Abstract: An integrated circuit can operate in a first mode as a parallel-to-serial converter, and in a second mode as a serial-to-parallel converter. Some of the components of the integrated circuit are used in both modes. For example, the IC has a single parallel interface, which is used as a parallel input in the first mode, and as a parallel output in the second mode. Further, the IC includes a single phase-locked loop circuit, which is used in a clock multiplier unit in the first mode, and in a clock recovery circuit in the second mode.

Abstract: An integrated circuit can operate in a first mode as a parallel-to-serial converter, and in a second mode as a serial-to-parallel converter. Some of the components of the integrated circuit are used in both modes. For example, the IC has a single parallel interface, which is used as a parallel input in the first mode, and as a parallel output in the second mode. Further, the IC includes a single phase-locked loop circuit, which is used in a clock multiplier unit in the first mode, and in a clock recovery circuit in the second mode.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of transferring data from a first device to a second device over parallel connections. The data represents a signal which has some known statistical property, and the data is encoded and distributed between the parallel connections, such that each parallel connection carries a respective time-aligned sequence of bits, and such that the known statistical property of the signal represented by the data is used to establish a known correlation between the respective sequences. In the second device, the known correlation between the respective sequences is used to re-establish time alignment of the received sequences.