How to use this on a job
A drive manual says bit 7 is set. Your watch table says −84. The packet capture says AC. These can all describe the same byte. Start with the stored bits, then decide how the software should interpret them.
- 01
Choose the input format and register width. Enter digits without a radix prefix; spaces or underscores may separate binary, octal or hexadecimal groups.
- 02
Use unsigned for masks and status words. Use signed when the source explicitly declares a signed integer. Decimal input must fit that interpretation; other bases describe the stored pattern.
- 03
Flip a bit below. Its position tells you its weight: bit 0 is worth 1, bit 1 is worth 2, and bit 7 is worth 128. Group four bits at a time to read hexadecimal.
Work through one example
172 = 10 × 16 + 12
1010 1100 has two nibbles: 1010 = A and 1100 = C. Its unsigned value is 128 + 32 + 8 + 4 = 172. With 8-bit two’s-complement interpretation, subtract 256 to obtain −84. Change to signed without changing the bits to see that distinction.
Before you trust the answer
Changing the width can change the meaning. FF is −1 as a signed 8-bit pattern but +255 in a signed 16-bit register. This converter rejects overflow; it does not silently drop high bits. Decimal signed values and unsigned hexadecimal patterns are deliberately different input conventions.