UART to I2C Bridge Controller

The BRIDGE_UART_I2C IP Core provides a simple and convenient way to interface a standard UART bus to a standard I2C bus. The circuit operates as a completely transparent ‘bridge’ between the two buses and allows I2C peripherals to be programmed using a set of basic commands over a (UART) serial interface.

Both the UART and I2C transceivers may be configured individually to support a wide range of standard and custom settings. The bridge circuit is technology independent and may be implemented as a custom ASIC, or using a standard FPGA or SoC.

In particular, the IP Core is ideal for the remote programming of I2C peripherals using a remote PC or micro-controller. This is especially useful during the debug stages of a project when the I2C registers of a device may be written and read with the help of a simple terminal program.

• Synthesizable, technology independent IP Core for FPGA, ASIC and SoC
• Supplied as human-readable VHDL (or Verilog) RTL source
• UART (Master) connects to a standard I2C bus and operates as a fully ‘transparent’ bridge between the two buses
• Support for standard UART data rates between 9600 and 921600 baud
• Support for all common I2C bit rates such as 100kbps, 400kbps, 1Mbps and 4Mbps
• Simple command interface allows the programming of I2C peripherals using a serial terminal program (e.g.TeraTerm, HyperTerminal, PuTTY, YAT etc.)

• Convenient method for translating commands between UART and I2C devices and peripherals
• Essential tool for the remote debug of I2C devices using an external PC, micro-processor or mico-controller