Highlights in Science, Engineering and Technology EMIS 2023

Volume 81 (2024)

Comparison And Selection of Commonly Used Communication

Protocols in Measurement and Control Instruments
Chenyu Zhuang*
Department of Xiamen University Malaysia, Xiamen University, Kuala Lumpur, 13600, Malaysia
* Corresponding Author Email: [email protected]
Abstract. In the contemporary landscape of economic globalization, the salience of the field of
measurement and control has progressively intensified. Simultaneously, the utilization of serial bus
technology within instrumentation has witnessed a considerable proliferation. Consequently, the
judicious selection of an appropriate serial bus protocol has assumed paramount importance. It is
incumbent upon practitioners to consider diverse factors, including the communication principles,
performance attributes, and interfacing requirements, when making their choice, to ensure the
efficacious and stable operation of their systems. This investigation employs a methodology that
amalgamates a comprehensive literature review with experimental comparative analyses to
ascertain the optimal suitability of Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART), Inter-
Integrated Circuit (I2C), and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) communication protocols across
distinct application scenarios. Subsequent to a thorough comparative scrutiny, this study ultimately
elucidates the respective merits and demerits of the UART, I2C, and SPI communication protocols,
in tandem with their most judicious application contexts. This research endeavor serves to furnish
engineers with valuable insights for the judicious selection of serial bus protocols.
Keywords: Communication protocol; Performance; Application scenarios.

1. Introduction
In the ever-evolving landscape of modern communication systems, communication protocols have
assumed a progressively integral role within the realm of communication technology. The primary
focus of this investigation centers on three prevalent communication protocols: UART, I2C, and SPI,
which find extensive application within the domain of measurement and control instruments. These
protocols serve as pivotal conduits for data transmission and hold widespread relevance in critical
domains, including embedded systems. To cater to the diverse demands of various application
environments, it becomes imperative to contemplate a spectrum of factors, encompassing not just
performance and stability, but also energy efficiency, system intricacy, and related considerations [1].
In the field of measurement and control instruments, UART, I2C and SPI are widely used by
engineers as the main communication protocols. They allow reliable data transmission between
devices and promote interoperability between hardware components. They are used for serial
communication, peripheral connection, sensor control and other scenarios. They are the core
communication mode of embedded systems. As a common communication protocol, they are widely
used in electronic devices and embedded systems, promoting interoperability between hardware
components and being the core communication mode of embedded systems. However, the
performance of different communication protocols in different application scenarios has its own
advantages and disadvantages, so it is necessary to deeply compare the performance characteristics
of different communication protocols to ensure the optimal pairing of communication protocols and
application scenarios.
This study expects to find out the differences between UART, I2C and SPI communication
protocols in terms of performance, data transmission rate and system complexity, summarize the
applicability of the three communication protocols in different application scenarios, and provide
system comparison and selection guidelines for measurement and control instrument designers.

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2. Theoretical basic analysis

2.1. UART Communication Protocol
2.1.1 The main features of UART communication protocol
The Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) is an asynchronous communication
protocol that achieves synchronization between transmitter and receiver devices without relying on
clock signals. In this protocol, the transmitter derives its timing information from the bit stream rather
than an external clock signal. Conversely, the receiver employs an internal clock signal to sample the
incoming data and ensures synchronization by maintaining a consistent baud rate for both devices.
This design obviates the need for simultaneous transmission of clock and data signals by the UART
transmitter, ensuring accurate alignment of data flow [2].
2.1.2 The working principle of UART communication protocol
UART usually uses two data lines, one for sending and the other for receiving, to connect to the
peer device through the serial port for data transmission. The sending end converts the data to be
transmitted into serial data, sets the corresponding start bit, data bit, check bit and stop bit according
to the communication protocol, and transmits data at an adapted baud rate [3]. The receiving end
receives data and processes the data according to the communication protocol.
2.2. SPI Communication Protocol
2.2.1 The main features of SPI communication protocol
Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a synchronous communication protocol. The sending end and
the receiving device transmit data synchronously through a shared clock signal, which is
synchronized. Data transmission is usually full duplex, allowing data to be sent and received
simultaneously. Its main device needs to set a clock signal, and the clock rate can be adjusted as
needed, with high flexibility.
SPI has a master-slave architecture, and one master device communicates with one or more slave
devices. The master device is usually a microcontroller or processor and is responsible for controlling
the clock and chip select signals. The slave device is a peripheral device and is responsible for
responding to the instructions of the master device and transmitting data.
2.2.2 The working principle of UART communication protocol
The master device selects the corresponding slave device and selects the communicating slave
device by pulling down the corresponding chip select (CS) signal. The master device generates the
CLK (clock signal) and transmits one bit of data in each clock cycle. Depending on the selected
transfer mode, the master and slave devices acquire data on the clock edge. At the same time, the
master device sends data from the master-out slave-in (MOSI) line to the slave device and receives
data from the slave device, and then passes the master-in-slave-out (MISO) [4].
After the communication operation is completed, the master device will release the chip select
signal and switch to other slave devices for communication or end communication. The SPI protocol
is usually used for short-distance high-speed data transmission communications and is widely used
in embedded systems.
2.3. I2C Communication Protocol
2.3.1 The main features of I2C communication protocol
I2C is used for half-duplex communication and transmits data through clock lines and data lines.
The clock signal for synchronous data transmission uses the clock line, supply chain logistics (SCL),
while the actual data transmission uses the serial data line (SDA) [5]. In communication, data is
divided into frames, and each frame includes a start bit, eight data bits, a check bit and a stop bit. Like
SPI communication protocol, the clock speed of the I2C bus can be adjusted according to the
application scenario.

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2.3.2 The working principle of I2C communication protocol

The initiation of communication in the I2C protocol involves the master controller, which
commences the process by emitting a start condition signal onto the bus. Within this signal, the master
controller includes the address of the target device and the respective read and write bits, signifying
the intended direction of communication. While this operation transpires, the SCL line is dedicated
to transmitting clock signals, and the SDA line sequentially transmits data, bit by bit [6]. Notably, the
initiation and termination of the communication cycle are denoted by specific conditions: the negative
edge of SDA within the context of a high SCL level signifies the commencement, while the rising
edge of SDA within the same high SCL level indicates cessation [7]. During other phases of signal
transmission, the SDA signal remains unaltered when the SCL level is high. Specifically, the Start
segment, which marks the commencement of data transmission, occurs when the SDA line shifts
from high to low while the SCL level remains high. Conversely, the Stop segment, symbolizing the
conclusion of communication, transpires when the SDA line transitions from low to high under the
continued presence of a high SCL level. The graphical representation of these SDA and SCL
conditions, for both initiation and termination, is depicted in Figure 1.

Fig. 1 SDA and SCL conditions to start and stop transmission signals [7]
The selected device responds to the master controller and, with the aid of a clock signal, transmits
data over the data line. The master controller can choose to read or write more data, sending a stop
condition to end the communication if needed. If there are other devices that require communication,
the master controller can resend the start condition and select another device.

3. Verilog simulation
3.1. Experimental principle
3.1.1 UART communication protocol experimental principle
The loop module is used to generate enable signals and data, and then send data cyclically
according to the busy status of the serial port sending module. Its inputs include the sending enable
signal and data to be sent, as well as the sending status of the serial port sending module. The module's
output includes the serial transmit port [8].
In the UART communication protocol simulation, the sending module is used to receive the data
to be sent and the sending enable signal, control the clock according to the baud rate, send data bit by
bit and generate start bits and stop bits to realize UART sending. The output of this module includes
the serial port sending port and sending status flag [9].
The receiving module receives data from the UART receiving port and detects the start bit, count
data bit and stop bit, and finally outputs the received data and reception completion flag. The inputs
to this module include the UART receive port, while the outputs include the receive completion flag,
receive data, and other control signals related to the receive process. The top-level module is used to
integrate different UART modules and realize UART data loopback. Inputs to this module include
the external system clock, system reset signal, and UART receive port.

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3.1.2 SPI communication protocol experimental principle

In the SPI simulation experiment, the writing module is used to control the operation of writing
data to the SD card. It receives the clock signal, reset signal, SPI serial input data signal of the SD
card, and the user's write command and data. The module implements the SPI communication
protocol internally, including sending write commands, sending data, sending CRC verification, and
processing the response of the SD card. The module also generates a write data request signal and a
write data busy signal to notify the external system when the next block of data can be sent.
The reading module is used to control the operation of reading data from the SD card. It receives
the clock signal, reset signal, SPI serial input data signal of the SD card, and the user's read command.
The SPI communication protocol is implemented inside the module, including sending read
commands, receiving data, receiving CRC check, and processing the response of the SD card [10].
The top-level module is used to coordinate and control the read and write operations of the SD
card. It receives the clock signal, reset signal, SPI serial input data signal of the SD card, and the
user's read and write commands and data. This module selects the signal connected to the SD card
interface according to the user's operation, so that the port signal is connected to the initialization
module signal before the SD card initialization is completed.
3.1.3 I2C communication protocol communication protocol experimental principle
For the I2C communication protocol simulation experiment, the read-write module communicates
with the EEPROM through the I2C communication protocol to simulate the process of writing and
reading data. Its main function is to communicate with EEPROM and write or read data according to
the I2C communication protocol. By simulating this module, the read and write performance of
EEPROM can be tested, including read and write speed and correctness. You can simulate writing
and reading different data and observe the simulation results to determine the performance
characteristics of the EEPROM.
The top-level module is used to connect the EEPROM read-write module and the I2C
communication protocol driver module. Pass the read and write operation request to the EEPROM
read and write module and process the status and response information from the I2C communication
protocol driver module [11]. By simulating this module, the functions of the entire EEPROM reading
and writing system are tested, including starting and stopping reading and writing operations and
handling error conditions.
The driver module is used to implement communication between the I2C communication protocol
and EEPROM, including state machine, clock frequency division, data sending and receiving, and
response processing. Through simulation, communication scenarios of different I2C communication
protocols can be simulated and the performance of I2C communication, including clock frequency,
data transmission speed and response processing, can be tested to evaluate the performance and
correctness of the I2C driver module.
3.2. Simulation design and results
In order to more intuitively compare the performance differences of UART, SPI and I2C
communication protocol, I used ModelSim to conduct Verilog simulation of the three communication
protocols. Figure 2 shows the simulation results of the three communication protocols.

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Fig. 2 Verilog simulation waveform (Photo/Picture credit: Original)

The blue waveforms are the sending data (uart_txd) line and receiving data (uart_rxd) line of the
UART communication protocol respectively. The orange waveforms are the master input and slave
output (spi_miso) lines, clock (spi_clk) lines, chip select (spi_cs) lines and master output and slave
input (spi_mosi) lines of SPI communication protocol respectively. The green waveforms are the
clock (iic_scl) lines and data (iic_sda) lines of I2C communication protocol respectively.
In Verilog simulation, for UART communication protocol, the input and output device sides are
set to the same baud rate, so the sending and receiving data have the same timing. It can be seen from
the simulated waveform that the UART communication protocol's sending data and receiving data
are completely consistent.
It can be seen from the simulation of the SPI communication protocol that its serial data can be
sent and received at the same time, and the clock can be changed by changing the frequency. The
main module of the SPI communication protocol and the peripheral clock phase and polarity that
communicate with it are completely consistent.
For I2C communication protocol, When the bus is idle, both the clock and data lines are high.
When starting transmission, SCL remains high. After SDA changes from high level to low level, a
delay of several microseconds occurs, and then SCL changes to low level. When SCL is at high level,
SDA will transition from low to high.
It can be seen from the simulation results that SPI communication protocol has the highest rate
and UART communication protocol has the lowest rate.
3.3. Performance analysis
UART communication protocol has only two data lines, used for sending and receiving. And
UART communication protocol does not require a clock, it just needs to be consistent with the device-
side rate. The counterpart of SPI and I2C communication protocol mainly corresponds to the memory
configuration interface or memory chip, such as SD card. Moreover, the clocks of SPI and I2C
communication protocol need to correspond to the data lines to represent timing, and the data transfer
rate needs to be aligned through the clock. Therefore, UART is the simplest communication protocol.
In terms of device connection, UART communication protocol can only be connected to one
device, that is, a one-to-one connection. SPI communication protocol can connect to several devices,
but the number is limited. In an ideal world, since the I2C communication protocol device address
has eight bits, there are 255 possible combinations. Each device has a unique address by which the
host controller can select the device to communicate with. However, due to limitations in current,
voltage, drive, etc. and the difficulty of hardware design, only three to four devices can be connected
in actual situations.
The SPI communication protocol transceiver end has synchronization of data transmission under
the shared clock signal, so under the premise of the parameters set in this experiment, the SPI
communication protocol transmission rate is the fastest. The UART communication protocol has the
slowest speed, the data line is the longest among the three, and the fault tolerance rate is also the
highest. I2C communication protocol is generally on the same board, so the data line length is limited.

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In addition, since SDA will transition from low to high when SCL is at a high level, the stop signal
is a level transition timing signal rather than a level signal. The performance comparison and
applicable scenarios is shown in table 1.
Table 1. Performance comparison and applicable scenarios
UART SPI I2C
Speed Low High Medium
Pin Two wires Multi-line Two wires
Support multiple slave Support multiple slave
Peer Peer to peer
devices devices
Hardware
Simple Complex Medium
complexity
Distance Long Short Short
Mode Simplex or duplex Full duplex Simplex or duplex
1. High speed data
1. Multi-slave device
1. Long distance transmission.
Application communication.
communication. 2. Memory interface.
scenarios 2. Low power
2. simple sensor 3. Multi-sensor
applications
configuration

The parameters such as the transmission distance set in the experiment are feasible under ideal
circumstances. In practice, problems such as line length limitations, peer equipment configuration
limitations, and transmission errors may be faced. It needs to be measured and verified on the board
to solve it.

4. Conclusion
In summary, this study conducts a multi-faceted comparison and evaluation of UART, I2C and
SPI communication protocols, providing important reference and guidance for designers of
measurement and control instruments. Based on our experimental results and analysis, the following
conclusions can be drawn.
First of all, the UART communication protocol has good stability and reliability. Therefore, the
UART communication protocol is an ideal choice for applications that require stable long-distance
data transmission, especially for simple sensor applications.
Secondly, the SPI communication protocol has excellent performance in applications with large-
scale data transmission or fast response. Therefore, in the design of high-demand measurement and
control instruments, the SPI communication protocol should be highly valued and widely used in
high-speed data transmission, memory interfaces and multi-sensor configuration.
The I2C communication protocol excels in multi-slave communication and low-power
applications, making it the first choice for connecting multiple peripherals or sensors. In a multi-
sensor configuration, the capability of the I2C communication protocol can enable collaborative work
between different sensors and provide more information to the system.
The above conclusions may help designers of measurement and control instruments choose
communication protocols in different application scenarios and help optimize system performance
and complexity. It is hoped that this research can provide valuable guidance for future measurement
and control instrument design and promote the continuous development and progress of measurement
and control instrument technology.

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