|
12/07/95 ARM7500 July 1995.
Designed by ARM Ltd, this single chip computer combines a CPU, video generator, memory controller and I/O system in one 240 pin monolithic device. The ARM7500 is almost a Risc PC on a chip. The 7500 includes an ARM7 processor with associated MMU, 8 word write buffer and 4Kbyte cache. There is also a complete video generator chip, similar to VIDC20, and most of the functions of IOMD. The chip boasts two PS/2 keyboard ports, which can be used for an industry standard PC keyboard and a PS/2 mouse. And there is a four-channel PC joystick interface.
Summary of features
ARM704 CPU with 4Kbyte cache, MMU and 8 word write buffer
Video generator capable of up to 24-bit colour
LCD support for mono LCD (built-in greyscaler) and TFT type colour panels
Stereo sound output, either analogue (8-bit logarithmic) or digital IIS
DRAM controller, supports four 64Mbyte banks with variable access speed
Programmable DRAM refresh options
DMA controller for video, cursor and sound data reads
Built-in 16-bit I/O bus - expandable to 32-bits
Four comparator controlled timers to support PC-style joysticks
Two PS/2-style 'keyboard' ports
8-bit general purpose I/O port
Two timers - IOC compatible
Power-saving modes - Suspend CPU or Stop clocks
Optional 16-bit wide data path, for DRAM and ROM
Support for executing code from 16-bit I/O mapped memory (PMCIA XIP).
The table below shows its performance benchmarks against other Acorn computers and PC competition.
The block diagram shows the layout of the ARM7500.
Return to section Index
|
