MKRzero doesn't read anything from ICS-43434 microphone

Projects Programming
1

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to connect an ICS-43434 I²S microphone to an Arduino MKRZero, but I'm not getting any meaningful data.

Here’s how I’ve wired it:

  • VCC → 3.3V
  • GND → GND
  • WS → D3
  • CLK → D2
  • DATA → A6

I also tried swapping WS and CLK (as some forums suggested), but that didn’t help.

My code attempts to read and print I²S samples to the Serial Monitor, but I either get “Error reading from I2S” or all-zero samples, no matter the sound input.

Could anyone help me troubleshoot this?

Here is my code:

 #include <I2S.h>

unsigned long timestamp = 0;
int sample = 0;
int hangLimit = 10000;
int hangCount = hangLimit;

void setup() {
    // Start the serial communication
    Serial.begin(115200);
    while (!Serial) {;}

    // Initialize I2S communication with proper sample rate (48kHz) and 32-bit data width
    Serial.println("Initializing I2S...");
    if (!I2S.begin(I2S_PHILIPS_MODE, 48000, 32)) {
        Serial.println("Failed to initialize I2S!");
        while (1) {;}
    }
    Serial.println("I2S initialized.");
}

void loop() {
    // Read a sample from the I2S microphone
    sample = I2S.read();

    // Debugging I2S read errors
    if (sample == -1) {
        Serial.println("Error reading from I2S.");
    } else if (sample == 0) {
        Serial.println("I2S returned zero.");
    } else {
        timestamp = micros();
        // Print timestamp and sample to Serial
        Serial.print(timestamp);
        Serial.print(",");
        Serial.println(sample);

        // Reset hang count
        hangCount = hangLimit;
    }

    // If no data is being received, decrement hangCount
    if (sample == -1) {
        hangCount--;
    }

    // If the system stops reading samples, notify via Serial
    if (hangCount == 0) {
        Serial.println("Arduino has stopped reading I2S!");
        while (1) {;}
    }
}
2

Perhaps the problem is the mike has a24 bit I2C interface but you are using a 16 bit interface.

3

Thanks for the reply! The ICS-43434 uses I2S protocol for audio data, not I2C.
As for the bit depth, I’ve set the interface to 32 bits in my code since the mic outputs 24-bit audio:

I2S.begin(I2S_PHILIPS_MODE, 48000, 32);

but I’m still getting either all zeros or errors when reading :frowning: