What Is Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter (UART)?
UART, also known as Serial Communications Interface (SCI), is a simple, single-host serial protocol. This protocol is asynchronous, which means there are no shared clock lines between host and target devices. However, the baud rates between each device must be matched within 10% of each other to prevent data loss. UART peripherals on select PIC® and AVR® microcontrollers (MCUs) also feature additional capabilities to implement protocols commonly found in automotive and intelligent lighting systems such as:
- LIN host and client
- DMX controller and receiver
- DALI control gear and control device
- One-wire mode
- IrDA®-compliant pulse modulation/demodulation
- RS-485 mode
Why Use UART?
UART uses two wires for full duplex asynchronous communication between devices. Its simple implementation makes it useful for debugging projects in development and its supported protocols make it ideal for wireless communications such as Bluetooth®.
Applications
UART is a powerful and effective tool for debugging during the development process and paired with the built-in data visualizer of MPLAB® X Integrated Development Environment (IDE), you can view UART outputs within MPLAB X IDE or your preferred terminal emulator. Bluetooth communication utilizes the UART protocol extensively and our RN4870, RN4871 and RN4678 modules include the UART peripheral for quick and easy implementation of Bluetooth in your next project.
