The MC144898 is a flexible light-emitting-diode driver which directly interfaces to individual lamps, 7-segment displays, or various combinations of both. LEOs wired with common cathodes are driven in a multiplexed-by-5 fashion. Communication with an MCUIMPU is established through a synchronous serial port. The MC 144898 features data retention plus decode and scan circuitry, thus relieving processor overhead. A single, current-setting resistor is the only ancillary component required. A single device can drive anyone of the following: a 5-digit display plus decimals, a 4-112-digit display plus decimals and sign, or 25 lamps. A special technique allows driving 5 112 digits; see Figure 16. A configuration register allows the drive capability to be partitioned off to suit many additional applications. The on-chip decoder outputs 7-segment-format numerals O to 9, hexadecimal characters A to F, plus 151etters and symbols. The MC144898 is compatible with the Motorola SPI and National MICRO-WIRETM serial data ports. The chip's patented 8itGrabberTM registers augment the serial interface by allowing random access without steering or address bits. A 24-bit transfer updates the display register. Changing the configuration register requires an 8-bit transfer. .Operating