PCA9502_3

© NXP B.V. 2006. All rights reserved.

Product data sheet

Rev. 03 — 13 October 2006

7 of 25

NXP Semiconductors

PCA9502

9.

lines are connected to a positive supply via a pull-up resistor, and remain HIGH when the

bus is not busy. Each device is recognized by a unique address whether it is a

microcomputer, LCD driver, memory or keyboard interface and can operate as either a

transmitter or receiver, depending on the function of the device. A device generating a

message or data is a transmitter, and a device receiving the message or data is a

receiver. Obviously, a passive function like an LCD driver could only be a receiver, while a

microcontroller or a memory can both transmit and receive data.

9.1 Data transfers

One data bit is transferred during each clock pulse (see Figure 4). The data on the SDA

line must remain stable during the HIGH period of the clock pulse in order to be valid.

Changes in the data line at this time will be interpreted as control signals. A HIGH-to-LOW

transition of the data line (SDA) while the clock signal (SCL) is HIGH indicates a START

condition, and a LOW-to-HIGH transition of the SDA while SCL is HIGH defines a STOP

condition (see Figure 5). The bus is considered to be busy after the START condition and

free again at a certain time interval after the STOP condition. The START and STOP

conditions are always generated by the master.

The number of data bytes transferred between the START and STOP condition from

transmitter to receiver is not limited. Each byte, which must be eight bits long, is

transferred serially with the most significant bit first, and is followed by an acknowledge bit.

(see Figure 6). The clock pulse related to the acknowledge bit is generated by the master.

The device that acknowledges has to pull down the SDA line during the acknowledge

clock pulse, while the transmitting device releases this pulse (see Figure 7).

Fig 4.

Fig 5.

START and STOP conditions

mba607

data line

stable;

data valid

change

of data

allowed

SDA

SCL

mba608

SDA

SCL

P

STOP condition

SDA

SCL

S

START condition