Actel

SmartFusion Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGAs
 
Actel SmartFusion™: Intelligent Innovative Integration.
No Compromises.

SmartFusion intelligent mixed signal FPGAs are the only devices that integrate an FPGA, ARM® Cortex™-M3, and programmable analog, offering full customization, IP protection, and ease-of-use. Based on Actel's proprietary flash process, SmartFusion FPGAs are ideal for hardware and embedded designers who need a true system-on-chip (SoC) solution that gives more flexibility than traditional fixed-function microcontrollers—without the excessive cost of soft processor cores on traditional FPGAs.

Learn more about SmartFusion intelligent mixed signal FPGA:

Key Benefits

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  • Full Design Customizability
    • Create a product with exactly the features you need
    • Innovate and differentiate for a competitive edge
    • Incorporate last-minute changes with an on-chip FPGA
    • Future-proof your design with in-application programming (IAP) capability for field upgrades
    • Experiment with hardware acceleration for select algorithms in FPGA fabric
  • Intellectual Property (IP) Protection
    • Inherent flash FPGA IP security with a complete SoC
    • Snoop-free interface between microcontroller and FPGA
    • No security risk at power-up due to bitstream download
    • Secure in-system programming (ISP) with 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) via JTAG
    • FlashLock® to prevent FPGA contents from being read back
    • Protection against overbuilding with customer programmable device key
  • Ease-of-Use Increases Productivity
    • A single platform for your entire line of products
    • Integrated design environment for both FPGA and embedded designers
    • Simple GUI-based configuration of complex programmable analog
    • Industry leading compile and debug from Keil™, IAR Systems® and GNU
    • Micrium supports SmartFusion with real time operating system (RTOS) and middleware components

SmartFusion Architecture

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Product Table

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SmartFusion Devices A2F0601 A2F200 A2F500
General
   System Gates 60,000 200,000 500,000
   Tiles (D-Flip-Flops) 1,536 4,608 11,520
   RAM Blocks (4,608 bits) 8 8 24
Microcontroller Subsystem (MSS)
   Flash (Kbytes) 128 256 512
   SRAM (Kbytes) 16 64 64
   Cortex-M3 with Memory Protection Unit (MPU) Yes Yes Yes
   10/100 Ethernet MAC No Yes Yes
   External Memory Controller (EMC) 26-bit address,
16-bit data		 26-bit address,
16-bit data		 26-bit address,
16-bit data
   DMA 8 Ch 8 Ch 8 Ch
   I2C 2 2 2
   SPI 2 2 2
   16550 UART 2 2 2
   32-Bit Timer 2 2 2
   PLL 1 1 2
   32 KHz Low-Power Oscillator 1 1 1
   100 MHz On-Chip RC Oscillator 1 1 1
   Main Oscillator (32 KHz to 20 MHz) 1 1 1
Programmable Analog
   ADCs(8-/10-/12-bit SAR) 1 2 3
   DACs (12-bit sigma-delta) 1 2 3
   Signal Conditioning Blocks (SCBs) 1 4 5
   Comparators2 2 8 10
   Current Monitors2 1 4 5
   Temperature Monitors2 1 4 5
   Bipolar High Voltage Monitors2 2 8 10
Package Offerings
Speed Grades Std. Std. Std.
Temperature Grades C, I C, I C, I
I/Os: MSS + FPGA I/Os
Packages FG256 FG256 FG484 FG256 FG484
Direct Analog Input 8 8 8 8 12
Total Analog Input 12 24 24 24 32
Total Analog Output 1 2 2 2 3
MSS I/Os3,4 25 25 41 25 41
FPGA I/Os 66 66 94 66 128
Total I/Os 104 117 161 117 204

Notes:

  1. Under definition. Subject to change.
  2. These functions share I/O pins and may not all be available at the same time.
  3. 16 MSS I/Os are multiplexed and can be used as FPGA I/Os, if not needed for the MSS. These I/Os support Schmitt triggers and support only LVTTL and LVCMOS (1.5 / 1.8 / 2.5, 3.3 V) standards.
  4. 9 MSS I/Os are primarily for 10/00 Ethernet MAC and are also multiplexed and can be used as FPGA I/Os if Ethernet MAC is not used in a design. These I/Os support Schmitt triggers and support only LVTTL and LVCMOS (1.5 / 1.8 / 2.5, 3.3 V) standards.

Design Software

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Libero IDE FPGA Development SoftwareDesigning with SmartFusion involves three different types of design: FPGA design, embedded design and analog design. Actel offers FREE design tools to meet the needs of designers involved in these three types of design so they can work smoothly together on a single project. A FREE Gold license for Libero® Integrated Design Environment (IDE) supports all members of the SmartFusion family.

  • FPGA design — Libero IDE is Actel's comprehensive software toolset for designing with all Actel FPGAs. Libero IDE includes industry-leading synthesis, simulation and debug tools such as Synplify Pro® and ModelSim®, as well as innovative timing and power optimization and analysis.
  • Embedded design — Actel offers FREE SoftConsole Eclipse-based IDE, which includes GNU C/C++ compiler and GDB debugger. Actel also offers evaluation versions of software from Keil and IAR Systems, with full versions available from respective suppliers.
  • Analog design — The MSS configurator provides graphical configuration for current, voltage and temperature monitors, sample sequencing setup and post-processing configuration, and DAC output.

Design Hardware

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SmartFusion is fully supported by design hardware supplied by Actel and partners, covering a range from low-cost evaluation to full-featured development kits and application-specific daughter cards.

  • The SmartFusion Evaluation Kit is ideal for first time users who want to evaluate the technology and experiment with different communication interfaces and peripherals.
  • The SmartFusion Development Kit is a full-featured development platform with extensive memory on-board, multiple networking options, and both digital and analog expansion headers.
  • The SmartFusion MPM Daughter Card implements complex configurable power management and can be used with either the evaluation or development kit.

IP and Solutions

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SmartFusion FPGAs contain an ARM Cortex-M3 processor and multiple peripherals hard coded into the device. In addition to these, Actel offers soft peripherals that can be placed in the FPGA fabric of the device.

IP CoresSearch for SmartFusion IP cores.

Actel also offers a number of solutions that demonstrate the use of the SmartFusion device in various applications to accelerate time-to-market for customers.

  • System Management — Mixed-signal Power Manager (MPM) and hardware platform management for xTCA™ applications, supplied by Pigeon Point Systems, demonstrate system management.
  • Motor Control — SmartFusion intelligent mixed signal FPGAs are uniquely suited for active motor control for permanent magnet motors, servo motors, series motors, separately excited motors, and alternating current (AC) induction motors.
  • Industrial Automation — The range of peripherals and flexibility of the FPGA fabric, make the SmartFusion device ideal for industrial automation and bridging functions. The development kit supports Ethernet, EtherCAT, CAN, UART, I2C, and SPI hardware, while firmware can be used for various other network standards such as Modbus®.