PC Interfaces

Index

• General information
• Serial port
• Parallel port
• IRDA infrared link
• New serial interfaces
  • Universal Serial Bus
  • IEEE 1394 High Performance Serial Bus
• PC controlling devices
  • PC keyboard
  • PC mouse and other pointing devices
  • PC joysticks and other game controllers

General information

• Icons for PCs - icons that can be used for connectors on a personal computer

  General pinout documents

  • CONNECTOR / JUMPER Pin-layout/Description
  • Hardware Book - information about different computer interfaces
  • Keyboard, Monitor & Mouse pinouts for PC, SUN, MAC, USB, Digital Flat Panel and EVC configurations
  • Pin-Outs.Com - pinouts and connectors
  • Tommy's pinout collection - collection of PC interface pinouts and some special cable wirings

  Interfacing documents

  • Beyond Logic: Interfacing the PC - collection of PC interfacing documents
  • HELP PC 2.1 - very large collection of PC hardware programming info in DOS executable hypertext format
  • Direct I/O port access under Windows95 - Visual-Basic declarations for inp and out, documentation, a test program and the Delphi source code.

  Power supply connectors

  • 3.5" floppy disk drive power connector
  • 5.25" floppy/hard disk power connector - used for harddisks & 5.25" peripherals
  • ATX Motherboard Power
  • Background on the ATX power supply
  • Motherboard Power Connector - AT power supply pinout
  • PC power supply connectors - AT power supply connector pinout and information
  • Power Good Signal - how AT power supply "power good"-signal works
  • Power supply connectors - PC and AT style power supplies

  Pinouts not belong to the other categories

  • SCSI Connector Contact Assignments

  Solving common interfacing problems

  • The Windows95 Direct Cable Connect Problem Page
  • Windows 95 to Windows NT 4.0 Direct Cable Connect Setup Instructions - also between other Windows versions

Serial port

Standard PC serial ports come in to versions: 9 pin and 25 pin one. The functions of those both version are exactly the same, only different kind of connectors and different pinout. If you need to convert from one version to other you can do it easily just bu buying a suitable adapter from your local computer shop. PC serial port is nowadays usually used for interfacing your PC to your modem or mouse. Original PC serial port was designed to operate up to 19.2 kbit/s (maximum speed defined in RS-232C standard) but nowadays they can typically go up to 115.2 kbit/s (some special cards can do even faster than that).

General FAQs

• Curt's High Speed Modem Page - modem tips for Windows users
• RS-232: Connectors and Cabling - DB-25 pinput. DB-9 pinout, information on RJ-45 wiring and RS-232 port setting in UNIX systems
• RS232 Serial Troubleshooting
• RS-232 Tech Bulletin - Make Any Serial Connection Work in 10 Minutes!
• Serial communications using TTY protocol - serial port programming, detecting, modifications, also at http://www.ece.uiuc.edu/~ece291/class-resources/serial.html
• Serial ports and Windows 95 - Windows 95 has overturned many of the serial communications barriers of earlier operating systems, however some of its features may not be obvious to many users
• The CTS Serial (Com) Port FAQ
• Why do I need 16550/16650 UART ?

Technical specs

• Connections Newsletter 2: Serial port powered devices - understanding serial port power capabilities, pdf file
• Interfacing the Serial / RS-232 Port - specs, UART pinouts, registers, example software

Serial port diagnosing

• Diagnosing Serial (Com) Port Problems
• Help me find out why my PC doesn't shutdown after I use my modem
• PortInfo or MSD -- Which to believe in serial port diagnostics ?

Programming

• C function turns PC into serial-bus master - UARTs built into most microcontrollers support a "9th-bit" communications mode, this function adds this capability to your PC serial port
• Implement a nine-data-bit UART on a PC - many microcontrollers , such as the 8051 and the 68HC11, can support a ninth data bit on the asynchronous serial port, UART used in IBM PCs (and clones) does not directly support this operating mode however through some software manipulation, you can add the PC to a serial bus and integrate it into a ninth-bit system
• Interfacing the Serial / RS-232 Port - specs, UART pinouts, registers, example software
• Serial Communications in Win32
• SIO Serial I/O Library - library of routines for doing cross-platform serial I/O between most Unix varients and WIN32

Software

• Electronics projects for PC serial port
• SIMPLETERM: SIMPle TERMinal Emulator Shareware - a simple shareware tool that can be used to troubleshoot RS-232, RS422 or RS-485 serial communications, runs on DOS, also supports monitor mode which allows SIMPTERM to monitor communications between two other devices
• SimpTerm - MS-Windows communication pacakge which allows connection to UNIX systems, supports Chinese text, VT100, ANSI color terminal, zmodem, telnet and rlogin

Misc

• Devices Powered From RS232 Lines - what to consider when design such things
• Serial / RS-232 Interfacing
• Serial ports and Windows 95 - article in B&B Electronics Connections Newsletter
• UPS serial port monitoring cable

Parallel port

PC parallel port was originally desingned for connecting your PC to a parallel printer which has Centronics interface. Nowadays the this same port is used for interfacing lots of different kind of peripherals to PCs (scanners, Zip-drives, backup tapes, network adapters). To make the interfacing more efficent the technology has evolved during years. Nowadays paralle port can handle many different operating modes like SPP, ECP and EPP.

General info

• Centronics Parallel Troubleshooting
• How to build a Laplink and Interlink cables for parallel port file tranfer
• Jan's Parallel Port FAQ - hardware interfacing issues to PC parallel port by Jan Axelson, info on problems different parallel port types cause on devices connected to them
• Kris Heidenstrom's PC Parallel Port Mini-FAQ - information on the standard and PS/2-bidirectional PC parallel ports, programming examples
• Parallel port explained - basics of PC-compatible parallel printer ports
• Parallel Port Pinout - Centronics 36-pin Parallel Interface
• The PC's Parallel Port - FAQ, IEEE1284, software, chips
• The typical schematic of original IBM PC parallel port

Enhanced parallel port function

• IEEE 1284 Parallel Port Information
• Introduction to the IEEE 1284-1994 parallel port standard
• Microsoft's document describing ECP mode - 325k pdf file
• Programming the Enhanced Parallel Port

Interfacing to parallel port

• Electronics projects for PC parallel port
• External Parallel Port devices and Linux - has also has a lot of technical info on parallel port connected devices
• Hardware Interfacing for The Linux Operating System
• Interfacing the IBM PC Parallel Printer Port - a good FAQ for anybody interfacing to parallel port
• Interfacing to the IBM-PC Parallel Printer Port
• Interfacing the Parallel Port - introduction, register usage, example circuits, EPP/ECP
• Interfacing the Standard Parallel Port - good tutorial
• Networking with the Printer Port - describes internals of Linux PLIP implementation
• Parallel Port Central - links to parallel port documents, Windows DLLs for direct I/O port control
• Parallel Port Interface Box - a simple device that connects to the IBM PC's parallel (aka printer) port and teches you lot of parallel port interfacing
• Parallel Port Page by Juan Carlos Galarza Roca - parallel port programming information
• Parallel-printer adapters find new use as instrument interfaces - venerable parallel-printer adapter has found many uses during its long lifetime
• Use of a PC Printer Port for Control and Data Acquisition

Software

• Parallel Port Central - Windows DLLs for direct I/O port control from Visual Basic and Delphi, freeware and shareware, links to commerical devellopment tools
• Parallel Port Debug Tool - handy DOS utility which gives a visual display of the three software registers used by the Standard Parallel Port
• ParPort: PC Parallel Port Software - program for easily accessing 8 output and 8 input pins in parallel port
• Printer Port Writer and Reader for Windows 95/NT

IRDA infrared link

IrDa is an infrared data link standard for short distances. First versio runs uo to 115.2 kbit/s but newer versions can handle speeds up to 4 megabits/s. Many modern PC motherboards have nowadays interface for IrDA module (IR transmitter and receiver). There is some general information on IrDA interface below, including pinouts of IrDA connectors in some motheraboards.

• Agilent Infrared IrDA Compliant Transceiver - datasheet includes full tranceiver module circuit diagram
• Infrared Data Association (IrDA)
• Introduction to IrDA
• IrDA-Compliant Transmitter/Receiver - pdf file from Sharp Microelectronics RF & Ir components
• Infrared Data Association - IrDA standards
• Motherboard IrDA - connector pinout
• Motherboard IrDA connector pinout - check Agilent Infrared IrDA Compliant Transceiver pages for circuit examples on IrDA modules
• RS232 to IrDA convertor - pdf document on suitable component for this with example circuit

New serial interfaces

General

• Device Bay - industry specification for interchangeable peripheral devices for USB and IEEE 1394

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

USB is a serial bus standard for interfacing many different kinds peripherals to your PC. It is aimed to replace most of the different kind of special systems of interfacing external devices to serial and parallel port. Most of the new PCs or motherboard have had USB connectors for some time, but the system has not catched mass markests yet because of lack of drivers (Windows 98 has those). USB can power to the devices connected to it. USB can provide plug and play with hot swapping capabilities. USB provides 12 Mbit/s and 1.5 Mbit/s data transmission speeds. USB can't be used directly as a fast connection between PCs, but here are special products which allow small scale networking using USB bus. Five meters is the maximum cable length allowed by the USB specification. You can achieve longer cable runs by inserting a hub every five meters. Alternatively you can chain Active Extension cables to attain the needed distance. To connect two computers together you will need a USB bridge, a USB Peer to Peer cable for file and hardware sharing or a USB Data Transfer Cable for file sharing.

• Buttons for USB HID Devices - USB Human Interface Device Class design information
• Don't get burned as USB picks up steam - momentum behind Universal Serial Bus (USB) has picked up steam to the point where buyers are beginning to differentiate PCs based on its presence or absence
• How USB works
• Intel Universal Serial Bus componets - schematics, manuals, FAQs, papers, application notes
• Taming the Universal Serial Bus - EDN's hands-on USB project gets the bus under control
• Texas Instruments USB Specification
• The Ultimate Lab - Intel USB develloper pages
• Universal Serial Bus (USB) - new fast serial interface bus for peripherals, USB technology forum home page
• Universal Serial Bus Links - description, organizations, IC manufacturers, connector specifications, cable and software
• Universal Serial Bus and Game Devices
• Universal Serial Bus components from Intel - datasheets and information
• Universal Serial Bus Implementers Forum Home Page
• Universal Serial Bus Questions and Answers
• USB: Adaptable for Industrial Applications?
• USB and the Differences Between OCHI and UHCI - white paper from Compaq
• USB Central - links to information about USB and sample code to download
• USB Design by Example - selected USB documents
• USB Designer Links - links to chips, devices, information and software
• USB FAQ
• USB Plug and Play IDs and Selecting Device Drivers to Load
• USB Specifications and Developer Section
• USBStuff - company which sells USB equipments and has USBnews on it's web site

IEEE 1394 High Performance Serial Bus

IEEE 1394 is a fast serial bus which is a little bit similar to USB but is capable of much higher speeds (upt to 400 Mbit/s). IEEE 1394 is nowadays uded for interconnecting modern digital video equipments to PC. Allows live connection/disconnection. IEEE 1394 was called Firewire before standardization.

• 1394 Trade Association
• EDN hands-on project: Firewire unleashes the power of digital video - IEEE-1394, or Firewire, serial bus promises to enable a number of new applications that rely on rich, high-speed data streams, such as digital video
• Fire on the Wire: The IEEE 1394 High Performance Serial Bus
• FireWireStuff - basic information and product links
• IEEE 1394 Standard and Tutorials
• Texas Instruments IEEE 1394 High Performance Serial Bus Pages
• The Bulky-Data Interface: A Necessity for High-Bandwidth, Time-Critical Data - consumer electronics market converges with the PC market in the digital world, many applications will involve transmitting and receiving high-bandwidth time-critical data like MPEG-2 video, IEEE 1394 is one suitable interface for this
• The Challenges of 1394 PHY Design
• The Firewire Connection - magazine article about IEEE 1394

PC controlling devices

PC keyboard

• Interfacing the PC's keyboard - how it works and how to decode PC keyboard signal using microcontroller
• Electronics projects for PC keyboard port
• Help with IBM-PC keyboard interfacing
• Interfacing the AT Keyboard
• PC Keyboard FAQ
• IBM-PC keyboard interfacing
• PC Keyboard Page - info on PC keyboard interfacing and source code for PIC microcontrollers
• PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Protocol
• PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Protocol - document on communication protocol details
• The PC's keyboard - interfacing tutorial

PC mouse and other pointing devices

General mouse information

• Mice: How do they work? - info on sensors used in mouse

Solving mouse problems

• Standard Hardware/Software Diagnostics for Pointing Devices Under DOS

Mouse specific hardware information

• Active PS/2 Muxing - defines a method for attaching up to four PS/2 pointing devices to a PC, pdf document
• Logitech Pointing Device Hardware Information
• PC mouse adapters - is it possible to convert PS/2 mouse to serial port or the other way
• PC mouse hardware and protocols - microsoft, mouse system, bus, PS/2
• PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Protocol
• PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Protocol - document on communication protocol details
• Synoptics TouchPad Interfacing Guide - includes description of PS/2 mouse protocol, pdf document

Mouse application notes

• Implementing a Simple Serial Mouse Controller using PIC16C5x - Microchip application note in pdf format, get also source code
• Mouse Implementation Technical Document - If you want to design your own mouse here is something that will might help you
• PC Mouse Implementation Using COP800 - pdf file

Mouse products

• GyroPoint - two-buttom mouse that can be used on desk or in mid-air

Misc

• Invisible Input Devices - Experiments in thought-controlled computing form PC Magazine
• NCG Clicker for Win32 - mouse-button utility for Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 95, assign a number of different functions to the middle and right buttons of your mouse
• TSR adds mouse to any application - TSR source code, documentation, and executable program ets you add mouse control to any PC application

PC joysticks and other game controllers

General

• Joysticks and game controllers - lots of joystick information and joystick circuits

Solving common joystick problems

• Joystick-To-Mouse - Software That Lets You Run Windows With A Joystick!
• NT 4.0's Joystick Support
• The Linux Joystick driver

Build your own

• Build Your Own Cockpit - collection of articles dealing with building your own cockpit, rudders, and any other stuff to enhance your computer simulation experience
• Electronics projects for PC joystick port
• Lew's Wheels - PC Wheel Building for Everyone
• Wheels and Pedals - how to build your own

Technical specs

• Joysticks and game controllers - lots of joystick information and joystick circuits
• Joystick electric scheme
• Joystick specifications - port pinout, data packes used in some digital joysticks