The difficulty in designing the communication between PC and single-chip microcomputer lies not in the PC side but in the single-chip microcomputer side. The current loop method is not very good in practice (especially when the PC is designed to work in interrupt mode instead of polling mode). But if the traditional 232 interface is used, the power supply requirement of ±12 volts is obviously difficult to meet, so it is usually appropriate to use a 232 IC with a boost module (such as MAX232) for the interface.
***PS: Nowadays, as serial ports are facing elimination, developing towards USB is a trend***
[ Last edited by netwinxp on 2008-12-28 at 19:29 ]