
EZT-570i User Communication Reference Manual
5
2. Serial Communication
The primary interface CSZ has chosen for the EZT-570i employs serial communication, which is the
exchange of data in a one-bit-at-a-time, sequential manner on a single data line or channel. Serial
contrasts with parallel communication, which sends several bits of information simultaneously over
multiple lines or channels. Not only is serial data communication simpler than parallel, it is also less
costly.
Baud Rate
The baud unit is named after Jean Maurice Emile Baudot, who was an officer in the French Telegraph
Service. He is credited with devising the first uniform-length 5-bit code for characters of the alphabet
in the late 19th century. What baud really refers to is modulation rate or the number of times per
second that a line changes state. This is not always the same as bits per second (BPS). However, if
you connect two serial devices together using direct cables then baud and BPS are in fact the same.
Thus, if you are running at 9600 BPS, then the line is also changing states 9600 times per second.
Typical baud rates for computers are 9600, 19200, 38400 and 57600 baud. As the baud rate
increases, so does the transmission rate of data. Thus you get more information in a shorter period
of time. However, the faster the transmission rate, the more susceptible it is to error due to the
quality of the cable and sources of electrical “noise” in the environment. In order to balance
throughput with reliability, CSZ has chosen to use 9600 baud as the data rate for the EZT-570i. Thus
a device used to communicate with the EZT-570i must have its serial port set for 9600 baud in order
to for data communications to work properly.
Start and Stop Bits
The start bit informs the receiving device that a character is coming, and a stop bit tells it that a
character is complete. The start bit is always a 0. The stop bit is always a 1. The human speech
equivalent of these bits could be a clearing of the throat to get someone’s attention (start bit); and a
pause at the end of a phrase (stop bit). Both help the listener understand the message.
A stop bit has a value of 1 - or a mark state - and it can be detected correctly even if the previous
data bit also had a value of 1. This is accomplished by the stop bit's duration. Stop bits can be 1,
1.5, or 2 bit periods in length. CSZ has chosen to use the default – and most common – length of 1
period for the EZT-570i. A device used to communicate with the EZT-570i must also have its serial
port set to use a stop bit of 1 in order for data communications to work properly.
Parity Bit
Besides the synchronization provided by the use of start and stop bits, an additional bit called a parity
bit may optionally be transmitted along with the data. A parity bit affords a small amount of error
checking, to help detect data corruption that might occur during transmission. You can choose either
even parity, odd parity, mark parity, space parity or none at all. When even or odd parity is being
used, the number of marks (logical 1 bits) in each data byte are counted, and a single bit is
transmitted following the data bits to indicate whether the number of 1 bits just sent is even or odd.
For example, when even parity is chosen, the parity bit is transmitted with a value of 0 if the number
of preceding marks is an even number. For the binary value of 0110 0011 the parity bit would be 0.
If even parity were in effect and the binary number 1101 0110 were sent, then the parity bit would be
1. Odd parity is just the opposite, and the parity bit is 0 when the number of mark bits in the
preceding word is an odd number. Mark parity means that the parity bit is always set to the mark
signal condition and likewise space parity always sends the parity bit in the space signal condition.
Since these two parity options serve no useful purpose whatsoever, they are almost never used. The
EZT-570i can be set for even, odd or no parity. A device used to communicate with the EZT-570i
must also have its serial port set to use the same parity setting as the EZT-570i in order for data
communications to work properly.