Serial RS-232C Interface

Serial Interface
Handshaking
Asynchronous Techniques
Decoding Serial Bit Steams and Error Detection
Transmission Line Considerations
Line Drivers and Receivers
Voltage and Mechanical Definitions of the RS-232C Standard
Practical Use of the Asynchronous Communication Adapter
Data Acquisition using Serial Interface
Fiber Optics

1
 Serial Interface

Parallel Vs. Serial

Using Serial than Parallel  1 clock for 4 bit transfer
 Transmitting data to a
relatively distance
peripherals
 Requires only one data
wire
 8 wires for parallel
 Less cable, line drivers
and receivers
 Esp. Long distance
 4 clock for 4 bit transfer
 To use commercial
communication facilities
such as regular telephone
or data lines

Chap 0 2
 Handshaking

DTE (Data Terminal

Process of using signals to Equipment)
establish conditional  Terminal or Computer
communication 
DCE (Data

Process Communications
 Transmitter activate RTS Equipment)
 Receiver senses CTS by  Modem or Printer

interrupt or Polling
 Receiver activate RTS
 Transmitter senses CTS
 Transmitter waits until
CTS input is activated
 Transmitter send Data

Chap 0 3
 Asynchronous Techniques

Example of Sending ‘S’

Serial Communication  Start + 7 bit Data + Parity
 Asynchronous + Stop bit
 No Clock information  Start: 1 bit
 One character at a time  Data: 5 ~ 8 bit
 Intel 8250 UART  Parity: Even/ Odd/ None
• Universal  Stop: 1 ~ 2 bit
Asynchronous
Receiver Transmitter
 Clock frequency is integer
 Bit Rate
multiple of bit rate
• 50 ~ 5.6Kbps (Typically 16 times)
 Synchronous
 Clock information
 Many character or bit
stream

Chap 0 4
 Using UART 
Receiving Data
 UART receives serial data
 Extract Data
• Save in Rx_DATA Register

Initialize UART
• Error check
 Thru Control Register
– Parity Error
 Character Length – Overrun Error
 Parity – Framing Error
 Number of Stop Bit  CPU read data
 Baud Rate  Thru Rx_DATA Register

Transmitting Data  Fast read
 Write Data to UART  Read same data many times
 Thru Tx_DATA Register
 Check Rx_RDY before read
data
 UART send serial data  Slow read
 Start, Parity, Stop bit is
added
 Lost of data
 Rx Overrun Error
 Fast write data to UART
 Tx Underrun Error
 Check Tx_RDY before write
data to UART

Chap 0 5
 Error Detection

Character Error

Generating Checksum
 1 Byte Checksum
 Parity Error
 Overrun Error
 Sum of all bytes in Block
 Framing Error
 2’s complement of sum
 LRC (Longitudinal Redundancy

Block Error Check Check)
 Checksum (1 ~ 2 Byte) is • EXOR of all bytes in Block
added to a Block (128 or 256  2 Byte Checksum
Byte)  Widely used in synchronous
 Transmitter and Receiver communication
uses Same algorithm  CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check)
 If received checksum = • 16 bit reminder of polynomial
generated checksum division
 Send ACK  See Fig 6.5, For CRC generation
 If received checksum   Most communication chipset
generated checksum generate and check CRC
 Send NAK

Chap 0 6
 Transmission Line Considerations

Reflections

To construct satisfactory  Load is not matched to the
communication link line

Transmission cable is no  Terminates the line
more negligible R 
Signal Attenuation
 Long cable length  For very long lines
 Use Signal repeater
 High transmission
frequency

Signal Distortion and
Crosstalk

Transmission line model  Limit the transmission speed
 G = Conductance / unit 
Capacitance of line
length  Limit on the length of line
 Influence rise time

Differences in Ground level
 Use one common ground

Chap 0 7
 Line Drivers and Receivers

The line capacitance and 
Single-Ended Interface
current-drive capacity of  RS-232C (Version C)
source limit length of line  MC1488, MC1489
 TTL drive: < 70cm  SN75188, SN75189

Line Drivers and Receivers  Line Length < 17m
 Increase range of  Data rate < 20Kbaud
transmission

EIA (Electronics Industries
Association)
 Set standard for line
driver and receiver
 RS-232, RS-422, RS-423
is popular

Chap 0 8
 Line Drivers and Receivers

Unbalanced Differential
Interface

Balanced Differential  RS-423
Interface
 RS-422
 Ground return is
common to several
 Greatest Noise Margin signal lines
• Immune to Common  MC3486, MC3487
mode noise
 TI9636, TI9637
 MC3486, MC3487
 Line Length < 1300m
 TI9636, TI9637
 Data rate < 100Kbaud
 Line Length < 1300m
 Data rate < 10Mbaud

Chap 0 9
 Voltage and Mechanical Definition of The
RS-232C Standard

RS-232 Standard 
EIA RS-232C signal
 Developed to interface levels
DTE to DCE
 Now used to interface
almost any devices
including another PC
 25-Pin D connector
 Currently 9-Pin is
popular

Chap 0 10
 Pinout of
DB25 connector

RTS
 Activated by transmitter when it
wishes to send

CTS
 Used by receiver to inform the
transmitter whether or not receiver
is ready

DSR
 Active when Modem is powered on

DCD
 Used by Modem to signal the
transmitter that the link is usable

DTR
 Indication from the terminal that it is
in the on-line mode

RI
 Activated by Modem when it detects
an incoming call on the telephone
line

Chap 0 11
 Practical Use of the Asynchronous
Communication Adapter

IBM PC has UART

Initializing Asynchronous
Adapter
 Logical Device Name  With DOS
 COM1: and COM2:  MODE
• Different Interrupt COM1:12,N,8,1,P
• 1200 bps, No Parity

Handshaking lines fro • 8 bit Data, 1 Stop bit
operation should be • Serial Printer
Operation
connected properly  MODE LPT1:=COM1:
 Critical Signals • Redirect the LPT1:
channel to COM1:
 Pin5 CTS device
 Pin6 DSR  Control with Basic
 Pin8 CD  OPEN “COM1:”,”1200”,
”N”,”8”,”1”,”P”

Chap 0 12
 RS-232C Interface Cabling

Ideal Case 
Minimal Cabling

Chap 0 13
 RS-232C Interface Cabling

Cabling to handshake 
Null Modem Adapter
Diablo 630 printer for connecting IBM PC
wired as DTE to another DTE-type
Devices

Chap 0 14
 RS-232C Interface Cabling

Loopback Plug for 
Loopback Test
testing a Serial Port  Internal
 Inside Chipset
 External
 TTL Level
 RS-232C Level
 Modem Level
 Device Level

Chap 0 15
 Data Acquisition using Serial Interface

Computer control of 
Applications
remote sensing devices  Monitoring the
connected through a serial temperatures at various
interface stages in
manufacturing process
 Each device sample
temperature
 Report the result to
the IBM PC when
requested

See Appendix A, For
commercial data
acquisition products

Chap 0 16
 HP39301A
Fiber Optics


 16 channel RS-232 to
Fiber optic multiplexer
 Extension of 16

Better performance in independent 19.2Kbaud
the presence of full duplex channel
 Up to 1000m with single
electrical noise optical cable

Wider Bandwidth
 Higher Data Rate
 More channel can be
multiplexed per cable

Cable is delicate and
easily damaged

Chap 0 17