Ports and Connectors

Devices are connected together using ports and connectors to transfer information. Information can generally be transmitted in parallel and serial formats, or even in a hybrid of both.

Parallel interfaces transfer data through multiple channels simultaneously to send all information at once. Serial interfaces transfer all information through a single channel to the reciever. Due to design fundamentals and scalability, serial interfaces are generally the faster of both choices nowadays.

Design Terminology

• Pitch - Center-to-center distance between two pins or terminals

Parallel Ports

• PATA
• RS-232 Parallel Port (Legacy Printers)
• VGA Port

Serial Ports

• SATA
• Serial Port
• Universal Serial Bus
• MIPI CSI
• MIPI DSI