嵌入式领域，尤其是其中的消费类数码领域的嵌入式开发，往往都会将这几种常见的接口，放在一起讨论。

所以，此处也在简单对比分析一下，RS232和SPI，I2C等接口的区别。

SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) is another very simple serial protocol. A master sends a clock signal, and upon each clock pulse it shifts one bit out to the slave, and one bit in, coming from the slave. Signal names are therefore SCK for clock, MOSI for Master Out Slave In, and MISO for Master In Slave Out. By using SS (Slave Select) signals the master can control more than 1 slave on the bus. There are two ways to connect multiple slave devices to one master, one is mentioned above i.e. using slave select, and other is daisy chaining, it uses less hardware pins(select lines), but software gets complicated.

I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit, pronounced "I squared C") is also a synchronous protocol, and it's the first we see which has some "intelligence" in it; the other ones dumbly shifted bits in and out, and that was that. I2C uses only 2 wires, one for the clock (SCL) and one for the data (SDA). That means that master and slave send data over the same wire, again controlled by the master who creates the clock signal. I2C doesn't use separate Slave Selects to select a particular device, but has addressing. The first byte sent by the master holds a 7 bit address (so that you can use 127 devices on the bus) and a read/write bit, indicating whether the next byte(s) will also come from the master of should come from the slave. After each byte receiver must send a "0" to acknowledge the reception of the byte, which the master latches with a 9th clock pulse. If the master wants to write a byte the same process repeats: the master puts bit after bit on the bus and each time gives a clock pulse to signal that the data is ready to be read. If the master wants to receive data it only generates the clock pulses. The slave has to take care that the next bit is ready when the clock pulse is given. This protocol is patented by NXP(formerly Phillips), to save licensing cost, Atmel using the word TWI(2-wire interface) which exactly same as I2C, so any AVR device will not have I2C but it will have TWI. Two or more signals on the same wire may cause conflicts, and you would have a problem if one device sends a "1" while the other sends a "0". Therefore the bus is wired-OR'd: two resistors pull the bus to a high level, and the devices only send low levels. If they want to send a high level they simply release the bus.