Ch 1 Hardware Review Flashcards
(19 cards)
What are RISC micro controllers?
Reduced instruction set computing, is a CPU design strategy based on the insight that a simplified instruction set provides higher performance when combined with a microprocessor architecture capable of executing those instructions using fewer microprocessor cycles per instruction
What is Harvard Architecture?
physically separate storage and signal pathways for instructions and data. It allows the processor to run twice as fast.
Basically, it has different buses for data and instructions.
pipelined?
Set of data processing elements connected in series, where the output of one element is the input of the next one
What are MIPS?
Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages
Its a reduced instruction set computer
What’s Opcode mean?
Opcode is the portion of machine language instruction that specifies the operation to be performed.
What is operand?
An operand is the object of a mathematical operation
e.g. 3+4=2, the 3 and 4 are the operands because they’re what the addition is being applied to
What is Flash Memory?
Re-writable Memory
What is EEPROM?
Read only memory. Content can be erased and reprogrammed using pulsed voltage.
Called Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory.
Its a type of non volatile memory that stores relatively small amounts of data but allowing individual bytes to be erased and reprogrammed.
What is non volatile memory?
can retrieve stored information even after having been power cycled (turned off and back on).
What is the difference between a timer and counter?
A counter counts (asynchronous) input pulses. e.g. counting boxes on a conveyer belt.
A timer counts pulses of a fixed known frequency
USART supports both RS232 and RS485. What is the difference?
RS232 allows for one transmitter and one receiver. Uses full duplex transmission
RS485 has a multidrop configuration, full and half duplex transmission. can have 32 transmitters and 32 receivers
What is POR?
Power on reset.
Generates a reset signal when power is applied to the device
What is PWRT
Power up Timer.
A special timer that delays the start of program execution after the PIC has been reset on power up. This delay gives the PIC oscillator time to start and stabalise. It is a good idea to enable this delay.
What is OST?
Oscillator Start up timer. Its a module used by some microcontrollers to keep the device reset until the crystal oscillator is stable
WATCHDOG TIMER?
used to detect and recover from computer malfunctions
what are the possible clock sources?
4MHz packaged oscillator
Crystal Oscillator
RC Oscillator
What is Program Memory?
Program Memory (ROM) is used for permanent saving program being executed
What is data memory?
Data Memory (RAM) is used for temporarily storing and keeping intermediate results and variables.
What is a bus?
Communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.
