The Digital I/O Handbook

The Digital I/O Handbook
A Practical Guide to Industrial Input & Output Applications

Read Featured Chapters, free online.

Digital I/O Hanbook Image

Digital I/O Explained

Renowned technical author Jon Titus and the President and CEO of Sealevel Systems, Tom O’Hanlan, clearly explain real-world digital input/output implementation from both a hardware and software perspective. Whether you are a practicing engineer or a student, The Digital I/O Handbook will provide helpful insight you will use again and again.

  • Covers a wide range of devices including optically isolated inputs, relays, and sensors
  • Shows many helpful circuit diagrams and drawings
  • Includes software code examples
  • Presents common problems and solutions
  • Detailed glossary of common industry terms

“What I like most is its mix of hardware and software. Most pages have a bit of code plus a schematic. All code snippets are in C. This is a great introduction to the tough subject of tying a computer to the real world. It’s the sort of quick-start of real value to people with no experience in the field.” – Jack Ganssle, The Embedded Muse, January, 2005.

You can purchase the Digital I/O Handbook for $19.95 by clicking here. The Digital I/O Handbook is FREE with any qualifying Sealevel Digital I/O product purchase.

Chapter Listing

Click on a chapter title link below, to read that chapter. New chapters will be released monthly, starting with the first chapter in June, 2006.

Chapter 1 – Logic Principles

  • Introduction to digital electronics
  • Current Sinks and sources
  • Buffers and drivers
  • Latches
  • Negative and positive logic
  • All in the family

Chapter 2 – Digital Outputs

  • Introduction to output ports
  • Simple on/off control
  • Using drivers and buffers
  • Relay basics
  • Relays handle more power
  • Optical isolation
  • Solid state relays
  • Control bits and bytes with software

Chapter 3 – Digital Inputs

  • Introduction to input ports
  • Basic TTL inputs
  • Circuit isolation
  • Current sinks and sources
  • LED considerations
  • Monitor high voltages
  • Sense bits with software
  • Flags
  • Put it all together
  • A final note about I/O ports

Chapter 4 – Sensor Interfacing

  • Example 1: Thermal switch
  • Example 2: Level switch
  • Example 3: Hall-effect proximity switch
  • Example 4: Photoelectric sensor
  • Example 5: Shaft encoder
  • Example 6: Output more than 8 bits

Appendix & Glossary

  • Switch and Relay Configurations