start bit

start bit

[′stärt ‚bit] (computer science) The first bit transmitted in asynchronous data transmission to unequivocally indicate the start of the word.

start bit

(protocol)A bit which signals the start of transmission ofa character on a serial line. For an RS-423 signal, theline is normally at logical zero which there is no data andthe start bit is a logical one. The zero-one transition tellsthe receiver when to start sampling the signal to extract thedata bits.

start bit

In asynchronous communications, the bit transmitted before each character.