DEPARTMENT OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION

ANDHRA PRADESH
Name : A. Usha Rani
Designation : Lecturer
Branch : Electronics & Communication Engg.
Institute : GPT for Women, Bheemunipatnam
Year/Semester : IV Semester
Subject : Microprocessors
Subject code : CM 405
Topic : Interrupts and Assembly Language
Programming
Duration : 100 minutes
Subtopic : Interrupt And Its Need, Classification
Of Interrupts, Sources Of Interrupt
Teaching Aids : PPT
Revised by :K.Srikanth,Lecturer,GPT, Nizamabad
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 Objectives

On completion of this period, you would be able to

understand

• Interrupt and its need

• Classification of interrupts

• Sources of interrupt in 8086

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 What Is An Interrupt ?

• The process of deviating the normal sequence of

program execution of the processor for the purpose of

getting some kind of service from it

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 Need For Interrupt

• A device requires some service from the processor, e.g.

a key board has data to send to the processor

OR

• The processor informs its requirement of data, say from

Hard Disk

• As and when the data is ready with the device, it

interrupts the processor to indicate its readiness to
transfer data
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 Interrupt Process

• Person using the keyboard types one character per

second
• Microprocessor can execute some other software during
that period
• Keyboard interrupts the processor
• Microprocessor initiates data transfer

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• Interrupts are useful for efficient data transfer between
processor and peripheral

• Processor time is effectively utilized

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What Microprocessor Will Do When Interrupt
Comes ?
• On receiving the interrupt signal, microprocessor stops
the current program execution

• Saves its status on stack

• Renders service to the interrupting device by executing

an appropriate Interrupt Service Procedure (ISP)

• Then it resumes normal program execution

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 Classification Of Interrupts

According to the source of interrupt

• Hardware interrupts

• Software interrupts

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 Hardware interrupts

•Interrupts initiated by external hardware or peripherals

Ex: interrupts coming to 8086 on INTR and NMI pins

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 Software Interrupts

•Instructions inserted at desired locations in a program

Ex: INT 40H

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According to the starting address of Interrupt
service

• Vectored interrupts

• Non-Vectored interrupts

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Vectored Interrupt

When the interrupt comes, the program control automatically

branches to a specific address (called vector address)

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Non- Vectored Interrupts

Interrupting device should supply the address of

Interrupt Service Routine

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According to the ability to accept interrupt
request
• Maskable interrupts

• Non-Maskable interrupts

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Maskable Interrupts

Interrupts that can be either accepted or rejected

by the processor

Ex : INTR of 8086

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Non- maskable interrupts

Interrupts whose request has to be definitely accepted

( or cannot be ignored ) by the processor

Ex : NMI of 8086

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Vector address

The address where ISR is starting in memory

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 Enabling And Disabling The Interrupts

When an interrupt comes, we can make the processor to

either accept or reject the interrupts with the help of
Interrupt Enable (IE) flag

• If interrupt flag is set, Interrupts are enabled

• If interrupt flag is reset, Interrupts are ignored

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 Summary
We have discussed about

• What is an Interrupt
• Its need
• Classification based on different factors

• Hardware & Software interrupts

• Vectored & Non-vectored interrupts
• Maskable & Non-maskable interrupts

• Enabling and disabling of interrupts in 8086

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 Quiz
1. Interrupt is useful for

a) Data transfer between memory and processor

b) Data transfer between registers

c) Efficient data transfer between processor and

Peripheral

d) All of the above

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2. Maskable Interrupt means

a) Interrupt that must be accepted always

b) Interrupt that can be accepted or rejected

c) Interrupt that must be rejected always

d) Moving the interrupt

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3. Hard ware Interrupt means

a) Interrupt initiated by an external device

b) Interrupt initiated by an instruction

c) Interrupt that must be rejected always

d) Interrupt that must be accepted always

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4. In 8086, Interrupt can come from

a) An external device over the pins NMI and INTR

b) Execution of an instruction INT n

c) An exceptional condition during program execution

d) All of the above

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 Frequently asked questions
1. What is an Interrupt? Explain its need

2. Classify the interrupts of 8086.

3. What are the sources of Interrupts in 8086 ?

4. What are hardware Interrupts and software Interrupts ?

5. What is interrupt service routine (ISR) ?

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