Microprocessors

Systems
Asynchronous and Synchronous
Serial Communication
1. Highlight asynchronous and
synchronous type of serial
communication.
2. Describe the difference between
asynchronous and synchronous
type of communication.
Serial communication in microprocessors refers to the
method by which data is transmitted and received
between a microprocessor (or microcontroller) and other
devices using a serial communication protocol.

It involves sending data sequentially, one bit at a time,

over a single communication channel or wire.
One of the major differences is that in
Synchronous Transmission, the sender and
receiver should have synchronized clocks before
data transmission.

Whereas Asynchronous Transmission does

not require a clock, but it adds a parity bit to the
data before transmission.

a parity bit is an error-checking mechanism used to detect errors during data

transmission.
It is a simple form of error detection that helps ensure the integrity of the transmitted
Furthermore, the synchronous transmission
uses synchronization characters while
asynchronous method employs start/stop
bits, in order to alert the modem when data
are being sent and when are these
transmissions are completed are known as
message characters.
 BASIS FOR SYNCHRONOUS ASYNCHRONOUS
COMPARISON TRANSMISSION TRANSMISSION
Meaning Transmission starts with the It uses start bit and stop bit
block header which holds a preceding and following a
sequence of bits. character respectively.

Transmission manner Sends data in the form of Sends 1 byte or character

blocks or frames at a time

Synchronization Present with the same clock Absent

pulse.
 BASIS FOR SYNCHRONOUS ASYNCHRONOUS
COMPARISON TRANSMISSION TRANSMISSION
Transmission Speed Fast Slow

Gap between the data Does not exist Exist

Cost Expensive Economical

 BASIS FOR SYNCHRONOUS ASYNCHRONOUS
COMPARISON TRANSMISSION TRANSMISSION
Time Interval Constant Random

Implemented by Hardware and Hardware only

software

Examples Chat Rooms, Video Letters, emails, forums,

Conferencing, etcetera.
Telephonic
Conversations, etcetera.
Definition of Synchronous Transmission

In Synchronous Transmission, data flows in a

full- duplex mode in the form of blocks or frames.

Synchronization between the sender and receiver is

necessary so that the sender knows where the new
byte starts (since there is no gap between the data).
Therefore, each block of characters is labelled with
the synchronization characters and the receiving
device acquires the data until a special ending
character is identified.
Synchronous Transmission is efficient, reliable and is
used for transferring a large amount of data.
It provides real-time communication between
connected devices.

Chat Rooms, Video Conferencing, telephonic

conversations, as well as face to face interactions,
are some of the examples of Synchronous
Transmission.
The voice-band and broad-band channels are usually
used in the synchronous transmission modes as it
provides a faster speed up to 1200 bps and
serves the purpose of high data transfer speed.
Definition of Asynchronous Transmission

In Asynchronous Transmission data flows in a

half-duplex mode, 1 byte or a character at a time.
It transmits the data in a continuous stream of
bytes.

In general, the size of a character sent is 8 bits to

which a parity bit is added, i.e. a start and a stop bit
that gives the total of 10 bits.
It does not require a clock for synchronization; rather it
uses the parity bits to tell the receiver how to interpret
the data.
These parity bits are known as start and stop bits
which control the transfer of data.
It uses character-based synchronization so that the
receiving terminal could synchronize itself with the
receipt of data on a character.

It is simple, fast, economical and does not require a

2-way communication.

Letters, emails, forums, televisions and radios are

some of the examples of Asynchronous
Transmission.
The voice-band channels that are of a narrow type
and operates on a slower speed are utilized in the
asynchronous transfer. Here, the transmitting device
works manually or intermittently.
 Key Differences Between
Synchronous and Asynchronous
Transmission
1. In Synchronous Transmission, data is transferred
in the form of frames. On the other hand, in
Asynchronous Transmission data is transmitted 1
byte at a time.
2. Synchronous Transmission requires a clock signal
between the sender and receiver so as to inform
the receiver about the new byte.

In contrast, in Asynchronous Transmission sender and

receiver does not require a clock signal as the
data sent here has a parity bit attached to it which
indicates the start of the new byte.
3.Data transfer rate of Asynchronous Transmission is
slower than that of Synchronous Transmission.

4.Asynchronous Transmission is simple and

economical, whereas Synchronous Transmission is
complicated and expensive.

5.Synchronous Transmission is efficient and has lower

overhead as compared to the Asynchronous
Transmission.
6. In asynchronous data transfer, the line is kept at a
stable value (logic 1) if no data is transmitted
through the line. As against, in synchronous transfer,
the end of the data is indicated by the sync
character(s). Further than the sync characters, the
line can be either high or low.
Serial Communications
Protocols

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 Serial Communications

1. UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter)

2. SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface)
3. I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit)
4. CAN (Controller Area Network)
5. RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232)
6. USB (Universal Serial Bus)

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 Serial Communications
Commonly used serial communication protocols

1. UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter): UART is

one of the simplest and most commonly used serial communication
protocols.
It enables asynchronous serial communication between devices and is often
employed for point-to-point communication between a microcontroller and
peripheral devices, such as sensors, GPS modules, and Bluetooth modules.

2. SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface): SPI is a synchronous serial

communication protocol commonly used for short-range communication
between a microcontroller and peripheral devices.
It is often employed for high-speed data transfer to devices such as flash
memory, display modules, ADCs, DACs, and wireless communication
modules.

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 Serial Communications
3. I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit):
I2C is a multi-master, multi-slave serial communication protocol that
facilitates communication between microcontrollers and peripheral devices.
It is widely used for connecting sensors, EEPROMs, real-time clocks, and
other peripherals to a microcontroller. I2C allows multiple devices to share
the same bus, reducing the number of required pins on the microcontroller.

4. CAN (Controller Area Network):

CAN is a robust serial communication protocol commonly used in
automotive and industrial applications.
It enables reliable communication between multiple nodes in a network,
making it suitable for applications that require high-speed data transfer and
fault tolerance, such as in-vehicle communication, industrial automation,
and robotics.

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 Serial Communications
5. RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232): RS-232 is a legacy serial
communication standard widely used for long-distance communication
between devices.
It uses voltage levels to represent data and provides a simple interface for
connecting devices such as modems, terminals, and serial printers to
microcontrollers.

6. USB (Universal Serial Bus): USB is a versatile serial communication

protocol used for connecting a wide range of devices to a host system,
including computers and embedded systems.
USB supports higher data rates and offers features such as plug-and-play
functionality, power delivery, and device enumeration.
It is commonly used for connecting peripherals like keyboards, mice,
storage devices, and communication modules to embedded systems.

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 Real-life examples
1. UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter):
- GPS modules: UART is commonly used to communicate with GPS modules for receiving
positioning data.
- Bluetooth modules: UART is used to establish a serial communication link between
microcontrollers and Bluetooth modules for wireless data transmission.
- RFID readers: UART is often employed to interface with RFID readers for reading data from RFID
tags.

2. SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface):

- Flash memory: SPI is frequently used to connect microcontrollers with SPI flash memory chips for
storing program code or data.
- Display modules: SPI is utilized to communicate with display modules like LCDs or OLEDs for
sending display data.
- Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs): SPI is commonly employed to interface microcontrollers with
ADCs to convert analog signals into digital data.

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 Real-life examples
3. I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit):
- EEPROM chips: I2C is extensively used to communicate with EEPROM chips for reading and writing data.
- Sensors: Many sensors, such as temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and accelerometers, use I2C for
providing data to microcontrollers.
- Real-time clocks (RTCs): I2C is often used to interface with RTC modules for timekeeping and date retrieval.

4. CAN (Controller Area Network):

- Automotive systems: CAN is widely used in automotive applications for communication between electronic
control units (ECUs) in vehicles, such as engine control units, transmission control units, and ABS control units.
- Industrial automation: CAN is employed in industrial control systems for connecting various devices, such as
programmable logic controllers (PLCs), motor controllers, and sensors.
- Medical devices: CAN is utilized in medical devices for interconnecting different components, such as
monitoring devices, infusion pumps, and diagnostic equipment.

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 Real-life examples
5. RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232):
- Legacy computer peripherals: RS-232 was commonly used to connect devices like modems, printers, and
serial mice to computers in the past.
- Industrial equipment: RS-232 is still employed in various industrial applications for connecting equipment such
as barcode scanners, data loggers, and PLCs.
- Serial communication with microcontrollers: RS-232 is often used to establish communication between
microcontrollers and external devices, such as sensors or displays.

6. USB (Universal Serial Bus):

- Computer peripherals: USB is widely used for connecting devices like keyboards, mice, printers, scanners,
and external storage devices to computers.
- Mobile devices: USB is used for charging and data transfer between smartphones, tablets, and other mobile
devices and computers.
- Embedded systems: USB is employed in many embedded systems for connecting microcontrollers or single-
board computers with external devices, such as sensors, displays, or wireless modules.

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Real-time system is a computer system or
software that is designed to respond to events
and process data in a time-critical manner.

It is characterized by the need to meet strict

timing constraints, where the correctness of the
system depends not only on the logical
accuracy of the computations but also on the
timeliness of their execution.
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 Real life application
1. Implantable cardiac pacemakers are electronic devices that
help regulate an individual's heart rhythm by delivering
electrical pulses to the heart.
2. Aerospace and Avionics
3. Industrial Automation
4. Automotive Systems
5. Power Grid Control
6. Telecommunications
7. Medical Imaging
8. Robotics Systems

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End of Lesson. Thank you for listening

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