CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 I2C-Bus System 1 I2C Hardware Characteristics 1 I2C Protocol Characteristics 2 MCS-51 Hardware Requirements 4 MCS-51 I2C Software Emulation Modules 5 CONTENTS PAGE MCS-51 and I2C-Bus Compatible IC's System Implementation 6 I2C Software Emulation Performance 7 CONCLUSION 7 REFERENCES 7 Did you know that you could implement I2C function- ality using the Intel MCS-51 family of microcontrol- lers? The I2C-bus allows the designer to implement in- telligent application-oriented control circuits without encountering numerous interfacing problems. This bus simplicity is maintained by being structured for eco- nomical, efficient and versatile serial communication. Proven I2C applications are currently being implement- ed in digital control/signal processing circuits for audio and video systems, DTMF generators for telephones with tone dialing and ACCESS.bus, a lower-cost alter- native for the RS-232C interface used for connecting peripherals to a host computer.