Arduino has just introduced three new Modulino modules: the Modulino Hub to support up to eight I2C devices (64 devices with 8 Hubs), the Modulino Extender to extend the I2C range to up to 30 meters, and the Modulino Motors to control two DC motors or a single stepper motor with precision.I’ll focus on the I2C modules in this post, as I find the Modulino Extender module particularly interesting, since I always considered I2C to be a short-range communication protocol, and never thought of using it for (relatively) long-range wired communication.While the I2C protocol supports up to 127 devices in theory, address conflicts can become an issue in complex builds where multiple sensors or actuators share the same default address. The Modulino Hub aims to solve that, and multiple Hubs can be daisy-chained, each with its own address, to support up to 64 devices.Modulino Hub specifications:
Main chip – Texas Instruments TCA9548ARGER 8-channel I2C/SMBus switch
I2C
Address – 0x71 (default); configurable between 0x70-0x77 by jumpers
10x QWICC connectors
