Interface

‌1. What is Hardware Interface?‌

‌Physical Connection Definition‌: The interface is the physical circuit and electrical specification for signal transmission between electronic devices (such as CPU and memory, CPU and peripherals), ensuring reliable connection and data interaction between devices.

‌Functional Encapsulation‌: Combining multiple related signals (such as data lines, address lines, and control signals) into a unified channel to simplify the complexity of communication between devices. For example, the bus interface can integrate data, address, and request signals.

‌2. What are the Core Functions of Hardware Interface?‌

‌Protocol Standardization‌: Define the rules such as timing, voltage, data format, etc. for device interaction to ensure compatibility (such as I²C, SPI serial interface).

‌Control Logic Implementation‌: Coordinate multi-device collaboration by controlling the interface state (activate/disable) through enable signals (EN) and other control signals.

‌Signal Conversion and Adaptation‌: Convert signal types in analog/digital hybrid systems (such as ADC/DAC interface).

‌3. Example of Hardware Interface Design Specifications‌

‌System-level Description‌: In the hardware description language SystemVerilog, the interface can encapsulate the data bus, address bus and control signal, and support task functions (such as timer operations).

‌Physical Layer Characteristics‌: The interface must comply with electrical standards (such as impedance matching and level range) to prevent signal distortion.

‌4. Distinction from Software Interface‌

The hardware interface emphasizes physical connection and electrical protocol, which is different from the abstract interface in software programming that only defines behavioral specifications (such as the Interface in Go/Java).

5. Summary‌