hi handsprince
any pins of microcontroller can be used.
for application information you can refer to philips application note for RTC PCF8563-73-83-93.
i attached it's connection. rp=10 K ohm.
and you can use super cap. (0.1-0.47 F/5.5V ) to maintain it running in time of power failure.
I'm confused with this and can anybody please explain.
Further my design is to get the time once a second and transmit it to a PC via PIC16F877A with other data of my sensors. I hope I can use "Counter function modes" for that purpose. I'll be very grateful if u can sent me the proper connection diagram as i dont hav any understanding about the calculation of values of capacitors and resistors used here. Thanks
Like Davood Amerion says, you can use most any pins of the CPU. BUT, if you choose ones with an internal weak pullup (and enable those weak pullups), you'd require 2 components less, and make your PCB that much simpler.
Thanks Anand Dhuru. But I want to know whether I have to connect an external oscillator too. If we have to, how to calculate the frequency of the oscillator?
I can't see an external oscillator. There's just a crystal. Some RTC devices have a built-in crystal, e.g. from Epson. For NXP PCF8583
or DS1307, you have to add it externally. Only the oscillator circuit is provided by the RTC device.