Chapter 13. Interfacing and Data Communications

13.1. Interfacing

The term interfacing is used to describe the connection between a transducer or some other external device and the microcomputer. Interfacing circuits may be required to deal with various levels of incompatibility:

  • Incompatible voltage levels
  • Changing current levels
  • Electrical isolation
  • Timing of data transfers
  • Digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversions

Mechanical or electronic devices requiring connection to the microprocessor unit can be anything from the output screen or monitor, the keyboard, and external instruments. Two main problems are usually encountered when interfacing such devices:

  • Most devices do not operate at the same speed as the microprocessor
  • There ...

Get Test and Measurement: Know It All now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.