Microcomputer Interfacing: An Experimental Approach Using the Z-80

The authors adopted a highly practical approach in presenting the topic of microcomputer interfacing. The material is based upon the Z80 microprocessor--an industry standard--and its support peripheral chips. While not the most modern microprocessor, the Z80 is ideal for teaching the fundamentals of this important subject. Once basic interfacing techniques employed with the Z80 have been learned, little difficulty is experienced in moving to more complex microprocessor and peripheral devices. Full laboratory notes are provided for forty laboratory experiments, giving confidence to readers by encouraging them to carry their design work through to a final operating system. The experiments use a small number of peripheral circuits and cover topics which include data acquisition, signal processing and the design of elementary microprocessor controlled instrumentation.