Processors for Embedded Systems

1
Processors for Embedded Systems

• PowerPC
• X86
• MIPS
• ARM Strong ARM
• SuperH RISC (SH3 and SH4)
• PIC EE 4175

2
Motorola/IBM PowerPC

• Used in Apples MAC and IBMs RS/6000 workstation
• 32-bit and 64-bit RISC Processor
• http//e-www.motorola.com/webapp/sps/site/overview
  .jsp?nodeId

3
Intel X86

• Celeron P6 processor core
• http//developer.intel.com/design/intarch/celeron/
  celeron.htm
• X86 available from other sources such as AMD and
  Cyrix

4
MIPS

• MIPS Technologies (part of SGI until a 1998 spin
  off used in SGI workstations)
• http//www.mips.com/
• 32 and 64-bit RISC Processor
• 64-bit MIPS processor has 32 64-bit integer and
  floating point registers
• MIPS and ARM have 16-bit code compression RISC
  chips

5
ARM

• 32-bit RISC low power design from an English IP
  company, ARM ltd (Advanced RISC Machines)
• http//www.arm.com/
• Used in smaller devices such as Digital Cameras,
  Phones, Games, and Set-Top boxes
• StrongARM developed by DEC sold to Intel
• http//developer.intel.com/design/pca/applications
  processors/index.htm
• Thumb instruction subset is coded into 16-bits
  and decompressed on-the-fly to full 32-bit
  instructions. Can switch from 16-bit to 32-bit
  instructions on the sub-routine level.

6
SuperH RISC (SH3 and SH4)

• Hitachi
• http//semiconductor.hitachi.com/microprocessors.h
  tml
• 32 and 64-bit RISC Processors, some have on-chip
  ROM, RAM and DSP
• 16 32-bit registers, 16-bit instructions, 2 issue
  superscalar

7
Processor Selection Issues

• Price
• Performance
• Power
• Battery Life (MIPS/Watt), Cooling
• Software Support
• OS, Compiler, Applications
• Availability
• Multiple Vendors, Long term availability

8
O/S Support for Processors

• Most have a Unix/Linux port available
• All supported by Windows CE compiler that we will
  use in the lab
• http//www.microsoft.com/windows/embedded/default.
  asp
• Other Operating Systems?