Devices and methods for microcontroller port control

A microcontroller unit comprising:

• at least one core;
• a plurality of safety fault management units, each safety fault management unit comprising circuitry configured to detect one or more safety faults and further configured to output an alarm signal in response to detection of one or more safety faults;
• a plurality of system control units operating in parallel to the at least one core, wherein each of the plurality of system control units is coupled to at least one of the plurality of safety fault management units and comprises hardware circuitry configured to generate and output a port emergency stop (PES) signal based on the one or more alarm signals obtained from the at least one safety fault management unit;
• a plurality of ports;
• and
• a plurality of port circuitries respectively coupled to the plurality of ports and to the plurality of system control units, each of the plurality of port circuitries configured to selectively cause the respectively connected port to enter a non-operational electronic state in response to receiving a PES signal.