8086 MINIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
MINIMUM MODE 8086 SYSTEM
In a minimum mode 8086 system, the microprocessor 8086 is operated in
minimum mode by strapping its MN//MX pin to logic 1.
In this mode, all the control signals are given out by the microprocessor chip
itself. There is a single microprocessor in the minimum mode system.
The remaining components in the system are latches, Tran receivers, clock
generator, memory and I/O devices. Some type of chip selection logic may be
required for selecting memory or I/O devices, depending upon the address map of
the system.
Latches are generally buffered output D-type flip-flops like 74LS373 or 8282.
They are used for separating the valid address from the multiplexed address/data
signals and are controlled by the ALE signal generated by 8086.
8086 MINIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
Transreceivers are the bidirectional buffers and some times they are called as data
amplifiers. They are required to separate the valid data from the time multiplexed
address/data signals.
They are controlled by two signals namely, DEN and DT/R.
The DEN signal indicates the direction of data, i.e. from or to the processor. The
system contains memory for the monitor and users program storage.
Usually, EPROM is used for monitor storage, while RAM for user’s program
storage. A system may contain I/O devices.
The working of the minimum mode configuration system can be better described
in terms of the timing diagrams rather than qualitatively describing the operations.
The opcode fetch and read cycles are similar. Hence the timing diagram can be
categorized in two parts, the first is the timing diagram for read cycle and the
second is the timing diagram for write cycle.
The read cycle begins in T1 with the assertion of address latch enable (ALE)
signal and also M / IO signal. During the negative going edge of this signal, the
valid address is latched on the local bus.
The BHE and A0 signals address low, high or both bytes. From T 1 to T4, the M/IO
signal indicates a memory or I/O operation.
At T2, the address is removed from the local bus and is sent to the output. The bus
is then tristated. The read (RD) control signal is also activated in T 2.
The read (RD) signal causes the address device to enable its data bus drivers.
After RD goes low, the valid data is available on the data bus.
8086 MINIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
The addressed device will drive the READY line high. When the processor
returns the read signal to high level, the addressed device will again tri state its
bus drivers.
A write cycle also begins with the assertion of ALE and the emission of the
address. The M/IO signal is again asserted to indicate a memory or I/O operation.
In T2, after sending the address in T1, the processor sends the data to be written to
the addressed location.
The data remains on the bus until middle of T 4 state. The WR becomes active at
the beginning of T2 (unlike RD is somewhat delayed in T2 to provide time for
floating).
The BHE and A0 signals are used to select the proper byte or bytes of memory or
I/O word to be read or write.
The M/IO, RD and WR signals indicate the type of data transfer as specified in
table below.
8086 MINIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
Write Cycle Timing Diagram for Minimum Mode
Hold Response sequence: The HOLD pin is checked at leading edge of each clock pulse.
If it is received active by the processor before T 4 of the previous cycle or during T 1 state
of the current cycle, the CPU activates HLDA in the next clock cycle and for succeeding
bus cycles, the bus will be given to another requesting master.
The control of the bus is not regained by the processor until the requesting master does
not drop the HOLD pin low. When the request is dropped by the requesting master, the
HLDA is dropped by the processor at the trailing edge of the next clock.
8086 MINIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
Bus Request and Bus Grant Timings in Minimum Mode System
Read Cycle timing Diagram for Minimum Mode
8086 MAXIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
8086 MAXIMUM MODE
Maximum mode is one of the two hardware modes available to the Intel 8086 and
8088 processors (CPU).Maximum mode is for large applications such as multiprocessing.
The mode is hard-wired into the circuit and cannot be changed by software.
The Bus controller is introduced here due to the support of multiprocessor environment
of Maximum mode. The decoder is used to select desired memory chips. The remaining
components of this circuit are similar to 8088 minimum mode circuit, as shown in figure.
Note that the bank high enable signal is used to control the access of even or odd memory
banks of 8086 system.
The status codes (S0, S1, S2) of the CPU is used by the bus controller to activate
maximum mode memory control signals: These codes are important for multiprocessor
environment, supported by Maximum mode.
8086 MAXIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
Maximum-mode Memory-Read bus-cycle of 8086 system
To complete the minimum-mode memory-read bus-cycle, the required control signals
with appropriate active logic levels are:
IO/M = ‘logic 0’, to select memory interface
MN/MX = ‘logic 0’, to select maximum-mode of operation
DT/R = ‘logic 0’, to activate the data-receive mode of ‘Data-bus-buffer’
Valid Physical-address (A0 to A19) and BHE signal is generated by CPU
ALE-pulse, to latch the valid Physical-address. ( )
Proper status code S0 to S2 (as shown in table of slide 8) is generated by
CPU to initiate data reading (MRDC) from the desired memory bank
DEN = ‘1’, enables the ‘Data-Bus-transceiver-buffer’ to let data pass
Reset MRDC and DEN signals to END the read-bus-cycle.
The timing diagram for 8086 maximum mode memory read operation is shown below
using logic ‘0’ and ‘1’ waveforms.
8086 MAXIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING
Maximum-mode Memory-Read cycle of 8086
The timing diagram for 8086 maximum mode memory read operation is shown below
using logic ‘0’ and ‘1’ wave forms.To complete the maximum-mode memory-write bus-
cycle, the required control signals with appropriate active logic levels are:
IO/M = ‘logic 0’, to select memory interface
MN/MX = ‘logic 0’, to select maximum-mode of operation
DT/R = ‘logic 1’, to activate the data-transmit mode of ‘Data-bus-buffer’
Valid Physical-address (A0 to A19) and BHE signal is generated by CPU
ALE-pulse, to latch the valid Physical-address.
Proper status code S0 to S2 (as shown in table of slide 8) is generated by
CPU to initiate data writing (MRTC) from the desired memory bank
DEN = ‘1’, enables the ‘Data-Bus-transceiver-buffer’ to let data pass
Reset MRTC and DEN signals to END the read-bus-cycle
8086 MAXIMUM MODE MICROPROCESSORS & INTERFACING