Objective 1 Distinguish between true and false statements concerning the terms which relate to Part 1 in the index for this block, or explain the terms in your own words.
Objective 2 List the advantages and disadvantages of using standardized interfaces and apply these considerations to a given computer application
SAQ1
SAQ2
Objective 3 Describe in overall terms the structure of the IBM PC interface bus and compare this method of interfacing with that used in other given computer systems.
Objective 4 Describe the basic data-transfer requirements for data transfers between the processor and an interface, and between an interface and its peripheral device.
SAQ3
SAQ4
Objective 5 Describe the basic operation of, and thus derive the particular interface requirements for, the components of a general-purpose computer system. Extend these principles to the requirements for other, given, peripheral devices.
SAQ 5
SAQ6
SAQ7
SAQ8
Objective 6 Describe the three principal ways in which a processor can implement I/O data transfers mentioning the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Objective 7 Explain the purpose of device selectors and address decoders
Objective 8 Given the details of a particular system, state the address decoder and/or device selector needed, indicate how many inputs and outputs these devices will have, sketch the arrangement and write out the truth table(s).
SAQ9
SAQ11
Objective 9 Draw a memory map for a particular memory system incorporating RAM and/or ROM and/or memory-mapped I/O.
SAQ12
Objective 10 Describe the function and operation of the various components of a generalised interface and draw a block diagram of an interface incorporating some or all of the components which performs a specific, given, interfaace function.
SAQ13
Objective 11 Describe the overall structure, components and operation of typical parallel and serial programmable interfaces and suggest their uses.
SAQ14
SAQ15
Objective 12 Answer questions about the operation, structure and functions of a particular interface device given a relevant small segment of the device's data sheet.
SAQ16
Objective 13 Outline in board terms the structure and potential benefits of a hierarchical interface bus system, such as that described for the Pentium II computer system.
A modern computer system employs several interface buses to optimise overall performance. The faster interfaces are separated from the slower ones and are linked more directly to the processor and memory. Slower interfaces are relegated to special bus controller chips.