I2C Protocol

I2C, or Inter-Integrated Circuit, is a simple communication protocol often used in embedded systems to
transfer data between a master (or multiple masters) and a single slave (or multiple slaves) device. It is a
bidirectional two-wire serial bus that uses serial clock (SCL) and serial data (SDA) wires to send and
manage data bit by bit between devices connected to the bus.

In I2C operations, the master controls the exchange of data between the devices. A master device signals
to a slave to send data or request a response. To accomplish this, all slave devices must have a unique
address included in the I2C message.

When sending data over the bus, each I2C message includes an address frame of the slave device and one
or more data frames containing the data being transmitted. The message also includes start and stop
conditions, read/write bits from either the master or slave and ACK/NACK bits sent from the receiver for
error checking.

I2C is considered to be synchronous, meaning it operates using a serial clock. The clock is driven by the
master device which allows the output of bits to be synchronized to the sampling of bits by the clock
signal shared between the master and the slave.

The standard data transfer rate of the I2C protocol is 100 kbps, although data speeds of up to 5 Mbps are
possible with I2C devices configured in "fast mode" or "ultra-fast mode".

SPI Protocol

SPI, or Serial Peripheral Interface, is a serial communication protocol often used in embedded systems for
high-speed data exchanges between devices on the bus. It operates using a master-slave paradigm that
includes at least four signals: a clock (SCLK), a master output/slave input (MOSI), a master input/slave
output (MISO), and a slave select (SS) signal. The SCLK, MOSI, and MISO signals are shared by all
devices on the bus. The SCLK signal is generated by the master device for synchronization, while the
MOSI and MISO lines are used for data exchange. Additionally, each slave device added to the bus has its
own SS line. The master pulls low on a slave's SS line to select a device for communication.
SPI communication supports full-duplex communication, meaning that both the master and slave can
transmit data simultaneously.

The exchange itself has no pre-defined protocol which makes SPI ideal for data-streaming applications. It
also has no maximum speed; data speeds over 100 MHz have been achieved.

Understanding UART

UART, or Universal Asynchronous Receiver/ Transmitter, is a physical circuit in a microcontroller or

single integrated circuit (IC) that is used to implement serial communication between devices in an
embedded system. Essentially, a UART’s main purpose is to transmit and receive serial data.

In UART communication, two UARTs communicate directly with each other; the UART on the sender
device, or the transmitting UART, receives parallel data from the CPU (microprocessor or
microcontroller) and converts it to serial data. This serial data is transmitted to the UART on the receiver
device or the receiving UART. The receiving UART converts the received serial data back to parallel data
and sends it to the CPU. For UART to convert serial-to-parallel and parallel-to-serial data, shift registers
on the transmitting and receiving UART are used.

In UART communication, only two wires are required for communication: data flows from the Tx pin of
the transmitting UART (Transmitter Tx) to the Rx pin of the receiving UART (Receiver Rx).
UART data is sent over the bus in the form of a packet. A packet consists of a start bit, data frame, a
parity bit, and stop bits. The parity bit is used as an error check mechanism to help ensure data integrity.

UART is considered to be “universal” because the parameters including transfer speed and data speed are
configurable by the developer. UART supports bidirectional data transmission, including half-duplex and
full-duplex operations. It is also asynchronous, meaning it doesn’t use a clock signal to synchronize the
output bits from the transmitting UART to the sampling bits on the receiving UART. Without a clock, the
receiving and transmitting UART need to be on the same baud rate, or bit rate. This allows the system to
know where and when the bits have been clocked.

Comparing I2C, SPI, and UART Communication

SPI vs I2C

I2C and SPI protocols specifically are often compared to serial communication protocols because they are
simple, low-cost, and are both implemented using master/slave architecture including a clock driven by
the master for synchronization. While similar in these regards, they also have many differences, and one
is often better suited in certain embedded applications.

I2C uses a two-wire interface where slave devices share the data and clock lines. Because of this, adding
multiple devices to the bus is simple and reduces complexity of the circuit. I2C also includes flow control
and error handling, making it a more reliable protocol. I2C can support multi-masters in a configuration,
while SPI can only support one master.

I2C is often a good choice for connecting short-distanced, low-speed devices like microcontrollers,
EEPROMs, I/O interface, and other peripheral devices like sensors in an embedded system.
SPI is superior in speed compared to I2C. Its push-pull drivers offer enhanced speed and signal integrity
and its full-duplex support means master and slave devices can send data at the same time, allowing for
even quicker data exchanges. While SPI has a speed advantage, it is more difficult and costlier to add
multiple slave devices to the bus. This is because each slave needs its own slave select line, so the number
of wires needed to communicate increases with each device.

SPI is also often used for connecting short-distanced devices within an embedded system, but it is also
ideal for memory applications. For instance, many memory devices like SD cards, multi-media cards,
EEPROMs, and Flash memory use SPI to store data that can easily be erased/rewritten as needed.

UART vs I2C vs SPI

Unlike communication protocols like I2C and SPI, UART is a physical circuit. While SPI and I2C use a
master/slave paradigm to control devices and send data, UART communication incorporates two UART
devices to send and receive the data. It also doesn’t operate using a clock so it is necessary for the baud
rates of each UART to be within 10% of each other to prevent data loss.

While different in these aspects, UART is similar to I2C and SPI in certain ways. For instance, both I2C
and UART implement a two-wire interface to send and receive data which is often ideal for low-speed
data transmission. UART and I2C also both share error-checking mechanisms to help ensure data
integrity: I2C uses an ACK/NACK bit and UART uses a parity bit to distinguish any changes in data
during transmission.

Also, both UART and SPI support full-duplex communication and cannot support a multi-master
configuration. However, SPI is much faster in speed compared to UART and I2C.

UART is often used as a form of device-to-device communication in computer and microcontroller

applications.