Very often, complex systems involve two or more microcontrollers to fulfill the requirements defined by a given objective. Since the nature of microcontrollers does not allow for easy dual-port memory design (no``READY'' input; no ``HOLD/HLDA'' interface; portoriented I/O etc.), design engineers are faced with the problem of interchanging information (data and status) between those microcontrollers. This application brief describes the design of a mailbox for exchanging information between two 80C31s, using a 5C060 PLD as a ``back-to-back'' register, and a 5C032 PLD as an arbitration vehicle to control the actions of the CPUs. CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 5C060 MAILBOX 1 5C032 MAILBOX CONTROLLER 2 Block Diagram 3 5C060 ``Back to Back Register'' 4 5C032 ``Mailbox Controller'' 5 5C060 Register ADF 6 5C032 Arbiter ADF 7