We are considering the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter for an upcoming project. Can the Aardvark adapter be used for the following tasks?

• Read the device’s contents (in binary format) from a pre-programmed I2C device, and then store the data into a file.
• Verify that the EEPROM is pre-programmed with actual data such as 1101 1010 0010 etc., not just all 1s or all 0s.
• Program an I2C EEPROM device (stand-alone socket or in-system), with a binary data file, rather than inputting the data instructions line-by-line from a command line of the Control Center Software?

Thank you for your questions! The Aardvark adapter can definitely write and read data to I2C devices in both stand-alone and in-system configurations. You can easily write and read I2C data with the Aardvark adapter with our easy-to-use GUIs: the Flash Center Software and the Control Center Serial Software. Though it’s not necessary for this application, if you would like to create your own custom software application, you can using the Aardvark API.

Figure 1: Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter

• The Flash Center Software provides the tools to quickly erase, program, and verify I2C and SPI based EEPROM and flash memory Chips. It has extensible XML parts library with built-in support for EEPROMs and serial flash chips from major manufacturers. You can upload memory data files from the computer to the Flash Center in binary, hex, and SRecord formats. You can also download memory datas file from Flash Center to the computer in the same formats. The Flash Center can perform multiple operations on the memory device including read, verify, program, and erase.
• The Control Center Serial  Software provides full access to all Aardvark adapter functionality, and eliminates the need to write custom software to control the Aardvark adapter. It also has a batch scripting capability with the Aardvark XML Batch Script Language.
• The Aardvark Software API is used to control the Aardvark adapter and to write a custom programs for your specifications. The Aardvark API supports multiple operating systems (Windows, Linux, and Mac) and programming languages (C, Python, Visual Basic, and C#), and includes examples. We recommend using the Python bindings as it is a simple language, and a good option for scripting.

Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:

• Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter User Manual
• Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter Quick Start Guide

• Control Center Serial Software

• Flash Center Software

• Aardvark API Documentation

We hope this answers your question. If you have other questions about our host adapters or other Total Phase

products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com, or if you already own one of our devices and have a technical question, please submit a request for technical support.