What if the technique works at different "levels"? When does she “speak” in various languages? It would be difficult to achieve a constructive implementation of the functional, if not for useful additions.
What is a controller?
This is the name of an electronic device that is used to connect various
peripheral devices to the computer's main lines
, which differ in their interface, principle of operation, and design. By meaning, the word “adapter” is suitable for the controller. Speaking of them, we can say that their purpose is the same. But the controller is still called more complex devices. Under it is understood devices that can perform independent actions after commands have been received from the program that deals with their maintenance. So, as part of a complex controller may be its own processor. But if viewed from the point of view of the average user, then these concepts are indistinguishable and can be considered synonyms. Here is what a controller is.
Additional
Why is it necessary to use controllers other than the already specified mediation? The presence of such devices can reduce the load that falls on the central processor. Thanks to this, system performance is significantly increased. The mechanism of such assistance lies in the fact that the controllers free the computer central processors from the slowest operations of input or output of information. For the first time, the idea of using special intelligent circuits that will offload the CPU was realized in the third generation of electronic computers of collective use І-360. In the Soviet Union there was a specific analogue of EU computers. By the advent of the fourth generation, a technological opportunity arose to collect a control system within a single crystal. Thus, the first microcontrollers appeared.
What is included in it?
Now it is a very complex technical unit, which has been significantly improved since its development. The modern average controller has its own microprocessor, registers of external devices, due to which the device interacts with the CPU, RAM, ROM, matching (buffer) circuits. Here is what a controller is. To imagine what this complex device is, imagine a simplified specialized electronic computer that deals only with a certain range of actions - for example, it interacts with a keyboard that is connected to a computer. As soon as a key is pressed, this information is transmitted to the central processor, where it is already processed accordingly.
Work with computer
How does the controller work with a personal computer? This requires the presence in its RAM of the corresponding program and data. They get here from various devices, such as keyboards, disks, mice. Usually the term “external” is used to refer to them. Although for the sake of fairness it should be noted that some of them (such as a drive) are located inside the system unit of the computer. The result of processing by an
electronic computer is also displayed on external devices such as a printer, disks, flash drives and a monitor. Summing up, we can say that for the full-fledged operation of a personal computer, data exchange must be present. It is called input / output. In order for the data exchange to perform the functions assigned to it, two links must work:
- Each external device connected to a personal computer has an electronic circuit that is used for control. And the controller driver controls it.
- Each of them interacts with RAM due to the system data transmission backbone - the bus. All the components of a personal computer that must work are connected to it using the system expansion connectors, which are called slots.
What else can they be used for? Here is the Simple Communications controller used to monitor the temperature of the constituent parts of the system unit. After all, overheating can lead to the fact that something will melt and fail. Therefore, such a device was provided that as a reaction can turn on / strengthen the cooling system or weaken the power of the component. For any device to work properly, controller drivers are required. For Windows 7 or another operating system, there are system files that organize the operation of the device with a personal computer.
Schematic diagrams and their dependence on specialization
Now a little about the schemes. The fact is that something one universal and recognized does not exist. This is due to the fact that controllers exist for different purposes, and they must perform different functions. It is because of this that one does not have to talk about their universality. Just think about how the monitor controller can make the printer work if it does not have the necessary hardware component. Therefore, within the framework of the article, several samples are still posted, but they are shown here more for educational purposes in order to have an idea of how these devices are designed. But the controller circuit for each specific case should be selected separately.
Conclusion
So, we examined what a controller is. As you can see, they play a rather significant role in improving technical systems such as computers. Of course, you can do without them, but then you have to talk about significant difficulties and a drop in production capacity. Although, if you look at each controller individually, the first question may arise as to how such weak devices can help. Indeed, most of them have insignificant characteristics, which can be units of megabytes or even kilobytes. That is, they can perform even only a few tens of thousands of operations per second! But believe me, if these tasks were transferred to the central processor, it would have spent much more due to the complexity of the organization.