https://www.instructables.
com/I2C-between-Arduinos/
https://forum.arduino.cc/t/master-slave-spi-communication-between-two-arduino-uno/626991
Maybe sometimes we want to share the workload of one Arduino
with another. Or maybe we want more digital or analog pins. Inter-
Integrated Circuit or I2C (pronounced I squared C) is the best
solution.
I2C is an interesting protocol. It's usually used to communicate
between components on motherboards in cameras and in any
embedded electronic system.
Here, we will make an I2C bus using two Arduinos. We will program
one master Arduino to command the other slave Arduino to blink its
built-in LED once or twice depending on the received value.
In order to build this we need the following "ingredients":
2 Arduinos
Jumper cables
This instructable and many more can be found in my Arduino
Development Cookbookavailable here. :D
Step 1: How to Connect Them
Follow these steps to connect two Arduino UNOs using I2C:
1. Connect pins A4 and A5 on one Arduino to the same pins on the
other one.
2. The GND line has to be common for both Arduinos. Connect it with
a jumper.
We also have a schematic and a "breadboard" implementation, both
easy to follow. Luckily, it's a simple implementation.
Remember never to connect 5 V and 3.3 V Arduinos together. It
won't
hurt the 5V Arduino, but it will certainly annoy its 3.3 V brother!
Step 2: Code
The following code is split in two parts: the master code and
the slave code, which run on two different Arduinos. First, let's take
a look at the master code:
// Include the required Wire library for I2C<br>#include
int x = 0;
void setup() {
// Start the I2C Bus as Master
Wire.begin();
}
void loop() {
Wire.beginTransmission(9); // transmit to device #9
Wire.write(x); // sends x
Wire.endTransmission(); // stop transmitting
x++; // Increment x
if (x > 5) x = 0; // `reset x once it gets 6
delay(500);
}
And here is the slave code that interprets the characters sent from
the master:
// Include the required Wire library for I2C<br>#include <Wire.h>
int LED = 13;
int x = 0;
void setup() {
// Define the LED pin as Output
pinMode (LED, OUTPUT);
// Start the I2C Bus as Slave on address 9
Wire.begin(9);
// Attach a function to trigger when something is received.
Wire.onReceive(receiveEvent);
}
void receiveEvent(int bytes) {
x = Wire.read(); // read one character from the I2C
}
void loop() {
//If value received is 0 blink LED for 200 ms
if (x == '0') {
digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
delay(200);
digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
delay(200);
}
//If value received is 3 blink LED for 400 ms
if (x == '3') {
digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
delay(400);
digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
delay(400);
}
}
Attachments
I2C_master.ino
Download
I2C_slave.ino
Download
Step 3: Code Breakdown
First, let's look at the master. We need to include the
required Wire.h library:
#include <Wire.h>
Then, in the setup function, we begin the I2C bus using
the Wire.begin() function. If no argument is provided in the function,
Arduino will start as a master.
Lastly, we send a character x, which is between 0 and 5. We use
the following functions to
begin a transmission to the device with the address 9, write the
character, and then stop the transmission:
Wire.beginTransmission(9); // transmit to device #9
Wire.write(x); // sends x
Wire.endTransmission(); // stop transmitting
Now let's explore the slave Arduino code. We also include
the Wire.h library here, but now we start the I2C bus
using Wire.begin(9). The number in the argument is the address we
want to use for the Arduino. All devices with address 9 will receive
the transmission.
Now we need to react somehow when we receive an I2C
transmission. The following function appends a trigger function
whenever a character is received. Better said, whenever the
Arduino receives a character on I2C, it will run the function we tell it
to run:
Wire.onReceive(receiveEvent);
And this is the function. Here, we simply store the value of the
received character:
void receiveEvent(int bytes) {
x = Wire.read();
}
In loop(), we simply interpret that character to blink the built-in LED
at different speeds depending on the received character.
Step 4: More About I2C
To briefly go through the theory, I2C requires two digital lines: Serial
Data line (SDA) to transfer data and Serial Clock Line (SCL) to
keep the clock. Each I2C connection can have one master and
multiple slaves. A master can write to slaves and request the slaves
to give data, but no slave can directly write to the master or to
another slave. Every slave has a unique address on the bus, and
the master needs to know the addresses of each slave it wants to
access.
Each I2C bus can support up to 112 devices. All devices need to
share GND. The speed is around 100 kb/s—not very fast but still
respectable and quite usable. It is possible to have more than one
master on a bus, but it's really complicated and generally avoided.
A lot of sensors use I2C to communicate, typically Inertial
Measurement Units, barometers,
temperature sensors, and some Sonars. Remember that I2C is not
designed for long cable lengths. Depending on the cable type
used, 2 meters might already cause problems.
I2C is a complicated transmission protocol, but it's very useful. All
Arduinos implement it, with a few differences in pin mappings:
Board I2C pins
Uno, Pro Mini A4 (SDA), A5 (SCL)
Mega, Due 20 (SDA), 21 (SCL)
Leonardo, Yun 2 (SDA), 3 (SCL)
