Author: John Mulindi
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Flip-Flops in Digital Circuits
Since digital data is usually stored in the form bits, digital memory devices such as the computer random access memory (RAM) requires a way for storing and switching between the two binary states. A flip-flop is a sequential logic device that can perform this operation. The flip-flop is called a bistable device, because it has…
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How to Interface PIC Microcontroller to Input & Output Devices
In this article, we discuss how to interface the PIC microcontroller to various types of input and output devices. A key point to recall when dealing with PIC is that, each pin in the I/O ports may be configured in software as an input or an output. Furthermore, the port pins may be multiplexed with…
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Peripheral Devices used with Microprocessors
Microprocessors and peripheral devices provide a complete solution in enhancing complex application environments. In this article, we look at some of the common peripheral devices that are used along with the microprocessor in a microcomputer system. The different peripheral devices used in a microcomputer system include: Programmable Counter/Timer A programmable counter/timer is used for the…
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SIMD, MISD & MIMD Multiple Processor Architectures
Introduction Parallel processing, in which applications are partitioned into multiple tasks that are executed concurrently by multiple processors is used for high-throughput needs where even the single fastest computer cannot be good enough. Multiple processor system architectures differ widely in the number of processors used, the techniques in which applications are partitioned and mapped onto…
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The Pentium Series of Microprocessors
The Pentium processors have a 64-bit data bus which is a major advancement in personal computer CPU design. In actual fact, the Pentium family of processors has its origins in the Intel 486 processor, and has similar instruction set with a few additional instructions. Pentium Series (P5, P54 and P54C) of Microprocessors The first Pentium…
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How to Interface LCD Display to a Microcontroller
LCD crystal displays allow a better user interface compared with LED displays as it is much easier to display text messages in LCD displays. They also consume much less power than LED displays. Nonetheless, LED displays have better intensity than LCD displays LCD displays are available usually in 8 x 2, 16 x 2, 20…
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Computer Memory Organization
A computer system uses memory elements for storing program instructions, data, and other information. From the perspective of the instruction set, a memory is an array of words, each identified by a unique address that indicates its location within the memory. In other words, each memory location is assigned a unique address that identifies a…