I/O Ports and Devices

Chapter 10
 Objectives
 Introduce ports
 Identify the different ports
 Work with the IEEE 1394 bus
 Configure IRQ
 Troubleshoot ports

Chapter 10 Slide 2 of 20
 Ports
 Connects the system and a device
using a connecting cable
 Located at the back or the front
side of the system case

Chapter 10 Slide 3 of 20
 Ports
 A computer port is a device that allows an external device,
hardware, to connect to the computer. Physically a port is a
specialized outlet on a piece of equipment to which a plug
or cable connects. Ports come in a variety of different
types for different devices, for example: USB, VGA, DVI
& HDMI etc.

Chapter 10 Slide 4 of 20
 Port Symbols
 Identifies the type of the port
Symbol Port
Serial / COM
Parallel
USB
IEEE 1394 / Firewire
PS/2 – Keyboard
PS/2 – Mouse
Line In
Line Out
Microphone
Joystick
Chapter 10
Bluetooth Slide 5 of 20
 Types of Ports

Types of
Ports

Serial Parallel DIN5 PS/2 Infrared Bluetooth USB Firewire

Chapter 10 Slide 6 of 20
 Serial Port
 Sends and receives one bit of data at a time
 Known as the Communication or COM port
 Has 9 or 25 pins
 Connect devices such as the mouse, plotters and
modems,routers

Chapter 10 Slide 7 of 20
 Parallel Port – I
 Transmits eight bits of data at a time
 Has 25 pins
 Connects devices such as
• Printers
• Scanners
• External hard drives
• Tape drive

Chapter 10 Slide 8 of 20
 Parallel Port – II
 Different types of parallel ports are:
• Bidirectional – Uses byte and compatible mode for data
transmission
• Standard Parallel Port (SPP) - Enables bidirectional
data communication
• Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) - Provides data transfer
speed of 500 Kb to 2 Mb of data per second
• Enhanced Capabilities Port (ECP) - Provides increased
data communication speed

Chapter 10 Slide 9 of 20
 DIN 5
 Used to connect the keyboard to the system
 Known as the AT port
 Uses 5 pins for connecting the device

Chapter 10 Slide 10 of 20
 PS/2
 Used to connect the keyboard and the mouse
 Available in a color that matches the color of the device
plug
 Uses 6 pins to connect the device

Keyboard
Port Mouse Port

Chapter 10 Slide 11 of 20
 Universal Serial Bus (USB)
 Connects upto 127 devices to a single port
 Supplies power to the device
 Plug-and-play support
 Versions 
• USB version 1.0 – 1.5 Mbps
• USB version 1.1 – 12 Mbps
• USB version 2.0 – 480 Mbps
• USB version 3.0 -4.8 gbps

Chapter 10 Slide 12 of 20
 Infrared Ports
 Communicate with the system without using wires
 Devices send out infrared signals that enter the system
through this port

Infrared Port

Chapter 10 Slide 13 of 20
 Bluetooth Port
 Allows wireless communication between devices within a
ranged distance
 Uses 2.45 GHz frequency range for data communication

Chapter 10 Slide 14 of 20
 IEEE 1394 Bus
 Enables fast and high serial data transfer rate of upto 400
Mb per second
 Connects and supplies power to the connected devices
 Known as FireWire by Apple
 Known as i.Link by Sony

Chapter 10 Slide 15 of 20
 Interrupt Request (IRQ) - I
 Used by devices to communicate with the
microprocessor
IRQ Typical Use
Number
0 System timer

1 Keyboard
2 Interrupt for IRQs 8-15

3 Second serial port (COM2)

5 Sound card

Chapter 10 Slide 16 of 20
 Interrupt Request (IRQ) - II
6 Floppy disk controller

7 First parallel port. Used by the printer or any

9 Open interrupt

10 Open interrupt

11 Open interrupt

12 PS/2 mouse / Network Card

13 Floating point unit/coprocessor. Only used for

15 Secondary IDE channel

Chapter 10 Slide 17 of 20
 Wireless LAN USB Adapter
 Connects computer to wireless LAN
 By using this adapter desktop, notebook and laptop users
can connect to a standard mobile network
 Plugged to computer through a USB port
 Data Transfer Rate is 54 Mbps

Chapter 10 Slide 18 of 20
 Troubleshooting
 While using the device, errors may occur if there
is a problem with the IO port
 Different types of problems related with IO port:
• Device not working properly
• IRQ conflicts

Chapter 10 Slide 19 of 20
 Summary – I
 A port is used to connect the system and a device together,
using a connecting cable.
 The ports have different shapes and sizes that prevent you
from connecting a device to the wrong port.
 A serial port sends and receives one bit of data at a time.
 The parallel port transmits eight bits of data at a time.
 The PS/2 port is used to connect the keyboard and mouse to
the system.
 The USB port connects and also supplies power to the device.

Chapter 10 Slide 20 of 20
 Summary – II
 Infrared ports enable wireless communication between the
device and the system.
 IEEE 1394 enables fast and high speed data transfer between
the system and the connected devices.
 Devices use the IRQ lines to communicate with the
microprocessor.
 IRQ conflicts occur when two hardware devices use the same
IRQ line.

Chapter 10 Slide 21 of 20