Connections & Ports

Topic Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to
demonstrate the following
• Describe how the computer receives and manipulates data
from input devices
• Describe how the computer uses output devices to
communicate with their external environment
• Compare and contrast serial communication and parallel
communication
• Describe the characteristics of a serial connection
• Describe the characteristics of a parallel connection
• Convert between bites, and bytes
• List the names associated with the specific numbers of bits
Computer Input Basics
• How do you connect a
printer to the computer, a
web cam, mouse, or
keyboard?
• All of these “peripheral”
things that you want to
connect to a computer
require connections and
ports.
 Were do you live?
• The computer needs each of the ports to
register its address.
• How would you find the classroom if we didn’t
tell you what room number it was in?
• The computer is the same. It knows it has
connections but need to know how to find
them.
– The address system is called I/O address
• I/O stands for Input and Output
– Input means information coming in,
– Output is what the computer sends out.
• All the standard ports on a PC are given a
default address. These address can be
changed incase of trouble.

• There are special set up program to

disable the peripheral ports to free up
addresses for newer faster ports.
 Good News

• The computer industry has pretty

much standardized the types of
connections gizmos will use.
Serial Ports
 Serial Port
• This one is an oldie but a goodie
– Based on the RS-232 standard
• It will send one bit of information at a time
• Serial ports can be 9 pins or 25 pins
• Ports will be male (have pins) on the PC
– Meaning the connection on the computer case is male
• Most PCs have at least one 9 pin serial port-Serial Port 1
(this is changing as the industry moves toward legacy free
devices)
– In the old, old, old days computers could come with a 25-pin serial
port, oddly enough the 25-pin would only use 9 pins at a time.
 Serial Port Continued
• Serial connectors are called DB-9 or DB-25
– DB stands for Data Bus and the number is how
many pins
• Port is the opening on the pc, the connectors
is what you put into the port
• Serial cables can be a maximum length of 50
feet
– A+ question
 DB Connectors
• DataBus or DB connectors have a slight D-shape
– Oldest type of connector in the PC
– Male DB connectors have pins
– Female DB connectors have sockets
 How does a Serial Port
Communicate?
• The serial port can communicate in one of two
ways:
– Synchronously
• This sends information continuously
– If there is nothing to say then it will send dummy information
just to keep the line open
– Asynchronously
• This will send information intermittently with start and
stop bits
 UART
• universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter
• The serial port physically is nothing more
then a connections, it is the UART that is at
the heart of how the serial port works.
• The UART will covert data from parallel to
serial
• Know it is the UART that controlled the Serial
port and it converts parallel information to
serial information
 Last Word About Serial Ports

• There is a lot more about serial ports that is

not covered in this presentation
• The reality is the serial port has been labeled
a legacy device and is disappearing from the
consumer market.
• If you want to know more about serial ports
check out Scott Mueller’s Upgrading and
Repairing PCs or PC Hardware in a Nutshell
by Thompson and Thompson
 Bit, Byte, Huh?

• 1bit (b)
• 1Byte (B) = 8b
• 1KB = 1,024B
• 1MB = 1,024KB
• 1GB = 1,024MB
• 1TB (Terra) = 1,024GB
 Bits and Bytes have names
There are special names for bits and bytes
Number of Bits Special Name
1 Bit
4 Nibble
8 Byte
16 Word
32 Double or Long Word
64 Very Long Word/Paragraph/Quad
Word
Parallel Port
 Parallel Ports
• Defined by IEEE 1284 (A+ test question)
• They are 25-pin female DB ports (on the
back of the PC)
• They have a D-shape look to them
• Parallel Ports send 8 bits (1 byte) at a time
• Serial ports are called COM ports, Parallel
ports are referred to as LPT
– The Parallel Port is not the Printer Port but the
printer uses the parallel so much it has almost
become synonyms
The Parallel Cable
 Parallel Ports Continued
• A standard parallel cable will have a DB-
25 male connector on one end (to the
PC) and a 36-pin Centronics male
connector on the other (to the peripheral
device)
• Parallel Cables should not exceed 15ft in
length
 The Parallel Connectors

Centronics

Male Parallel Female Parallel, on

the back of the PC
 Types of Parallel Port

• Although Parallel Ports are disappearing

like Serial Ports become vaguely familiar
with the following type of parallel ports.
• The chances of being asked this on the A+ are slim
– Standard Parallel Ports
– Bidirectional Parallel Ports
– Enhanced Parallel Port
– Enhanced Capabilities Port
 Types of Ports Continued
• Standard Parallel Ports
– Oldest of the four
– Could only send information from the computer “unidirectional”
• It was hacked and people could send a little “nibble” of information back to
the computer
• Bidirectional Parallel Ports
– Introduced in 1987
– Called PS/2 type or extended
– Allowed two way communication
– Allowed 8-bit communication in and out
• Enhanced Parallel Port
– Fast Mode
– Introduced in 1991
• Enhanced Capabilities Port
– Released in 1992