What is it?

eight channels of i2c address multiplexing fun. new in anti-static bag with male header pins included. the depicted one is my for own use header pin soldered breadboard ready module.

What makes it special?

e.g multiplexing a series of lcd's that use the same pointer address can be a problem. but by using the 8 channels on the TCA9548a the similar addressable module or interface can sit on channel 1 the other on channel 2,problem solved. you can put several different types of modules for memory expansion or other diverse i2c applications into your project prototype board using this i2c multichannel multiplexer.

I-squared-C (I²C) or I2C is a two wire bus technology (well actually 4 wires because you also need the VCC and Ground) that is used for communication between multiple processors and sensors. The two wires are: SDA - Serial Data (data line) and SCL - Serial Clock (clock line) Remember, both these lines are 'synchronous' 'bidirectional' 'open-drain' and are 'pulled-up with resistors'. The I2C bus technology was originally designed by Philips Semiconductors in the early ’80s to allow easy communication between components which reside on the same circuit board. With I2C, you can connect multiple slaves to a single master (like SPI) or you can have multiple masters controlling single, or multiple slaves. Both masters and slaves can transmit and receive data. So, a device on I2C bus can be in one of these four states: Master transmit – master node is sending data to a slave Master receive – master node is receiving data from a slave Slave transmit – slave node is sending data to the master Slave receive – slave node is receiving data from the master I2C is a 'short distance' 'serial communication protocol', so data is transferred 'bit-by-bit' along the single wire or the SDA line. The output of bits is synchronized to the sampling of bits by a clock signal 'shared' between the master and the slave. The clock signal is always controlled by the master. The Master generates the clock and initiates communication with slaves. So, to sum it up> Number of Wires used: 2 Synchronous or Asynchronous: Synchronous Serial or Parallel: Serial Clock Signal controlled by: Master Node Voltages used: +5 V or +3.3 V Maximum number of Masters: Unlimited Maximum number of Slaves: 1008 Maximum Speed: Standard Mode = 100kbps Fast Mode = 400kbps High Speed Mode = 3.4 Mbps Ultra Fast Mode = 5 Mbps

pro's

saves space and removes code complexity exponentially.