what is a programmable I/O ?

twelvenine · 01-05-2009, 07:30 PM

i've looked around google and can't find anything that explains what one is or does. can anybody here help me out?

jlinkels · 01-05-2009, 08:08 PM

Did you really google for that? If the 62,400 hits Google returned do not provide any useful information, how would you expect from us to explain what you want to know without telling us where Google failed? What did Google return what was not applicable to your question?

jlinkels

twelvenine · 01-05-2009, 11:00 PM

uh, it was all technical documents that kinda assumed the reader knew a lot already. patents, stuff like that. it seems like it can mean a number of different things based on google results for "programmable i o". thought somebody here would know what it basically means when something is called a programmable i/o.

jiml8 · 01-05-2009, 11:12 PM

It means it is an I/O device of some sort whose functions can be programmed. For instance, if it is a digital IO board it could be programmed to act like a parallel port. If it is an analog I/O board it could be programmed to output music, or to input analog signals. I personally am programming one of those right now to monitor satellite transmissions.

The short version is that if you need to ask the question, you won't need one of them. If you do need one of them, you'll know what it does.

pixellany · 01-05-2009, 11:26 PM

Consistent with the above, you will always get better answers when you give the context of the question.

Example:

Why is the grass green?

1. because the emitted wavelength stimulates the receptors in our eye which we have learned to call "green".

2. because Chlorophyll absorbs light in the range of ~500-600 nanometers.

3. because it was just fertilized.

Depending on why you asked, one of these **might** make sense....

jiml8 · 01-05-2009, 11:39 PM

Quote:

2. because Chlorophyll absorbs light in the range of ~500-600 nanometers.

Ummm...chlorophyll reflects those wavelengths and absorbs the others...we only see plants by their reflected light.

pixellany · 01-05-2009, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiml8

Ummm...chlorophyll reflects those wavelengths and absorbs the others...we only see plants by their reflected light.

touche.....I got my wires crossed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll