PIC16LF18854 Datasheet, PDF (470/668 Pages) Microchip Technology – C Compiler Optimized RISC Architecture

PIC16(L)F18856/76
If the master intends to write to the slave, then it repeat-
edly sends out a byte of data, with the slave responding
after each byte with an ACK bit. In this example, the
master device is in Master Transmit mode and the
slave is in Slave Receive mode.
If the master intends to read from the slave, then it
repeatedly receives a byte of data from the slave, and
responds after each byte with an ACK bit. In this exam-
ple, the master device is in Master Receive mode and
the slave is Slave Transmit mode.
On the last byte of data communicated, the master
device may end the transmission by sending a Stop bit.
If the master device is in Receive mode, it sends the
Stop bit in place of the last ACK bit. A Stop bit is
indicated by a low-to-high transition of the SDA line
while the SCL line is held high.
In some cases, the master may want to maintain
control of the bus and re-initiate another transmission.
If so, the master device may send another Start bit in
place of the Stop bit or last ACK bit when it is in receive
mode.
The I²C bus specifies three message protocols;
• Single message where a master writes data to a
slave.
• Single message where a master reads data from
a slave.
• Combined message where a master initiates a
minimum of two writes, or two reads, or a
combination of writes and reads, to one or more
slaves.
When one device is transmitting a logical one, or letting
the line float, and a second device is transmitting a log-
ical zero, or holding the line low, the first device can
detect that the line is not a logical one. This detection,
when used on the SCL line, is called clock stretching.
Clock stretching gives slave devices a mechanism to
control the flow of data. When this detection is used on
the SDA line, it is called arbitration. Arbitration ensures
that there is only one master device communicating at
any single time.
31.3.1 CLOCK STRETCHING
When a slave device has not completed processing
data, it can delay the transfer of more data through the
process of clock stretching. An addressed slave device
may hold the SCL clock line low after receiving or send-
ing a bit, indicating that it is not yet ready to continue.
The master that is communicating with the slave will
attempt to raise the SCL line in order to transfer the
next bit, but will detect that the clock line has not yet
been released. Because the SCL connection is
open-drain, the slave has the ability to hold that line low
until it is ready to continue communicating.
Clock stretching allows receivers that cannot keep up
with a transmitter to control the flow of incoming data.
31.3.2 ARBITRATION
Each master device must monitor the bus for Start and
Stop bits. If the device detects that the bus is busy, it
cannot begin a new message until the bus returns to an
Idle state.
However, two master devices may try to initiate a trans-
mission on or about the same time. When this occurs,
the process of arbitration begins. Each transmitter
checks the level of the SDA data line and compares it
to the level that it expects to find. The first transmitter to
observe that the two levels do not match, loses arbitra-
tion, and must stop transmitting on the SDA line.
For example, if one transmitter holds the SDA line to a
logical one (lets it float) and a second transmitter holds
it to a logical zero (pulls it low), the result is that the
SDA line will be low. The first transmitter then observes
that the level of the line is different than expected and
concludes that another transmitter is communicating.
The first transmitter to notice this difference is the one
that loses arbitration and must stop driving the SDA
line. If this transmitter is also a master device, it also
must stop driving the SCL line. It then can monitor the
lines for a Stop condition before trying to reissue its
transmission. In the meantime, the other device that
has not noticed any difference between the expected
and actual levels on the SDA line continues with its
original transmission. It can do so without any compli-
cations, because so far, the transmission appears
exactly as expected with no other transmitter disturbing
the message.
Slave Transmit mode can also be arbitrated, when a
master addresses multiple slaves, but this is less
common.
If two master devices are sending a message to two
different slave devices at the address stage, the master
sending the lower slave address always wins arbitra-
tion. When two master devices send messages to the
same slave address, and addresses can sometimes
refer to multiple slaves, the arbitration process must
continue into the data stage.
Arbitration usually occurs very rarely, but it is a
necessary process for proper multi-master support.
DS40001824A-page 470
Preliminary
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