Input/Output Ports and Interfacing

Digital Systems Engineering

Images Courtesy of Ramesh Gaonkar and Delmar Learning

 Basic I/O Concepts
 Peripherals such as LEDs and keypads are essential
components of microcontroller-based systems
 Input devices
 Provide digital information to an MPU
 Examples: switch, keyboard, scanner, and digital camera
 Output devices
 Receive digital information from an MPU
 Examples: LED, seven-segment display, LCD, and printer
 Devices are interfaced to an MPU using I/O ports

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I/O Interfacing

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 Interfacing and Addressing
 I/O ports
 Buffers and latches on the MCU chip
 Assigned binary addresses by decoding the address bus
 Generally bidirectional
 Internal data direction registers
 To read binary data from an input peripheral
 MPU places the address of an input port on the address bus
 Enables the input port by asserting the RD signal
 Reads data using the data bus
 To write binary data to an output peripheral
 MPU places the address of an output port on the address bus
 Places data on data bus
 Asserts the WR signal to enable the output port

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 PIC18F452/4520 I/O Ports
 MCU includes five I/O ports
 PORTA, PORTB, PORTC, PORTD, PORTE
 Ports are multiplexed
 Can be set up to perform various functions
 Each I/O port is associated with several SFRs
 PORT
 Functions as a latch or a buffer
 TRIS
 Data direction register
 Logic 0 sets up the pin as an output
 Logic 1 sets up the pin as an input
 LAT
 Output latch similar to PORT

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PIC18F452/4520 I/O Ports
PORTA: Example of Multiple Fns
 Digital I/O: RA6-RA0
 Analog Input: AN0-AN4
 V REF+ : A/D Reference Plus V
 V REF- : A/D Reference Minus V
 TOCK1: Timer0 Ext. Clock
 SS: SPI Slave Select Input
 LVDIN: Low V Detect Input

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 PIC18F452/4520 I/O Ports
 PORTB

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 I/O Example
 Write instructions to set up pins RB7-RB4 of
PORTB as inputs and pins RB3-RB0 as outputs

Opcode Operands Comments

MOVLW 0xF0 ;Load B’11110000’ into WREG
MOVWF TRISB ;Set PORTB TRIS Reg

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 Interfacing Output Peripherals
 Commonly used output peripherals in embedded systems
 LEDs

 Seven-Segment Displays

 LCDs

 Two ways of connecting LEDs to I/O ports

 Common Cathode

 LED cathodes are grounded

 Logic 1 from the I/O port turns on the LEDs
 Current is supplied by the I/O port called current sourcing
 Common Anode
 LED anodes are connected to the power supply
 Logic 0 from the I/O port turns on the LEDs
 Current is received by the chip called current sinking

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Interfacing Output Peripherals

Common Cathode Common Anode

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 Seven-Segment Display
 Seven-segment Displays
 Used to display BCD digits
 0 thru 9
 A group of 7 LEDs physically
mounted in the shape of the
number eight
 Plus a decimal point
 Each LED is called a segment
 ‘a’ through ‘g’
 Two types
 Common anode
 Common cathode

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 Seven-Segment Display
 Common Anode
 All anodes are connected together to a power supply
 Cathodes are connected to data lines
 Logic 0 turns on a segment
 Example: To display the digit 1
 All segments except b and c should be off
 11111001 = F9H
Common Anode

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 Seven-Segment Display
 Common Cathode
 All cathodes are connected together to ground
 Anodes are connected to data lines
 Logic 1 turns on a segment
 Example: To display digit 1
 All segments except b and c should be off
 00000110 = 06H

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 Example 9.4
 Interfacing Seven-Segment Display to PORTB
 Common Anode
 Table Look-Up

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 Illustrative Program
 Problem Statement
 Interface two common-anode seven-segment
displays to PORTD and PORTC of the PIC18F
 Write instructions to implement an up-counter,
counting from 00 to 59
 Display the count on the two seven-segment
displays

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 Interfacing Input Peripherals
 Commonly used input peripherals
 DIP switches, push-button keys, keyboards, and A/D converters
 DIP switch
 One side of the switch is tied high
 To a power supply through a resistor called a pull-up resistor
 The other side is grounded
 The logic level changes when the position is switched
 Push-button key
 Same as the DIP switch except that contact is momentary

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Interfacing Dip Switches

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 Reading from an I/O Port
 Read input switches on PORTB (RB7-RB4)
 RB0 set HI (1)
 Switches Open = LOW (0)
 Switches Closed = HIGH (1)
 Display on PORTC
Opcode Operands Comments
MOVLW 0xF0 ;Load B’11110000’ into WREG
MOVWF TRISB ;Set PORTB TRIS Reg
CLRF TRISC ;Set PORTC as Output
BSF PORTB,0 ;Set RB0 High
MOVF PORTB,W ;Read PORTB
MOVWF PORTC ;Display on PORTC
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 Interfacing LCD
 Software
 To write into the LCD
 Send the initial instructions to set up the LCD
 4-bit or 8-bit mode
 Continue to check DB7 until it goes low
 Write instructions to IR to set up LCD parameters
 Number of display lines and cursor status
 Write data to display a message

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