Patent ID: 7945718

Claim:
A method, comprising: providing a microcontroller integrated circuit including a programmable processor, an embedded memory operatively coupled to the processor, waveform control circuitry operatively coupled to the processor and the embedded memory, and several terminals each structured for coupling to the microcontroller integrated circuit; executing a process by the processor, including storing a waveform bit pattern in the embedded memory, wherein the processor has read/write access to the embedded memory; with the waveform control circuitry, controlling transmission of the waveform bit pattern stored in the embedded memory through one or more of the terminals external to the microcontroller integrated circuit in accordance with desired synchronous timing; during the transmission, executing an instruction sequence for a different process with the processor; and controlling input of information into the microcontroller integrated circuit from a circuit device external to the microcontroller integrated circuit in response to the transmission of the waveform bit pattern, wherein the waveform bit pattern is used to strobe the information into the microcontroller integrated circuit.