MSP430 Project 3

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What is the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) protocol?

I2C is a synchronous, multi-controller/multi-target (historically termed as multi-master/multi-slave), single-ended, serial communication bus invented in 1982 by Philips Semiconductors. ^[1]

Each I2C device is recognized by a unique address and can operate as either a transmitter or a receiver. A device connected to the I2C bus can be considered as the master or the slave when performing data transfers. A master initiates a data transfer and generates the clock signal SCL. Any device addressed by a master is considered a slave.

I2C data is communicated using the serial data pin (SDA) and the serial clock pin (SCL). Both SDA and SCL are bidirectional, and must be connected to a positive supply voltage using a pullup resistor.

Widely used for attaching lower-speed peripheral integrated circuits (I2C) to processors and microcontrollers in short-distance intra-board communication.

Abbr.	Name	Description
SDA	Serial DAta	Serial data from master/controller.
SCL	Serial CLock	Clock signal from master/controller.
Vdd	Positive Drain Drain	Positive Supply Voltage

Characteristics

• Synchronous (Has a clock signal).
• Multi-controller / Multi-target.
• Single-ended.
• Serial communication bus.