( RESEND: failed to type that colon! )

Howdy,

We are looking at using the Philips P82B715 I2C bus extender to implement a
small inter-device communications bus for our product. We're currently
assuming all the devices on the bus will be based on the 16C65x or 16C67.

Life would be grand if I could use the I2C general call (e.g., broadcast to
all slave devices -- all listen -- none respond), as most of the time, the
master will just be providing a periodic status update for all devices.

I can't find any app notes etc. from Microchip discussing whether or not
software can extend the existing I2C slave mode hardware support on the
16C6x parts to accomodate general call.

It would *great* to *not* have to choose between bit banging everything, or
not using general call support!

Incidentally, we were hoping to use I2C via the Philips part, as opposed to
an RS485 solution, specifically to take advantage of the I2C hardware
support on our PICs...

Any pointers, reality checks, recommendations, etc. greatly appreciated!

Best regards,
Aaron
------------
Aaron Thieme
Product Engineer
SP Controls, Inc.
www.spcontrols.com
aaron@spcontrols.com
(415) 642-2600 x101

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