Microcontroller's I2C Interface Handles Multiple Addresses

Aug. 18, 2005

Look out, CAN. Microchip's 8-bit PIC16F690 now includes a Synch Serial Port (SSP) with an address mask. The SSP can handle multiple I2C packet addresses in hardware, much like controller-area network (CAN) controllers in other microcontrollers,

William G. Wong

Look out, CAN. Microchip's 8-bit PIC16F690 now includes a Synch Serial Port (SSP) with an address mask. The SSP can handle multiple I²C packet addresses in hardware, much like controller-area network (CAN) controllers in other microcontrollers, including those from Microchip.

I²C has found a home in a number of environments, from AdvancedTCA board and system management to embedded system device networking. Software I²C solutions have been able to check for different packet addresses, but moving this feature into hardware significantly reduces system overhead. The SSP also handles the PMBus protocol.

The other communications interface on the PIC16F690 is the LIN-capable Enhanced Universal Synchronous/Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (EUSART). LIN (local interconnect network) is popular in automotive and control applications, and it's often an adjunct to a CAN.

Pricing for the PIC16F690 starts at $1.78. It's available in 20-pin PDIP, SOIC, SSOP, and QFN packages. Microchip announced the PIC16F690 along with a host of other chips that are now available in a new 4- by 4-mm QFN package.

Microchipwww.microchip.comPIC16F690 Specifications CPU 20 MHz Flash 8 kbytes, 256 EEPROM RAM 256 bytes Clock 8-MHz on-chip oscillator Timers low power with gate control;four-channel PWM Analog 12-channel, 10-bit ADC;dual comparators with set-reset latch Serial SPP with I2C and SPI support; serial port with LIN support GPIO 18 Power 9 µA at 32 kHz to 2.4 mA at 20 MHz Debug JTAG/OnCE Package 20-pin PDIP, SOIC, SSOP, and 4- by 4-mm QFN