Why use an Aardvark I2C Host Adapter?
The Total Phase Aardvark has been the number one choice of system developers worldwide since the early 2000s. Major electronics companies use it as part of their in-house development and test activities, and frequently ship it with development kits and evaluation platforms to worldwide semiconductor clients.
The Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter is a fast and powerful I2C bus and SPI bus host adapter through USB. It allows a developer to interface a Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X PC via USB to a downstream embedded system environment and transfer serial messages using the I2C and SPI protocols.
The USB interface also provides scheduled updates of this adapter and makes this tool future-proof whilst being field-installable. The Total Phase Aardvark I2C/SPI Interface is a cost-effective debugging tool and very efficient for companies and organisations that are planning to increase their productivity.
I2C Interface
- True 800 kbps performance over higher bandwidth USB versus slower RS-232
- Supports standard mode (100 kbps) and fast (400 kbps) mode as well as various speeds ranging from 1 kHz to 800 kHz
- Supports inter-bit and inter-byte clock stretching
- Supports multi-master
- Master transmit and receive
- Asynchronous slave transmit and receive
- Software configurable I2C pull-up resistors
- Software configurable target power pins to power downstream devices
- Repeated Start, 10-bit slave addressing, and Combined Format transactions
SPI Interface
- Operates in master or slave mode
- Up to 8 Mbps master signalling rate
- Up to 4 Mbps slave signalling rate
- Full duplex master transmit/receive
- Asynchronous slave transmit/receive
- Software configurable target power pins to power downstream devices
- Software configurable Slave Select (SS) polarity in master mode
Can my Aardvark be Upgraded?
Yes, The Aardvark firmware is stored in internal Flash Memory, which can be updated, free of charge when new firmware is released by Total Phase. Total Phase offers this free service which secures your investment in their products.
How Can I Use The Aardvark I2C Host Adapter?
What is an SPI Interface?
The SPI or Serial Peripheral Interface can operate at much faster data rates than the I2C Bus. The Aardvark will operate up to 8MHz as a Bus Master.
Each device has its own Chip Select Line, activated by the Bus Master. The interface consists of four lines:
- MOSI, or Master Data Output
- MISO, or Master Data Input
- SCLK, or Serial Clock
- NSS, a Slave enabled signal, controlled by the Bus Master, often referred to as Chip Select.
Compatible with Other Interfaces
The Aardvark I2C/SPI Interface can also be used to drive other interface types including:.
- Display Data Channel (DDC)
- System Management Bus (SMBus)
- Power Management Bus (PMBus)
- Smart Battery Bus (SBBus)
- Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)
- Two-Wire Interface (TWI)
Application Software
The Aardvark is a very versatile interface, capable of being controlled by a range of application software. Total Phase provides ready-to-run applications for device control and memory programming and ready-build interfaces to third-party software such as LabVIEW and your own applications written in C/C++, C#, .NET, Python and Visual Basic.
Control Center Serial Software
The Control Center Serial Software has been developed by Total Phase to support the Aardvark I2C/SPI, Cheetah SPI Interface, and PROMIRA Serial Platform.
The software allows you to create high-level scripts for reading and writing to devices via the Aardvark. I2C and SPI messages can also be downloaded for subsequent analysis and data patterns loaded for transmission over the interface under script-control.
The software is regularly updated and supplied free of charge by Total Phase for download.
Flash Center Software
The Total Phase Flash Center software allows you to read, program, erase and erase a wide range of I2C and SPI-based EEPROMS and Flash memory devices.
The software is fully compatible with the Aardvark I2C/SPI Interface, Cheetah SPI Interface and PROMIRA Serial Platform. Take a look at the Flash Center User Manual.
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Total Phase Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter
Frequently Asked Questions
Ask a Question-
Can my Aardvark be Upgraded?
Yes, The Aardvark firmware is stored in internal Flash Memory, which can be updated, free of charge when new firmware is released by Total Phase. Total Phase offers this free service which secures your investment in their products.
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Can I Program I2C/SPI Memory Devices?
Yes, the Aardvark can program a wide range of EEPROM and Flash memory using the Flash Centre™ software.
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How Long is the Aardvark Warranty
The manufacturer's standard warranty is twelve months. However, The Debug Store offers a full two-year warranty. We can do this because the Aardvark is so reliable.
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How is the Aardvark Powered?
The Aardvark is powered from the host PC via the USB cable. The power consumption of the Aardvark is typically just 25mA.
This avoids having to use a separate power supply. -
The Aardvark Supports I2C and SPI Buses. Can it be used with any other Interfaces?
Yes, The Aardvark Host Adapters will also support:
Display Data Channel (DDC)
System Management Bus (SMBus)
Power Management Bus (PMBus)
Smart Battery Bus (SBBus)
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)
Two-Wire Interface (TWI) -
Can the Aardvark Support Multiple Slave Addresses?
Yes and no. The Aardvark can only behave as one I2C address node at any one time. However, the slave address can be changed by using the Aardvark API Software as required.
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Does The Aardvark Support I2C Clock Stretching?
Yes, clock stretching is supported by the Aardvark as a Master or a Slave.
Clock stretching can only be initiated by the slave device. It does this to extend an I2C bus cycle. Note that not all I2C Master or slave devices may support clock stretching so this needs to be considered when clock stretching is relied upon. -
What is an Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter?
The Total Phase Aardvark is a I2C and SPI Bus Host Adapter. It connects to the host PC using a USB cable and is used to control devices on either type of bus. It can also be used to program flash devices with an I2C or SPI bus interface.
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What problems does the total phase aardvark i2C/SPI host adapter solve?
The Total Phase Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter is a device that solves the problem of interfacing between a computer and other devices through the I2C and SPI protocols. The adapter provides a convenient and reliable way to connect and communicate with I2C and SPI devices, allowing developers to easily debug, test, and program these devices. By using the adapter, developers can save time and effort in developing their projects, as well as reduce the risk of damaging the target device during the testing and debugging process.
What's Included
Total Phase Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter
- Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter Unit
- 6 foot USB A->B cable
- Software (downloadable from Total Phase)