• What is a computer "bus?"

    From Bobbie Sellers@21:1/5 to Doug Laidlaw on Sat Aug 11 08:59:01 2018
    On 8/11/18 8:41 AM, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
    A bus is usually drawn in circuits as one thick line with wires going
    into or out of both ends.  In my experience, that is done with a bundle
    of wires in a "loom," but a bus seems to be different.  Is there a
    simple explanation of a bus?

    Doug.

    Simple no, easy yes!
    "Bus" is used as a term for several functions.
    Here is an article that is more or less correct with illustrations.
    <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_%28computing%29>

    Besides the electronic communications buses though there
    are power buses that supply energy to drive the computer. That
    is where the bundle of wires idea of it is pretty accurate. But
    the interfaces may supply power to the individual cards or devices
    plugged into or soldered onto, a communications bus.
    *read the article*

    bliss
    --
    bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

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  • From Doug Laidlaw@21:1/5 to All on Sun Aug 12 01:41:07 2018
    A bus is usually drawn in circuits as one thick line with wires going
    into or out of both ends. In my experience, that is done with a bundle
    of wires in a "loom," but a bus seems to be different. Is there a
    simple explanation of a bus?

    Doug.

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  • From William Unruh@21:1/5 to All on Sat Aug 11 16:37:15 2018
    On 2018-08-11, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

    It is a set of traces on the board which connects for example memory to
    the cpu. Ie, it is path along which data flows from one place to the
    other.


    A bus is usually drawn in circuits as one thick line with wires going
    into or out of both ends. In my experience, that is done with a bundle
    of wires in a "loom," but a bus seems to be different. Is there a
    simple explanation of a bus?

    Doug.

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  • From David W. Hodgins@21:1/5 to Doug Laidlaw on Sat Aug 11 12:34:52 2018
    On Sat, 11 Aug 2018 11:41:07 -0400, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

    A bus is usually drawn in circuits as one thick line with wires going
    into or out of both ends. In my experience, that is done with a bundle
    of wires in a "loom," but a bus seems to be different. Is there a
    simple explanation of a bus?

    See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_(computing)

    Regards, Dave Hodgins

    --
    Change dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org to davidwhodgins@teksavvy.com for
    email replies.

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  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to William Unruh on Sat Aug 11 19:16:42 2018
    On 11/08/18 17:37, William Unruh wrote:
    On 2018-08-11, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

    It is a set of traces on the board which connects for example memory to
    the cpu. Ie, it is path along which data flows from one place to the
    other.


    A bus is usually drawn in circuits as one thick line with wires going
    into or out of both ends. In my experience, that is done with a bundle
    of wires in a "loom," but a bus seems to be different. Is there a
    simple explanation of a bus?

    Doug.
    Too specific. A bus is simply a bunch of connections -
    power/address/data - shared by more than one other device.

    So CPU might have and address and a data bus to talk to RAM. an IEEE -
    488 device would have both on it. A USB bus includes power, and so on.



    --
    “Ideas are inherently conservative. They yield not to the attack of
    other ideas but to the massive onslaught of circumstance"

    - John K Galbraith

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  • From Ken Hart@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Thu Aug 16 11:14:19 2018
    On 08/11/2018 02:16 PM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 11/08/18 17:37, William Unruh wrote:
    On 2018-08-11, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

    It is a set of traces on the board which connects for example memory to
    the cpu. Ie, it is path along which data flows from one place to the
    other.


    A bus is usually drawn in circuits as one thick line with wires going
    into or out of both ends.  In my experience, that is done with a bundle >>> of wires in a "loom," but a bus seems to be different.  Is there a
    simple explanation of a bus?

    Doug.
    Too specific. A bus is simply a bunch of connections -
    power/address/data - shared by more than one other device.

    So  CPU might have and address and a data bus to talk to RAM. an IEEE -
    488 device would  have both on it. A USB bus includes power, and so on.




    The other respondents have provided good answers, but it might be
    important to know the difference between a "bus" in computer terminology
    and electrical wiring.

    In electrical use, a bus is a connection point for a single voltage
    level. For example, the ground bus in a circuit breaker panel is a solid
    metal bar with screw lugs for the individual ground wires coming from
    the electrical outlets. Likewise, a bus can be at a high voltage: a 440
    volt AC bus to supply voltage to multiple load centers.

    I mention this only because getting the two definitions confused could
    have seriously bad results.

    --
    Ken Hart
    kwhart1@frontier.com

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  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to Ken Hart on Thu Aug 16 20:22:29 2018
    On 16/08/18 16:14, Ken Hart wrote:
    On 08/11/2018 02:16 PM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 11/08/18 17:37, William Unruh wrote:
    On 2018-08-11, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

    It is a set of traces on the board which connects for example memory to
    the cpu. Ie, it is path along which data flows from one place to the
    other.


    A bus is usually drawn in circuits as one thick line with wires going
    into or out of both ends.  In my experience, that is done with a bundle >>>> of wires in a "loom," but a bus seems to be different.  Is there a
    simple explanation of a bus?

    Doug.
    Too specific. A bus is simply a bunch of connections -
    power/address/data - shared by more than one other device.

    So  CPU might have and address and a data bus to talk to RAM. an IEEE
    - 488 device would  have both on it. A USB bus includes power, and so on. >>



    The other respondents have provided good answers, but it might be
    important to know the difference between a "bus" in computer terminology
    and electrical wiring.

    In electrical use, a bus is a connection point for a single voltage
    level. For example, the ground bus in a circuit breaker panel is a solid metal bar with screw lugs for the individual ground wires coming from
    the electrical outlets. Likewise, a bus can be at a high voltage: a 440
    volt AC bus to supply voltage to multiple load centers.

    I mention this only because getting the two definitions confused could
    have seriously bad results.

    In the end a bus is simply a common connection for lots of 'stuff'

    The size of it depends on how much electrucity goes througfh it.

    BTW in the UK such a circuit breaker is known as a Consumer Unit, or
    CU...and it's the Earth bus, not Ground.




    --
    How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

    Adolf Hitler

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