The Microchip Technology Inc. 24LC41A is a dual port
128 x 8 and 512 x 8-bit Electrically Erasable PROM
(EEPROM). This device is designed for use in applications
requiring storage and serial transmission of
configuration and control information. Three modes of
operation have been implemented:
? Transmit-only mode for the DDC Monitor Port
? Bidirectional mode for the DDC Monitor Port
? Bidirectional, industry-standard 2-wire bus for the
4K Microcontroller Access Port
Upon power-up, the DDC Monitor Port will be in the
Transmit-only mode, repeatedly sending a serial bit
stream of the entire memory array contents, clocked by
the VCLK pin. A valid high-to-low transition on the
DSCL pin will cause the device to enter the transition
mode, an look for a valid control byte on the I2C bus. If
it detects a valid control byte from the master, it will
switch to Bidirectional mode, with byte selectable read/
write capability of the memory array using DSCL. If no
control byte is received, the device will revert to the
Transmit-only mode after it received 128 consecutive
VCLK Package Type pulses while the DSCL pin is idle.
The 4K-bit microcontroller port is completely independent
of the DDC port, therefore, it can be accessed
continuously by a microcontroller without interrupting
DDC transmission activity. The 24LC41A is available in
a standard 8-pin PDIP package in both commercial and
industrial temperature ranges.