A Programmable Interval Timer (PIT) provides one or more counters which trigger an interrupt when they reach their programmed count.

Common Features

PITs counters may be one-shot or periodic. One-shot timers interrupt only once, and then stop counting. Periodic timers interrupt every time they reach a specific value.

Counters are usually programmed with fixed increment intervals which determine how long the counter counts before it triggers an interrupt. The interval increments therefore determine the resolution for which the counter may be programmed to generate its one-shot or periodic interrupt.

Well Known PITs

One of the best known PITs is the Intel 8253 and Intel 8254 family. The Intel 8253/8254 is a programmable interval timer chip (PIT) used to perform timing and counting functions, found on all x86 PCs. ... The Intel 8253/8254 is a programmable interval timer chip used to perform timing and counting functions, found on all x86 PCs. ...

See also

• Intel 8253