Introductory UART Experiments for a Microcomputer Course

A course is briefly described which deals with microprocessor interfacing. One portion of the course covers programmable LSI interface chips. Introductory experiments are described for one of these chips, the Motorola 6850 asynchronous communications interface adapter (ACIA). The experiments allow the student to, in effect, "single-step" through the operation of the ACIA by inputting clock pulses asynchronously. The values of important signals, including the clock, are indicated in LED's. Thus, the student gets visual reinforcement of the ACIA's characteristics.