Datasheet
SCL
SDA
START or
REPEATED
START
STOP
1 2 6 7
8
9
1 2
8
9
MSB
7-bit Slave Address
R/W
Direction
Bit
Acknowledge
from the Device
MSB
Data Byte
*Acknowledge
or Not-ACK
ACK N/ACK
Repeated for the Lower Data Byte
and Additional Data Transfers
LSB LSB
*Note: In continuous mode, this bit must be an ACK from
the data receiver. Immediately preceding a STOP
condition, this bit must be a NACK from the master.
ADC121C021, ADC121C021Q, ADC121C027
www.ti.com
SNAS415F –JANUARY 2008–REVISED MARCH 2013
SERIAL INTERFACE
The I
2
C-compatible interface operates in all three speed modes. Standard mode (100kHz) and Fast mode
(400kHz) are functionally the same and will be referred to as Standard-Fast mode in this document. High-Speed
mode (3.4MHz) is an extension of Standard-Fast mode and will be referred to as Hs-mode in this document.
The following diagrams describe the timing relationships of the clock (SCL) and data (SDA) signals. Pull-up
resistors or current sources are required on the SCL and SDA busses to pull them high when they are not being
driven low. A logic zero is transmitted by driving the output low. A logic high is transmitted by releasing the output
and allowing it to be pulled-up externally. The appropriate pull-up resistor values will depend upon the total bus
capacitance and operating speed. The ADC121C021 offers extended ESD tolerance (8kV HBM) for the I
2
C bus
pins (SCL & SDA) allowing extension of the bus across multiple boards without extra ESD protection.
Basic I
2
C Protocol
The I
2
C interface is bi-directional and allows multiple devices to operate on the same bus. The bus consists of
master devices and slave devices which can communicate back and forth over the I
2
C interface. Master devices
control the bus and are typically microcontrollers, FPGAs, DSPs, or other digital controllers. Slave devices are
controlled by a master and are typically peripheral devices such as the ADC121C021. To support multiple
devices on the same bus, each slave has a unique hardware address which is referred to as the "slave address."
To communicate with a particular device on the bus, the controller (master) sends the slave address and listens
for a response from the slave. This response is referred to as an acknowledge bit. If a slave on the bus is
addressed correctly, it Acknowledges (ACKs) the master by driving the SDA bus low. If the address doesn't
match a device's slave address, it Not-acknowledges (NACKs) the master by letting SDA be pulled high. ACKs
also occur on the bus when data is being transmitted. When the master is writing data, the slave ACKs after
every data byte is successfully received. When the master is reading data, the master ACKs after every data
byte is received to let the slave know it wants to receive another data byte. When the master wants to stop
reading, it NACKs after the last data byte and creates a stop condition on the bus.
All communication on the bus begins with either a Start condition or a Repeated Start condition. The protocol for
starting the bus varies between Standard-Fast mode and Hs-mode. In Standard-Fast mode, the master
generates a Start condition by driving SDA from high to low while SCL is high. In Hs-mode, starting the bus is
more complicated. Please refer to High-Speed (Hs) Mode for the full details of a Hs-mode Start condition.
A Repeated Start is generated to address a different device or register, or to switch between read and write
modes. The master generates a Repeated Start condition by driving SDA low while SCL is high. Following the
Repeated Start, the master sends out the slave address and a read/write bit as shown in Figure 25. The bus
continues to operate in the same speed mode as before the Repeated Start condition.
All communication on the bus ends with a Stop condition. In either Standard-Fast mode or Hs-Mode, a Stop
condition occurs when SDA is pulled high while SCL is high. After a Stop condition, the bus remains idle until a
master generates another Start condition.
Please refer to the Philips I
2
C
®
Specification (Version 2.1 Jan, 2000) for a detailed description of the serial
interface.
Figure 25. Basic Operation.
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Product Folder Links: ADC121C021 ADC121C021Q ADC121C027