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Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) in a microprocessor?
Which component of a microprocessor holds the fetched instruction?
How do microprocessors differ from microcontrollers in terms of user interaction?
Which of the following is NOT a building block of an embedded controller?
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What is one of the main purposes of the Control Unit (CU) in a microprocessor?
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Which statement about microprocessors is true?
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In terms of memory management, what role does the Direct Memory Access (DMA) control unit serve?
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What is a key difference between event control and data control in embedded systems?
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What is a characteristic of embedded microprocessors regarding human interaction?
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Which function does the analog to digital converter serve in an embedded microprocessor system?
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What is the main purpose of an embedded microprocessor?
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Which of the following best describes the memory capabilities of embedded microprocessors?
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What role does the Programmable Interval Timer (PIT) play in an embedded system?
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What is a key step in designing an embedded microprocessor system?
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How do embedded microprocessors interact with external devices?
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What is a feature of the Time Processing Unit (TPU) compared to simpler timers?
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What distinguishes the data bus of the 80186 from that of the 80188 microprocessor?
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Which of the following features are included in both the 80186 and 80188 microprocessors?
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What is the primary function of the DMA controller unit in the 80186/80188 microprocessors?
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How many programmable timers are included in the 80186/80188 microprocessors?
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What is the role of the programmable interrupt controller in the microprocessors?
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What is one of the purposes of the second timer in the programmable timers of the 80186/80188?
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Which component acts as the master controller in the 80186 architecture?
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What does the 6-byte pre-fetch queue in the 80186 allow for compared to the 4-byte queue in the 80188?
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Study Notes
General Purpose Processors
- Designed to solve a wide range of problems.
- Manufacturers invest heavily in their development, leading to sophisticated features.
- Specialized design tools are provided by manufacturers.
- Microprocessors are clock-driven semiconductor devices.
Building Blocks of Microprocessors
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Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU):
- Constructed using logic gates.
- Performs mathematical computations and logical decisions.
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Register Array:
- Consists of memory elements fabricated in the microprocessor.
- The size of the register array is used to name the microprocessor.
- Stores data temporarily during program execution.
- Program Counter (PC): Holds the address of the next program instruction.
- Instruction Register (IR): Holds the fetched instruction.
-
Control Unit (CU):
- Provides control signals to different segments of the microprocessor .
- Controls the timing of operation for electronic circuits within the microprocessor.
- Retrieves program instructions and manages data flow through the data path.
Embedded Microprocessors
- VLSI chips integrated into various products.
- Used in electronic devices to perform specialized tasks with limited user interaction.
Embedded Control Applications
- Event control or real-time control: Uses microcontrollers.
- Data control: Employs embedded microprocessors.
Building Blocks of Embedded Controllers
- Data processing unit
- Data formatting unit
- I/O control unit
- Direct memory access (DMA) control unit
- Memory
- CPU
- Timer unit
Characteristics of Embedded Microprocessors
- Limited human interaction and no need for human supervision.
- Rely on stored programs and data input to manage behavior.
- Interact with environments through an interrupt system.
- Interrupts are signals from devices, indicating the need for processor attention.
- Processor enters an interrupt program and decodes the source to handle the interrupt appropriately.
- Programs are stored in memory, typically limited in size.
- Programs executed by embedded microprocessors tend to be short.
- Utilize a variety of on-chip devices for functionality.
- May need to accept input from external devices through analog to digital converters (ADCs).
- ADCs convert analog signals into digital data for processing.
- Digital to analog converters (DACs) allow processors to send signals to controlled devices.
Common Embedded Microprocessor Timers
- Programmable Interval Timer (PIT): Counts down from a preset value to zero and triggers an interrupt.
- Time Processing Unit (TPU): More sophisticated timer capable of detecting input events and generating output events.
Designing Embedded Microprocessor Systems
-
Steps:
- Product requirement definitions
- Functionality description
- Processor selection
- Hardware design
- Firmware design
- Integration
- Iteration and flexibility are crucial in the process.
- Hardware construction, code writing, and system debugging are essential aspects.
- State transition diagrams, flowcharts, state and dataflow diagrams are useful design aids.
- Debugging hardware and software is crucial, and debug facilities should be easily incorporated.
Intel 80186/80188 Microprocessor Architecture
-
Key Difference:
- 80186: 16-bit data bus.
- 80188: 8-bit data bus.
- Both processors:
- 80186: 6-byte pre-fetch queue.
- 80188: 4-byte pre-fetch queue.
- Additional reserved interrupt vectors and powerful built-in I/O features.
Special Features of Intel 80186/80188
- DMA controller unit: Facilitates data transfer between I/O devices and memory.
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Three programmable timers:
- 16-bit timer/counters.
- Two timers used for:
- Counting external events.
- Generating waveforms based on external or CPU clocks.
- Interrupting the CPU after a specific number of events.
- Third timer counts CPU clock cycles.
- Can also interrupt the CPU after a set number of clock cycles.
- Provides a DMA request pulse to the DMA unit.
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Programmable interrupt controller:
- Handles interrupt requests from internal and external sources.
- Interrupts cause temporary halts during program execution, allowing peripheral devices access to the microprocessor.
- The processor responds with an Interrupt Service Routine (ISR), a program that handles the interrupt.
- Two 8259A interrupt controller chips can be cascaded with the integrated 80186 interrupt controller.
- The interrupt controller serves as the master controller.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the design and functioning of general-purpose microprocessors, including their key components like the ALU, register array, and control unit. This quiz covers essential concepts and terminology related to microprocessor architecture.