ICDriver is an easy-to-use, open source tool for controlling IC devices and a great tool to help with quick driver development and debugging. It works with Windows, Mac, and Linux, and has a built-in color screen that shows a live dashboard of all the IC activity. It uses a standard FTDI USB serial chip to talk to the PC, so no special drivers need to be installed. The board includes a separate 3.3 V supply with voltage and current monitoring. It’s kinda like a Bus Pirate with a display and great Python support.

Its in every phone, in your embedded electronics, in every microcontroller, Raspberry Pi, and PC motherboard. Its a mature technology – still going strong after 36 years. Because its everywhere, IC is used by everyone from novices to embedded designers. But the common element of everyones IC experience is struggle. Instead of being easy, IC very often feels really difficult. Because there are so many ways for IC to go wrong, things rarely “just work” and instead involve some painful debugging.

While other IC tools might offer a couple of LEDs, ICDriver has a clear logic-analyzer display of the signal lines plus a graphical decoding of the IC traffic.

In addition, it continuously displays an address map of all attached IC devices, so as you connect a device, it lights up on the map. Youll never have to ask is this thing even switched on? again.

The current and voltage monitoring let you catch electrical problems early. The included color-coded wires make hookup a cinch; no pinout diagram is required. It includes a separate 3.3 V supply for your devices, a high-side current meter, and programmable pull-up resistors for both IC lines.

There are three IC ports, so you can hook up multiple devices without any fuss.

ICDriver comes with free (as in freedom) software to control it from:

• a GUI
• the command-line
• C and C++ using a single source file
• Python 2 and 3, using a module

Comes with an assembled and tested I2CDriver board plus some jumper cables. The VEML7700 Breakout shown in the demo not included – but you can pick one up here.

Technical Details

For tech support and software, please check out https://www.excamera.com/

Specifications:

• Maximum power out current: up to 470 mA
• Device current: up to 25 mA
• Dimensions: 61 mm x 49 mm x 6 mm
• Computer interface: USB 2.0, micro USB connector