SBOS576C May 2012 – September 2025 INA3221
PRODUCTION DATA
The INA3221 offers compatibility with both I2C and SMBus interfaces. The I2C and SMBus protocols are essentially compatible with one another.
The I2C interface is used throughout this data sheet as the primary example, with the SMBus protocol specified only when a difference between the two systems is discussed. Two I/O lines, the serial clock (SCL) and data signal line (SDA), connect the INA3221 to the bus. Both SCL and SDA are open-drain connections.
The device that initiates a data transfer is called a controller, and the devices controlled by the controller are targets. The bus must be controlled by the controller device that generates the SCL, controls the bus access, and generates start and stop conditions.
To address a specific device, the controller initiates a start condition by pulling SDA from a high to a low logic level while SCL is high. All targets on the bus shift in the target address byte on the SCL rising edge, with the last bit indicating whether a read or write operation is intended. During the ninth clock pulse, the target being addressed responds to the controller by generating an acknowledge bit and pulling SDA low.
Data transfer is then initiated and eight bits of data are sent, followed by an acknowledge bit. During data transfer, SDA must remain stable while SCL is high. Any change in SDA while SCL is high is interpreted as a start or stop condition.
After all data are transferred, the controller generates a stop condition by pulling SDA from low to high while SCL is high. The INA3221 includes a 28ms timeout on the interface to prevent locking up the bus.