Actel

CoreMP7
 
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 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

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CoreMP7 Details
ARM diagram
  • 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.

CoreConsole Subsystem

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).

M7 Devices

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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

Actel Fusion Mixed Signal FPGA

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.

M7 ProASIC3 Devices

Actel ProASIC3 Low Cost, Low Power FPGA

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).

Intellectual Property

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An important set of functional blocks required to use CoreMP7 are the subsystem peripherals. The following IP cores, just to name a few, are available for free in Libero IDE Catalog and SmartDesign for use with CoreMP7.

For a complete list of IP cores for use with CoreMP7 that are available in the Libero IDE Catalog and SmartDesign, visit the Actel 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. The Firmware Catalog includes all of the available drivers and is installed with Libero IDE or available as standalone.

Design Software

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Libero Integrated Design Environment (IDE)
Libero IDE FPGA Development Software
  • Actel comprehensive FPGA design and development software
  • Combines the latest design creation, physical implementation, and verification tools from leading EDA vendors

For more information, visit the Libero IDE 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
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.
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.

Design Hardware

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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.
Keil Microprocessor Design Kit (MDK)
  • 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

Ecosystem

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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

Related Information

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