Datasheet
DS18S20 
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TRANSACTION SEQUENCE 
The transaction sequence for accessing the DS18S20 is as follows: 
Step 1. Initialization 
Step 2. ROM Command (followed by any required data exchange) 
Step 3. DS18S20 Function Command (followed by any required data exchange) 
It is very important to follow this sequence every time the DS18S20 is accessed, as the DS18S20 will not 
respond if any steps in the sequence are missing or out of order. Exceptions to this rule are the Search 
ROM [F0h] and Alarm Search [ECh] commands. After issuing either of these ROM commands, the 
master must return to Step 1 in the sequence.  
INITIALIZATION 
All transactions on the 1-Wire  bus begin with an initialization sequence. The initialization sequence 
consists of a reset pulse transmitted by the bus master followed by presence pulse(s) transmitted by the 
slave(s). The presence pulse lets the bus master know that slave devices (such as the DS18S20) are on the 
bus and are ready to operate. Timing for the reset and presence pulses is detailed in the 1-Wire Signaling 
section. 
ROM COMMANDS 
After the bus master has detected a presence pulse, it can issue a ROM command. These commands 
operate on the unique 64-bit ROM codes of each slave device and allow the master to single out a specific 
device if many are present on the 1-Wire bus. These commands also allow the master to determine how 
many and what types of devices are present on the bus or if any device has experienced an alarm 
condition. There are five ROM commands, and each command is 8 bits long. The master device must 
issue an appropriate ROM command before issuing a DS18S20 function command. A flowchart for 
operation of the ROM commands is shown in Figure 14. 
SEARCH ROM [F0h] 
When a system is initially powered up, the master must identify the ROM codes of all slave devices on 
the bus, which allows the master to determine the number of slaves and their device types. The master 
learns the ROM codes through a process of elimination that requires the master to perform a Search ROM 
cycle (i.e., Search ROM command followed by data exchange) as many times as necessary to identify all 
of the slave devices. If there is only one slave on the bus, the simpler Read ROM command (see below) 
can be used in place of the Search ROM process. For a detailed explanation of the Search ROM 
procedure, refer to the  iButton
®
 Book of Standards at www.maxim-ic.com/ibuttonbook. After every 
Search ROM cycle, the bus master must return to Step 1 (Initialization) in the transaction sequence. 
READ ROM [33h] 
This command can only be used when there is one slave on the bus. It allows the bus master to read the 
slave’s 64-bit ROM code without using the Search ROM procedure. If this command is used when there 
is more than one slave present on the bus, a data collision will occur when all the slaves attempt to 
respond at the same time.  
MATCH ROM [55h] 
The match ROM command followed by a 64-bit ROM code sequence allows the bus master to address a 
specific slave device on a multidrop or single-drop bus. Only the slave that exactly matches the 64-bit 
ROM code sequence will respond to the function command issued by the master; all other slaves on the 
bus will wait for a reset pulse.  
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