How to Connect Multiple Arduino Microcontrollers with I2C

Use I2c to connect several Arduinos together to combine their power.  I2C stands for the Inter Integrated Circuits and  is one of the best Multi Master Serial Computer Bus technologies used in different systems to connect the peripherals of low speed data transmission. The technology was invented by Philips for TVs but is used in all sorts of applications including our Wiimote and Arduino tutorial.

The I2C circuits follow a standard operational procedure where only two bi-directional lines, a serial clock, and a serial data systems are used. Â  There are recently improved versions of I2Cs available on the market which can hold a higher number of nodes and can perform faster than the rest.

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You can use I2C then you will be able to connect more than one Arduino to a robot or other application and you can easily establish a network of sensors. By using these circuits you will have more controller pins at your disposal which will allow you to add more devices.  You do have other options such as an expander or Arduino Mega, but I2C because is significantly cheaper.

How To Set Up Your I2C

Here are the basic requirements for setting the I2C protocol with the Arduino:

• More than two Arduinos
• The latest version of the Arduino IDE
• Few pieces of hook up wire
• 1.5 to 2K Pull-up resistors
• You need to install the Arduino wire library (new versions have it built in)

If you are working with two Arduinos, then one must be the master and the other must act as the slave.  To ensure a successful project, you need to make sure that you are using a minimum 1K pull-up resistor on every single line which will pull it to 5 Volts.

If you are interested in learning more about the I2C and the Arduino, here are a few great resources:

• Another Arduino and the Two-Wire Interface Tutorial
  
• Experiment: I2C communication between two Arduino boards
• Arduino Playground: I2C
  

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