Software developer Igor Brichkov has attempted to implement the I2C protocol for his project using only hardware, in order to determine the dividing line between hardware and software in programmable components.
The key to doing this successfully is to get the timing right, which consists of initialising communication between two devices on the same bus.
This is achieved by building up the signal using shift registers and counters that are pre-set to send out correct bits via the I2C communication lines.
While programmable computers are frequently used for tasks other than the simplest ones, Brichkov’s experiment demonstrates that discrete hardware components could be used to construct any software.
This is not the first such project, which serves to highlight the potential of hardware programming.
