Serial and parallel ports are two different types of connecting devices. They can be used to connect all sorts of peripherals like modems, mice, and printers. In this section, we will discuss the differences between serial and parallel ports.
The major difference between serial and parallel ports is that serial ports transfer data one bit at a time, while parallel ports can transfer data 8 bits at a time. Serial ports have to take apart the 8 bits in a byte, and transfer them one by one. On the other hand, the newer parallel ports line up the 8 bits and can transfer them all at once.
Because serial ports can only transfer data one bit at a time, it's pretty obvious that they are much slower than the parallel ports that can transfer data eight bits at a time. However, serial ports are also smaller and also require fewer wires. This is because parallel ports need eight wires to be able to transfer all eight bits at one time. Also, serial ports are much cheaper than parallel ports.
Serial Ports:
Serial ports work by breaking up bytes into separate bits. It can only do this by using a special controller chip called the Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART). If your computer has both parallel and serial ports, then the UART takes the bytes from the parallel ports and breaks them up into individual bits so they can go through a serial port.
Most serial ports can transfer data at 115 kilobits per second. However, there are some super fast serial ports, like the Enhanced Serial Port (ESP) and the Super Enhanced Serial Port (Super ESP).
Parallel Ports:
If you have a printer connected to your computer, then you most likely have parallel ports in your computer system. This is because almost all printers are connected to a computer system via parallel ports.
As stated above, parallel ports can transfer eight bits of data at a time. The bits are transferred side by side, in parallel fashion. Parallel ports can usually transfer data at about 50 to 100 kilobytes per second. As you can see, this is much faster than the serial port's 115 kilobits per second.
There are three newer types of parallel ports:
1. Standard Parallel Port
Standard Parallel Ports were introduced in 1987. Originally, the devices connected to a parallel port could only receive data. They could not send data to the computer. Well, the standard parallel port changed all of that. This new port made it possible for devices to both receive and transmit data!
2. Enhanced Parallel Port
Developed in 1991, the Enhanced Parallel Port made it possible to transfer more data than before with the regular parallel ports! Up to 2 megabytes of data could be transmitted each second!
3. Extended Capabilities Port
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