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NM24C16U/17U Rev. B.1
NM24C16U/NM24C17U – 16K-Bit Serial EEPROM 2-Wire Bus Interface
Device Operation
Background Information (IIC Bus)
As mentioned, the IIC bus allows synchronous bidirectional communication between Transmitter/Receiver using the SCL (clock) 
and SDA (Data I/O) lines. All communication must be started with 
a valid START condition, concluded with a STOP condition and 
acknowledged by the Receiver with an ACKNOWLEDGE condition.
As shown below, the EEPROMs on the IIC bus may be configured 
in any manner required, the total memory addressed can not 
exceed 16K (16,384 bits). EEPROM memory address programming is controlled by 2 methods:
• All unused pins must be grounded (tied to VSS).
• Software addressing the required PAGE BLOCK within the
device memory array (as sent in the Slave Address string).
For devices with densities greater than 16K, a different protocol, 
the Extended IIC protocol, is used. Refer to NM24C32U datasheet 
(for example) for additional details.
Addressing an EEPROM memory location involves sending a 
command string with the following information: 
[DEVICE TYPE]–[DEVICE ADDRESS]–[PAGE BLOCK ADDRESS]–[BYTE ADDRESS]
DEFINITIONS
WORD 8 bits (byte) of data 
PAGE 16 sequential addresses (one byte
each) that may be programmed 
during a 'Page Write' programming 
cycle
PAGE BLOCK 2048 (2K) bits organized into 16
pages of addressable memory. 
(8 bits) x (16 pages) = 2048 bits
MASTER Any IIC device CONTROLLING the
transfer of data (such as a 
microprocessor)
SLAVE Device being controlled
(EEPROMs are always considered 
Slaves)
TRANSMITTER Device currently SENDING data on
the bus (may be either a Master or 
Slave).
RECEIVER Device currently RECEIVING data
on the bus (Master or Slave)
Pin Descriptions
Serial Clock (SCL)
The SCL input is used to clock all data into and out of the device.
Serial Data (SDA)
SDA is a bidirectional pin used to transfer data into and out of the 
device. It is an open drain output and may be wire–ORed with any 
number of open drain or open collector outputs.
WP Write Protection (NM24C17U Only)
If tied to VCC, PROGRAM operations onto the upper half of the 
memory will not be executed. READ operations are possible. If 
tied to V
SS
, normal operation is enabled, READ/WRITE over the
entire memory is possible. 
This feature allows the user to assign the upper half of the memory
as ROM which can be protected against accidental programming. 
When write is disabled, slave address and word address will be 
acknowledged but data will not be acknowledged.
Device Operation
The NM24C16U/17U supports a bidirectional bus oriented protocol. The protocol defines any device that sends data onto the bus 
as a transmitter and the receiving device as the receiver. The 
device controlling the transfer is the master and the device that is 
controlled is the slave. The master will always initiate data 
transfers and provide the clock for both transmit and receive 
operations. Therefore, the NM24C16U/17U will be considered a 
slave in all applications.
Clock and Data Conventions
Data states on the SDA line can change only during SCL LOW. 
SDA state changes during SCL HIGH are reserved for indicating 
start and stop conditions. Refer to 
Figure 2 
and 
Figure 3 
on next
page.
Start Condition
All commands are preceded by the start condition, which is a 
HIGH to LOW transition of SDA when SCL is HIGH. The 
NM24C16U/17U continuously monitors the SDA and SCL lines for 
the start condition and will not respond to any command until this 
condition has been met.
Stop Condition
All communications are terminated by a stop condition, which is a 
LOW to HIGH transition of SDA when SCL is HIGH. The stop 
condition is also used by the NM24C16U/17U to place the device 
in the standby power mode.
Write Cycle Timing
Acknowledge
Acknowledge is a hardware convention used to indicate successful data transfers. The transmitting device, either master or slave, 
will release the bus after transmitting eight bits.
During the ninth clock cycle the receiver will pull the SDA line to 
LOW to acknowledge that it received the eight bits of data. Refer 
to 
Figure 4.