The MIC5841/5842 is a 8-bit serial-input latched driver, fabricated using BiCMOS technology to be used in a wide variety of peripheral power driver applications. The device has an eight-bit CMOS shift register, CMOS control circuitry, eight CMOS data latches, and eight bipolar current-sink Darlington output drivers. These two devices differ only in maximum voltage ratings. The MIC5842 offers premium performance with a minimum output breakdown voltage rating of 80V (50V sustaining). The drivers can be operated with a split supply where the negative supply is down to –20V. The 500mA outputs, with integral transient-suppression diodes, are suitable for use with lamps, relays, solenoids and other inductive loads. These devices have improved speed characteristics. With a 5V logic supply, they will typically operate faster than 5 MHz. With a 12V supply, significantly higher speeds are obtained. The CMOS inputs are compatible with standard CMOS, PMOS, and NMOS logic levels. TTL or DTL circuits may require the use of appropriate pull-up resistors. By using the serial data output, the drivers can be cascaded for interface applications requiring additional drive lines. The MIC5840 family is available in DIP, PLCC, and SOIC packages. Due to limitations on DIP package pin count, parallel driving is only possible in PLCC or SOIC packages.