This application discusses, among other things, communication apparatus and methods, and more particularly, a single conductor or single wire communication scheme. In an example, a method for communicating between a master device and a slave device using a first single conductor can include transmitting a first ping on the first single conductor using a master device, the first single conductor configured to couple the master device to a slave device, receiving a slave ping on the first single conductor at the master device during a ping interval, toggling a logic level of the first single conductor prior to sending a first data packet using pulses having a duration of less than one half of a unit interval, such as a unit interval associated with a bit interval.