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serial: Definition and Recommended Links

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In telecommunication and computer science, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at one time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. This is in contrast to parallel communication, where several bits are sent together (on a link comprising of several wired channels in parallel).

Serial communication is used for all long-haul communication and most computer networks, where the cost of cable and synchronization difficulties make parallel communication impractical. At shorter distances, serial computer buses are becoming more common because of a tipping point where the disadvantages of parallel busses (clock skew, interconnect density) outweigh their advantage of simplicity (no need for serializer and deserializer (SERDES)). Improved technology to ensure signal integrity and to transmit and receive at a sufficiently high speed per lane have made serial links competitive. The migration from PCI to PCI-Express is an example.

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_communications)

other great electronics sites:ee toolbox site

• • serial
    • In telecommunication and computer science, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at one time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. This is in contrast to parallel communication, where several bits are sent together (on a link comprising of several wired channels in parallel).

      Serial communication is used for all long-haul communication and most computer networks, where the cost of cable and synchronization difficulties make parallel communication impractical. At shorter distances, serial computer buses are becoming more common because of a tipping point where the disadvantages of parallel busses (clock skew, interconnect density) outweigh their advantage of simplicity (no need for serializer and deserializer (SERDES)). Improved technology to ensure signal integrity and to transmit and receive at a sufficiently high speed per lane have made serial links competitive. The migration from PCI to PCI-Express is an example.

      Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_communications)

      (Note: The Electronic Engineers Toolbox provides an alternative set of featured links for this word at http://www.cera2.com/serial.htm)

      Featured Links:

      Basics of the RS-485 Standard

      What is an RS-485 network? RS-485 allows multiple devices (up to 32) to communicate at half-duplex on a single pair of wires, plus a ground wire (more on that later), at distances up to 1200 meters (4000 feet). Both the length of the network and the number of nodes can easily be extended using a variety of repeater products on the market.
      http://www.bb-elec.com/tech_articles/rs485_basics.asp

      Jan Axelson's Lakeview Research

      The source for information and tools relating to USB, parallel ports, RS-232 and RS-485 serial communications, 8052-Basic microcontrollers, and making printed-circuit boards. Mr. Axelson has written a number of books, and has created web pages of resources for each topic. Also has information on the Serial Port.
      http://www.lvr.com/

      RS232 Tutorial

      This tutorial explains the signals on each of the pins of an RS232 connector. Very helpful whether you are programming a serial port on your PC or on an embedded system.
      http://www.arcelect.com/rs232.htm

      Serial Communication Technology

      Table of Contents: 1.Introduction to Serial Communication 2.Synchronous Communications and Asynchronous Communication 2.1Serial Port Devices 2.2 Bi-Directional Communication 2.3 Synchronous Communication 2.3.1 Synchronous Data and Clock 2.3.2 Synchronous Transmission.
      http://www.pccompci.com/Serial-Communication-Technology.html

      You've measured the jitter, now how do you fix it?

      While making accurate measurements is important, you need to identify the root causes of jitter problems before you can minimize them. Keys to success include understanding how to best use your jitter analysis tool, plus how jitter propagates in a communications system. Find out more!
      http://ad.doubleclick.net

      Serial Communication General Concepts

      Serial is a very common protocol (not to be confused with Universal Serial Bus or USB) for device communication that comes standard on just about every PC. Most computers include two RS-232 based serial ports. Serial is also a common communication protocol that is used by many devices for instrumentation; numerous GPIB-compatible devices also come with an RS-232 port.
      http://digital.ni.com

      Andale: High-Speed Data Logger/Playback System

      Andale (pronounced on' duh lay) is a powerful data logging system which directly controls an NTFS disk subsystem to support gap-free storage or playback of analog or digital signals acquired using the Innovative X-series XMC modules. The included logging software moves data in real-time between the analog or digital I/O peripherals on any Innovative XMC module to/from dedicated SATA drives with minimal intervention from application software or Windows. A dedicated PCI Express SATA RAID controller interfaces to conventional hard disk drives supporting data flow rates up to 700 MB/s, sustained.
      http://www.innovative-dsp.com

      RS-232 @ Wikipedia

      In telecommunications, RS-232 is a standard for serial binary data interconnection between a DTE (Data terminal equipment) and a DCE (Data Circuit-terminating Equipment). It is commonly used in computer serial ports. A similar ITU-T standard is V.24. The standard was originally promulgated by RETMA, a precursor of the Electronic Industries Alliance. RS is an abbreviation for RETMA Standard.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS-232

      Lammert Bies

      Lammert Bies provides a host of information on controlling RS232 lines. Hardware and software flow control, null modems, loopback testing, pin assignments and voltage levels.
      http://www.lammertbies.nl/comm/software/RS-232.html

      Serial Communications Developer's Guide

      Access modems or other serial devices across networks, use standard and intelligent multiport boards, Implement file transfer formats such as XMODEM, YMODEM, ZMODEM, and Kermit. Also covers TAPI and terminal emulation. 1999
      http://www.amazon.com

      Explanation: these links are provided as part of our EE glossary project, which seeks to identify the most prominent keywords in embedded systems, embedded software, realtime and rtos, dsp (digital signal processing), system-on-a-chip, microprocessors and microcontrollers, and other constituent elements for embedded systems. While we seek to keep most of the links up-to-date, the user is refered to other primary electronic-based search sites such as: cera2.com, embedded.com, or EDN Magazine. If you have any suggestions of links or definitions, please email!

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