Hamming Code in C

Introduction

Hamming Code is a set of error-correction codes that can detect & correct errors in data bits. It's a lifesaver in digital communications & computer engineering, ensuring the reliability of data transmission. This article will guide you through Hamming Code's concept, its implementation in C, & the practical aspects of error detection & correction. By the end, you'll grasp the fundamental workings of this coding technique, capable of implementing it in C, & understanding its real-world applications.

Let's dive into the core of Hamming Code. It's a method developed by Richard Hamming in the 1950s to detect & correct errors in transmitted data. In the digital world, data often gets corrupted during transmission due to various factors like electrical noise or interference. Hamming Code helps in identifying & fixing these errors, ensuring the integrity of the data.

Implementation in C

Now, we'll look into implementing Hamming Code in C. This section will provide you with a step-by-step guide & a comprehensive code example.

• Setting Up the Environment: Before diving into coding, make sure your C programming environment is set up. You can use any C compiler like GCC. Install it by running sudo apt-get install gcc on Linux or using appropriate methods for other operating systems.
   
• Understanding the Logic: The essence of Hamming Code lies in its ability to add redundancy bits to the data. These redundancy bits are placed at specific positions (typically powers of 2) in the data sequence. Their values are determined based on the data bits, following certain parity rules.

Writing the Code: Here’s a simple code snippet for generating a Hamming Code.

• C

C

#include <stdio.h>

#include <math.h>

int main() {

    int data[10];

    int data_at_reciever[10];

    int c,c1,c2,c3,i;


    printf("Enter 4 bits of data one by one\n");

    scanf("%d", &data[0]);

    scanf("%d", &data[1]);

    scanf("%d", &data[2]);

    scanf("%d", &data[4]);

    //Calculation of even parity

    data[6] = data[0] ^ data[2] ^ data[4];

    data[5] = data[0] ^ data[1] ^ data[4];

    data[3] = data[0] ^ data[1] ^ data[2];

    printf("\nEncoded data is\n");

    for (i = 0; i < 7; i++) {

        printf("%d ",data[i]);

    }

    return 0;

}

You can also try this code with Online C Compiler

Run Code

Output

This code asks for 4 bits of data & then calculates the parity bits. It then displays the encoded data with parity bits.