Embedded Systems Programming

1. Embedded Systems Programming Introduction to ARM and StrongARM

2. Background to ARM • ARM is short for Advanced Risc Machines Ltd • Founded 1990, owned by Acorn, Apple and VLSI • Before becoming ARM the chip designing company, was a computing manufacturer which developed a 32-bit RISC processor for the Acorn Archimedes.

3. What is RISC? • What is RISC • Reduced instructions –fixed length • Use of pipelines to breakdown and speed up processing • Large number of registers – used as very fast onboard RAM • Load-store architecture – must load and store from memory to register via special instructions • Overall faster, simpler processer

4. ARM and RISC • The ARM processors have many features in common with RISC chips – but is not pure RISC • Uses variable cycle instructions • In-line barrel shifter leads to complex instructions • Thumb mode – a 16 bit extension to ARM assembler • Conditional execution of instructions • Enhanced instructions – ie DSP instructions • ARM processors are well adapted to embedded, low power and mobile solutions

5. Why ARM? • ARM is one of the most widely licensed and used processor cores • 2 billion+ in use • Especially good for low power mobile computing • Very good code density • Interesting extensions – Thumb instructions and Jazelle Java machine

6. ARM ISA and cores • ARM has developed a large number of different processor cores over the last decade. • The 2 distinguishing features are • The Instruction Set Architecture ISA • Changes but allows code compatibility between version – current version ARMv6 • The processor core type • Core implementations from ARM1 to ARM11

7. ISA • From ARMv1 • 26 bit external 32 bit internal architecture • ARMv3 • 32 bit • MMU support • ARMv4 • Thumb • ARMv6 • Multimedia instructions

8. ARM Cores • ARM7 core • Von Neumann architecture • 3 stage pipeline • 32 bit, MMU • ARM9 • Harvard architecture • 5 stage pipeline • Separate I + D caches • ARM11 • Eight stage pipeline • SIMD extensions for media processing • Extra floating point support

9. Intel StrongARM

10. SA1110 features • 32 bit RISC processor 133 - 206 MHz • 16KB I cache • 8KB D cache • Control units • Memory and PCMCIA Control (MPCM) • PCMCIA, Flash, DRAM, SRAM, ROM • System Control Unit SCM • Clocks and interrupts • Peripheral Control Module • UART, IrDA, USB, LCD • Memory Management Unit • 32 entry maps 4 Kbytes, 8 Kbytes or 1 Mbyte • Separate TLBs

11. Example StrongARM applications

12. SA1110 Block Diagram