Communications Overview#
C2000 devices contain features that allow several methods of communication and data exchange between the MCU and other devices. Many of the most commonly used communication techniques are presented in this module.
The intent of this module is not to give exhaustive design details of the communication peripherals, but rather to provide an overview of the features and capabilities. Once these features and capabilities are understood, additional information can be obtained from various resources such as documentation, as needed.
Communications Techniques#
Several methods of implementing a communications system are possible. The method selected for a particular design should be one that meets the required data rate at the lowest cost. Various categories of interface are available. Each of the categories will be described in this module.
Serial ports provide a simple, hardware-efficient means of high-level communication between devices. Like the GPIO pins, they may be used in stand-alone or multiprocessing systems.
In a multiprocessing system, they are an excellent choice when both devices have an identical serial port and the data rate requirement is relatively low. Serial interface is even more desirable when the devices are physically distant from each other because the inherently low number of wires provides a simpler interconnection.
Serial ports require separate lines to implement, and they do not interfere in any way with the data and address lines of the processor. The only overhead they require is to read/write new words from/to the ports as each word is received/transmitted. This process can be performed as a short interrupt service routine under hardware control, requiring only a few cycles to maintain.
The C28x family of devices have both synchronous and asynchronous serial ports.
Synchronous#
Short Distance (on-board)
High data rate
Explicit clock
Asynchronous#
Longer distances
Lower data rate (~1/8 of SPI)
Implied clock (clk/data mixed)
Economical with reasonable performance
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