Martin Bowman
Microchip Technology

The 24XXX series serial EEPROMs from Microchip Technology are I2C compatible and have maximum clock frequencies ranging from 100 kHz to 1 MHz. The I2C module available on the dsPIC33F family micro-controllers provides a very easy-to-use interface for communicating with the 24XXX series devices. The largest benefit of using the I2Cx module is the signal timings, which are handled through hardware rather than software. This allows the firmware to continue executing while communication is handled in the background. This also means that an understanding of the timing specifications associated with the I2C protocol is not required in order to use the 24XXX series devices in designs.

This application note is intended to serve as a reference for communicating with Microchip's 24XXX series serial EEPROM devices with the use of the I2Cx module featured on the dsPIC33F family devices. Source code for common data transfer modes is also provided. The source code is easily transferable to the PIC24 family of devices.