4 different Methods of 1-wire access on Raspberry Pi

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1-Wire is a bus-system commonly used for temperature sensors. However, there are many more 1-wire devices than just temperature sensors.owfs has been my Linux software of choice for accessing this bus for many years now. As you might have guessed I mainly use it for my brewing software.

While Raspberry Pi does not have a native 1-wire Interface it is still quite easy to connect 1-wire devices to your Pi.

AFAIK, there are 4 methods for connecting 1-wire devices to Raspberry Pi, here are they with their pros and cons.

Method

pros

cons

notes

1. w1-gpio kernel driver
  • most simple interface, just a pullup-resistor needed
  • driver broken in standard Raspbian Kernel
  • unsuitable for large bus lengths
  • owserver needs root privileges
to make this work on a standard raspbian kernel manually apply this patch.
The following stable kernels already include the fix:
≥ 3.0.70
≥3.2.41
≥3.4.37
≥ 3.8.4
≥ 3.9.0

University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory has a nice tutorial on the non-owfs related part.

2. I2C Busmaster (DS2482-X, DS2483)
  • simple 1-chip solution using I2C bus
  • optional galvanic insulation of 1-wire-bus using I2C isolator (e.g. ADUM1250)
  • SMD soldering required
I only tested the DS2483, which is a 3.3V/5V device.
If the owfs-version from Raspbian wheezy is used, the --no_PPM option is needed.
Schematics including the ADUM1250 I2C-isolator are available at my RaspIO Webpage.

3. DS2480B Busmaster on serial port

 
  • 3.3V/5V level shifter recommended
  • occupies the only serial port available.
  • SMD soldering required
4. DS9490R/DS2490 USB Busmaster
  • In case of DS9490R no soldering required
  • hardware is discontinued
  • occupies one of the two available USB ports
  • To workaround power supply problems an USB-hub might be required

I tend to recommend the I2C solution if more than just a temperature sensor with a short wire is required.