Bringing ARM7™ to the Masses
ARM7 is the most widely used 32-bit RISC microprocessor —
billions have been shipped. Actel's CoreMP7 is a soft IP version of the
popular ARM7TDMI-S™ that has been optimized to maximize speed and
minimize size in Actel's M7 M7 Fusion and ProASIC3 flash-based
FPGAs. With CoreMP7, Actel is bringing ARM7 to the masses with no upfront
licensing fees and no royalties. FPGA users no longer have to settle
for a proprietary 32-bit processor core. Instead, they can use the industry-standard
ARM7 with its well-known architecture and popular instruction set. CoreMP7
executes the ARMv4T instruction set architecture and implements all 32-bit
ARM7 instructions and all 16-bit Thumb®
instructions. The processor has a 3-stage pipeline, 32-bit ALU, 32-bit
register file, a 32-bit external address and data bus interface, and JTAG
debug interface.
CoreMP7 Details
- Compatible with ARM7TDMI-S
- 32/16-bit RISC architecture
- 32-bit ARMv4T instruction set
- 16-bit Thumb instruction set
- 32-bit Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
- 3-stage pipeline
- 32-bit external bus interface
- Embedded real-time debug and JTAG interface
- Optimized for Actel flash-based M7 devices
- Implemented fully in the fabric
- All I/Os are accessible to the user
- Seamless FPGA design and debug tool flow and integration
CoreMP7 Subsystem
An important set of functional blocks in a microprocessor is the subsystem
peripherals. These include all of the low-level functionality that must
be implemented around the processor for it to be used in an application.
The CoreMP7 subsystem peripherals include:
- AHB-Lite interface
- APB interface
- AHB to APB bridge
- Memory controller
- Interrupt controller
- Timers
- Serial interface
- Buffered I/O interface
The CoreMP7 subsystem peripherals are delivered as part of the Libero IDE Catalog and the CoreConsole
IP Deployment Platform (IDP).
CoreMP7 is available for use in M7 flash family devices, which have been
made ARM-enabled for seamless use of the processor core. The devices are
based on Actel's nonvolatile flash technology and support 250 k to 3 M
gates and up to 616 high-performance I/Os.
M7 Fusion Devices
The M7 Fusion devices combine the power of ARM7 with the world's first
mixed-signal FPGAs. Fusion devices integrate configurable analog, large
flash memory blocks, SRAM memory, comprehensive clock generation and management
circuitry, and high performance programmable logic all in a single chip.
The devices interface to the real world with up to 30 high-voltage-tolerant
analog inputs that can be directly connected to signals from -12 V to +12
V, eliminating the need for signal preconditioning. The on-chip Fusion
analog to digital converter (ADC) is configurable and supports resolutions
up to 12 bits, and sample rates up to 600 k samples per second (ksps).
M7 Fusion devices give engineers a single-chip solution for their real
world design challenges.
For more information, visit:
M7 ProASIC3 Devices
The M7 ProASIC3 devices are a secure, low-power, live at power-up, single-chip
solution. They are reprogrammable and offer fast time-to-market benefits
at an ASIC-level unit cost. These features enable engineers to create high-performance,
high-density system applications with ARM7 using existing FPGA design flows
and tools. In addition, M7 ProASIC3 devices offer on-chip, user memory
and clock conditioning circuitry based on up to six on-board phase-locked
loops (PLLs).
For more information, visit the ProASIC3 web
page.
An important set of functional blocks required to use CoreMP7 are the subsystem peripherals. The following IP cores are available for free in CoreConsole for use with CoreMP7.
For a complete list of IP cores for use with CoreMP7 that are available
in the Libero IDE Catalog or CoreConsole, visit the DirectCore
IP Cores web page. Actel also offers software drivers for these cores that ease the use of the cores for application developers, allowing them to focus on a core's function and not its internal operation. For a list of the available drivers and to download them, visit the Firmware web page.
SmartDesign
- Graphical block system design creation tool
- Create complete FPGA and SoC designs, including processors, DirectCores, standard library cores, user IP, and custom HDL
- Automatically creates synthesis-ready HDL
- Operates within Libero
IDE
- Learn more about SmartDesign
CoreConsole
- Actel's Intellectual Property Deployment Platform (IDP)
- Includes a graphical interface and a block stitcher to simplify the
assembly of IP cores for embedded applications in FPGAs
- Operates independently or seamlessly with Libero
IDE, Actel's FPGA development tool suite, which includes Designer software
for place-and-route
- For more information, visit the CoreConsole web
page.
SoftConsole
- Actel's CoreMP7 software development environment
- Includes GNU C/C++ compiler, GDB debugger, simulator
- Read the latest SoftConsole Release
Notes and download software.
- For more information, visit the SoftConsole web
page.
Actel FlashPro3 Programmer
- M7 ProASIC3 and M7 Fusion devices support in-system programming (ISP).
- Configuration data is supplied through a standard JTAG interface from
a microprocessor, Silicon
Sculptor II, or FlashPro3.
CoreMP7 Development Kit
- Complete prototype and development
environment
- Includes: board with an M7 ProASIC3 device, Actel Libero IDE Gold, including SmartDesign,
CoreConsole, C program development tools, an optional FlashPro3 programmer
with a USB cable, a power supply, tutorials, and support documentation.
- Enables application development with CoreMP7 in Actel nonvolatile M7
ProASIC3 devices, and supports ISP, device serialization, and FlashLock
on-chip system security.
ARM RealView® Developer Kit
- Provides tools for building, debugging, and managing software development
projects that run on the processor.
- Contains an optimized C compiler, debugger, assembler, and instruction
set simulator.
- Available from Actel. Learn
more.
A major benefit for users of Actel's CoreMP7 FPGA optimized ARM7 microprocessor
is the huge ecosystem of tools and design support, as well as the large
volume of embedded software code that exists for it. To this rich selection
of tools, Actel offers its world-class set of FPGA
development
tools, a
development kit, and
device
programming. Actel's
solution
partners are available to provide their service and expertise.
Compilers
APIs and Drivers
Debuggers
Resources & Links
