Note

Hello, welcome to the SunFounder Raspberry Pi & Arduino & ESP32 Enthusiasts Community on Facebook! Dive deeper into Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and ESP32 with fellow enthusiasts.

Why Join?

  • Expert Support: Solve post-sale issues and technical challenges with help from our community and team.

  • Learn & Share: Exchange tips and tutorials to enhance your skills.

  • Exclusive Previews: Get early access to new product announcements and sneak peeks.

  • Special Discounts: Enjoy exclusive discounts on our newest products.

  • Festive Promotions and Giveaways: Take part in giveaways and holiday promotions.

👉 Ready to explore and create with us? Click [here] and join today!

I²C Configuration

Follow the steps below to enable and test the I²C interface on your Raspberry Pi. These instructions apply to Raspberry Pi 5, 4, 3, and Zero 2W.

Enable the I²C Interface

  1. Open a terminal on your computer (Windows: PowerShell; macOS/Linux: Terminal) and connect to your Raspberry Pi:

    ssh <username>@<hostname>.local

    or:

    ssh <username>@<ip_address>

  2. Open the Raspberry Pi configuration tool:

    sudo raspi-config

  3. Select Interfacing Options and press Enter.

    ../../_images/ssh_interface.png

  4. Select I2C.

    ../../_images/ssh_i2c_i2c.png

  5. Choose <Yes>, then <Ok> → <Finish> to apply the changes. If prompted, reboot your Raspberry Pi.

    ../../_images/ssh_i2c_yes.png

Check I²C Kernel Modules

  1. Run the following command:

    lsmod | grep i2c

  2. If I²C is enabled, you will see modules such as:

    i2c_dev        6276    0
i2c_bcm2708    4121    0

  3. If nothing appears, reboot the system:

    sudo reboot

Install i2c-tools

  1. Install the utilities required for scanning and testing I²C devices:

    sudo apt install i2c-tools

Detect Connected I²C Devices

  1. Scan the I²C bus:

    i2cdetect -y 1

  2. Example output:

    pi@raspberrypi ~ $ i2cdetect -y 1
    0  1  2  3   4  5  6  7  8  9   a  b  c  d  e  f
00:           -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
10: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
20: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
30: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
40: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 48 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
50: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
60: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
70: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

  3. If a device is connected, its address (e.g., 0x48) will appear in the table.

Install the Python I²C Library

  1. Install the python3-smbus2 package:

    sudo apt install python3-smbus2

    The smbus2 library provides all the functions required to communicate with I²C devices in Python.

Your Raspberry Pi is now fully configured and ready to communicate with I²C devices.