The MIPI Alliance announced MIPI I3C sensor interface around 2 years ago, as a backward compatible update to the popular I2C interface with with lower power consumption, and much higher bitrate (up to 33.3 Mbps) allowing it to compete with SPI for many applications.
The organization also released a technical paper giving us some insights into I3C, but the full specification was, and still is, only available to the MIPI alliance members with dues starting at $4,000 per year.
It’s not ideal if you have to work on standard, and are not a member, so the MIPI Alliance has recently published MIPI I3C Basic, a subset of the main I3C specification that is available under royalty-free terms and without the need for a MIPI membership.
MIPI I3C Basic v1.0 includes 20 of MIPI I3C’s most commonly needed capabilities, and provides developers with documentation allowing then to upgrade from I2C and take advantage of MIPI I3C’s higher data rates and power efficiency.
Features missing from the Basic version include:
- Timing Control
- HDR Double Data Rate Mode (HDR-DDR)
- HDR Ternary Modes (HDR-TSP and HDR-TSL)
So that means you won’t be able to take advantage of the 33.3 Mbps data rates, since only SDR (Single Data Rate) is detailed with a max data rate of around 12 Mbps.
You can download the specification here. A valid email is required since they’ll send the download link to your inbox. A new application note entitled “System Integrators Application Note for I3C v1.0 and I3C Basic v1.0” has also been published, and you can download it directly without email.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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MIPI I3C v1.1 specifications released
But there’s no basic version publicly accessible like for I3C v1.0. Only members have access.