How to! Connect your project to the PC

Connecting a project to your computer used to be a simple affair – your microcontroller would have a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) which was compatible with the RS232 protocol. You would then simply put a MAX232 converter chip onto the microcontroller and a 9-way D-type socket which linked your design using a standard lead directly to your PC. Today we have USB, IrDA and Bluetooth. Fortunately E-blocks are available for the software and hardware linking to the PC.