Abstract: An apparatus comprises a microcontroller including a digital potentiometer provided in a microcontroller packaging. The digital potentiometer includes a resistor ladder including a plurality of resistors arranged in series and a plurality of selectively controllable potentiometer switches, a first resistor terminal connected to the resistor ladder, and a wiper terminal connected to the resistor ladder. The microcontroller includes a processor to transmit a wiper select signal to the digital potentiometer to selectively control the potentiometer switches to selectively connect at least a subset of the resistors between the first resistor terminal and wiper terminal, to thereby control the resistance between the first resistor terminal and wiper terminal.

Abstract: A serial communication apparatus is provided. The serial communication apparatus may include a transmitter to transmit data by outputting an output signal, and a collision detection circuitry operatively coupled to the transmitter to receive the output signal. The collision detection circuitry is to receive an input signal from an input buffer, compare the input signal and output signal, and provide a collision indication signal in response to a difference between the output signal and the input signal.

Abstract: A system for encoding and decoding in a communication protocol is provided, and may include a transmitter having a transmit data buffer to store a data, an encoding circuitry operatively coupled to the transmit data buffer to receive the data from the transmit data buffer and encode the data based on a selected encoding method, and a transmit shift register operatively coupled to the encoding circuitry to receive the encoded data and transmit the encoded data in the bitwise manner. The system may include a receiver having a receive shift register to receive the encoded data, a decoding circuitry operatively coupled to the receive shift register to receive the encoded data from the receive shift register in a parallel manner, and decode the encoded data based on a selected decoding method, and a receive data buffer operatively coupled to the decoding circuitry to receive the decoded data.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a microcontroller including a digital potentiometer provided in a microcontroller packaging. The digital potentiometer includes a resistor ladder including a plurality of resistors arranged in series and a plurality of selectively controllable potentiometer switches, a first resistor terminal connected to the resistor ladder, and a wiper terminal connected to the resistor ladder. The microcontroller includes a processor to transmit a wiper select signal to the digital potentiometer to selectively control the potentiometer switches to selectively connect at least a subset of the resistors between the first resistor terminal and wiper terminal, to thereby control the resistance between the first resistor terminal and wiper terminal.