MIC5891 High-Voltage 8-Bit Shift Register IC DIP-16 — 50V / 500mA, Darlington Output, Arduino

MIC5891 High-Voltage 8-Bit Shift Register — 50V / 500mA Darlington Output, DIP-16

The MIC5891 is a high-side 8-bit serial-in / parallel-out shift register with integrated Darlington transistor output drivers, capable of sourcing up to 500mA at 50V per channel. Think of it as a 74HC595 with built-in power transistors — it accepts serial data from a microcontroller and drives high-voltage, high-current loads directly, without external transistors or driver ICs. It is the definitive solution for driving large common-cathode 7-segment LED displays, relay arrays, solenoids, and other high-power loads from a single SPI-compatible interface.

Key Features

• 8-bit serial-in / parallel-out — SPI-compatible, 3-wire interface (DATA, CLOCK, LATCH)
• High-side Darlington outputs — sources up to 500mA @ 50V per channel
• Logic supply: 4.5–15V — 5V logic compatible
• Load supply: 5–50V — drives high-voltage displays and loads
• Built-in inductive load suppression diodes — relay and solenoid protection
• Daisy-chainable — cascade multiple MIC5891s for more outputs
• PWM brightness control via OE (Output Enable) pin
• DIP-16 package — breadboard and through-hole PCB compatible

Technical Specifications

MIC5891 vs 74HC595

• 74HC595: Logic-level outputs only (max ~35mA @ 5V) — requires external transistors for power loads
• MIC5891 (this): Integrated Darlington drivers — drives 500mA @ 50V directly, no external transistors needed

Typical Applications

• Large common-cathode 7-segment LED displays (4″–6″ digits requiring 5–15V)
• Relay array control from Arduino / microcontroller
• Solenoid valve driver (with built-in suppression diodes)
• High-power LED matrix driver
• Industrial output expansion for PLCs and embedded controllers
• Motor driver enable/disable control

Arduino Wiring (Basic)

• Pin 2 (CLOCK) → Arduino digital pin
• Pin 3 (DATA IN) → Arduino digital pin
• Pin 4 (LATCH) → Arduino digital pin
• Pin 14 (OE) → Arduino PWM pin (LOW = outputs enabled; PWM = brightness control)
• VDD (logic) → 5V | Vbb (load) → load supply voltage (5–50V)
• GND → common ground

Package Contents

• 1 × MIC5891 High-Voltage 8-Bit Shift Register (DIP-16, Microchip Technology)

MIC5891 Datasheet (Microchip PDF)