Man page 9 : i2c_new_dummy

i2c_new_dummy - return a new i2c device bound to a dummy driver

struct i2c_client * i2c_new_dummy(struct i2c_adapter *  adapter , u16  address );

adapter
    the adapter managing the device

address
    seven bit address to be used

can sleep

This returns an I2C client bound to the « dummy » driver, intended for use with devices that consume multiple addresses. Examples of such chips include various EEPROMS (like 24c04 and 24c08 models).

These dummy devices have two main uses. First, most I2C and SMBus calls except i2c_transfer need a client handle; the dummy will be that handle. And second, this prevents the specified address from being bound to a different driver.

This returns the new i2c client, which should be saved for later use with i2c_unregister_device; or NULL to indicate an error.