 bps, data bits = 8 bits, parity = even and stop bit = 1.

Solution 1

BASEADDRESS = &H3F8

DIVISOR = 115200 / 9600

IF DIVISOR < 256 THEN

DIVISOR_BYTE1 = DIVISOR
DIVISOR_BYTE2 = 0
END IF

IF DIVISOR >= 256 THEN

DIVISOR_BYTE1 = DIVISOR MOD 256
DIVISOR_BYTE2 = DIVISOR / 256
END IF

OUT (BASEADDRESS + &H03), 128

OUT BASEADDRESS, DIVISOR_BYTE1
OUT (BASEADDRESS + 01), DIVISOR_BYTE2
OUT (BASEADDRESS + 03), 1BHEX

Or
Solution 2

BASEADDRESS = &H3F8
OUT (BASEADDRESS + &H03), 128
OUT BASEADDRESS, 12
OUT (BASEADDRESS + 01), 0
OUT (BASEADDRESS + 03), 1BHEX

34 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed

Example:

It is required to design a pc-based control system to control the operation of two fans
(ON or OFF) using COM1 port according to the state of three separated digital sensors,
please note that each sensor has one output only. The operation of the fans should be
as follow

Fans
Sensor condition
Fan 1 Fan 2
All of the sensors are 0 OFF OFF
Only one of the sensors (any one) is 1 and the other two is 0 ON OFF
Only two of the sensors (any two) is 1 and the other one is 0 OFF ON
All of the sensors are 1 ON ON

BASEADD =&H3F8
OUT (BASEADD + 04H) , 00
10 SENSOR_STATUS = INP (BASEADD + 06H)
S1 = (SENSOR_STATUS AND 128) / 128
S2 = (SENSOR_STATUS AND 32) / 32
S3 = (SENSOR_STATUS AND 16) / 16
SUM = S1 + S2 + S3
IF SUM = 0 THEN
OUT (BASEADD + 04H), 00

IF SUM = 1 THEN
OUT (BASEADD + 04H), 02

IF SUM = 2 THEN
OUT (BASEADD + 04H), 01

ELSE OUT (BASEADD + 04H), 03

DELAY
GOTO 10
END

35 Computer Interfacing, 4th Class, Software Engineering Dept. | Mohammed H. Rasheed