The bidirectional capability of the shift register and CNT clock allows many 8520s to be connected to a common serial communications bus on which one 8520 acts as a master, sourcing data and shift clock, while all other 8520 chips act as slaves. Both CNT and SP outputs are open drain to allow such a common bus. Protocol for master/slave selection can be transmitted over the serial bus or via dedicated handshake lines. REG NAME D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 --- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- C SDR S7 S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 S1 S0