I�C was designed to communicate over short distances between printed circuit boards and is really a simple, 8-bit serial data bus. In the meantime, it is not only PCB-mountable pressure sensors that utilize the I�C signal for data transfer, but additionally pressure sensors remote from customer electronics.
Remote sensors will often have the benefit of being less sensitive to contaminated or aggressive media and having the capacity to measure directly at the procedure. Regarding sensors mounted directly on the circuit board, the sensor element is, oftentimes, exposed directly to the medium. With remote sensors, steel or ceramic generally serve because the wetted surface.
I�C circuit
The I�C bus, alongside the two supply lines, requires only two further lines:
SCL (serial clock line)
SDA (serial data line)
Additional possibilities through I�C
The I�C bus is really a well-known standard in electronics, offering additional possibilities for communication with a pressure sensor than having an analogue signal:
In the data protocol, in addition to the pressure value, a temperature value and diagnostic information (for example an integrity test of the info transfer) can be transmitted with a status byte.
Several pressure sensors could be linked to a bus line as ?slaves? to the client electronics that functions as a ?master?.
On the customer side, in contrast to using pressure sensors with analogue signals, the analogue-to-digital conversion of the pressure value for further signal processing is unnecessary because the pressure value has already been present in digital form. This plays a part in faster and easier signal processing.
The electronics for communication could be built with standard components easily available on the market.
Often, I�C signal pressure sensors are also optimised to consume less energy, making them ideal for battery-powered applications. In the WIKA portfolio, for example, this pertains to the MPR-1 pressure sensor module.
Boundary conditions with the use of I�C
Since I�C isn’t a fieldbus, long wire lengths are not recommended. The maximum wire length depends, at length, on the operating environment and the corresponding disturbing influences. I�C communication is best used in projects where the pressure sensor or the pressure sensor module is built-into the customer product and thus protected against external influences. It will also be noted that with any digitally processed signal, the response time due to discrete-time sampling will undoubtedly be somewhat slower than for an analogue, continuous signal.
Note
Provocative will undoubtedly be happy to help you with any more questions on digital interfaces.
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