Help me with choosing an appropriate ARM micro

[psmll]

Hi,

I never used an ARM uc, but I think that I will need to start using one ;-)

I need a uc capable of:

- at least 200MIPS, so probably something >= 200MHz,
- can read at least 16bits from an port in just one instruction cycle.

I know that exist powerful ARM processors, for example my HP49G+ use one from Samsung capable of 203MHz, even more at overclock ;-) but HP have it at 75MHz because of the batteries :|

I'm a PIC fan, I use to almost everything, but for this task I need more, I tried to find an ARM, but exist so many....

I want one that are popular, that exist lot's of thinks for it, that is cheap, that have good IDE and C compiler for developing, easy to find, programmer easy to make or exist a cheap one, and more and more

I know that I'm asking too many things, but at least tell me what are your favorite ARM and why.

Thanks

 

[boseji]

Help choosing an ARM

Hello,

Have a look at AVR32.
Well things would be easy since the avrfreaks.net are there.

Best of Luck!!

 

[psmll]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

Hello,

Have a look at AVR32.
Well things would be easy since the avrfreaks.net are there.

Best of Luck!!

AVR32, seems nice, but the max freq is 150MHz, so I'm sure that I can't read the ports at 200M times/s :-(

 

[kekon]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

You can use ARM9 processors. They are used in mobile phones. However, you have to keep in mind ARM processors are much more difficult that PIC. Their architecture is far different than PICs.

 

[psmll]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

I searched and for >= 200MHz I only find ARMs with BGA package :-(

Added after 39 minutes:

I can't handle BGA packages at home.

For my personal projects I like to be able to do the PCB at home, also like to be able to create some ways to be able to prototype the ICs in a breadboard, for that I do this small PCBs ;-)

 

[boseji]

Help choosing an ARM

Hello

The only one who could save you then is SH7 series of Renesas processors. Have a look.

Best of Luck!!

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Help choosing an ARM

A 200MIPs micro might be able to read a port in one cycle but it'll still have to process the read so it won't be able to read the port continuously.

 

[kekon]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

Microcontrollers working at 200 MIPS usually are not microcontrollers - they need external program and RAM memory to be connected. Such high frequency at wchich the chip runs requires special rules to be taken under consideration when designing a PCB. Such PCB in most cases must be 4-layered one due to EMC problems and signal delays produced by copper tracks. This is very difficult to do at home unless you have special equipment to do that.

 

[psmll]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

Hello

The only one who could save you then is SH7 series of Renesas processors. Have a look.

Best of Luck!!

Thanks, it really have some uc that don't use BGA, but the chips seems to have lots of thinks, it seems that they are almost a complete mini computer, and need several external things to work, like memory :-(

Added after 1 minutes:

A 200MIPs micro might be able to read a port in one cycle but it'll still have to process the read so it won't be able to read the port continuously.

Yes, of course, my goal is only to take a limited number of successive reads, not a continuous read.

Added after 4 minutes:

Microcontrollers working at 200 MIPS usually are not microcontrollers - they need external program and RAM memory to be connected.

Yes, I came to the same conclusion, after some search, for +-100MHz I find uc that are what I need, but are only 100MHz, for more seems that is only for more powerful proposes.

 

[bobcat1]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

HI

200 MIPS is a lot of processing power whay do you need so mutch MIPS?

Do you need to process video or to compress it ?

All the best

Bobi

 

[psmll]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

200 MIPS is a lot of processing power whay do you need so mutch MIPS?

I just want to read a limited number of 16bits values at 200M times/s

 

[bobsanjose]

Help choosing an ARM

What you are describing is a DMA, not a micro. To read 200M times, the access time to this device has to be less than 5ns, it that true?
There is no ARM9 on the market that could do what you want, not even if it runs at 400 MHz. A transfer memory address to other memory address with increment of target is not done in one cycle, that for sure, not even when the target memory is internal SRAM.
Looking for such ambitious targets and not be able to handle BGA sounds just a little mismatch to me.
Go and study a little more before you continue with your project.
No offense, your knowledge is no match for your task.

Bob

 

[psmll]

Re: Help choosing an ARM

What you are describing is a DMA, not a micro. To read 200M times, the access time to this device has to be less than 5ns, it that true?
There is no ARM9 on the market that could do what you want, not even if it runs at 400 MHz. A transfer memory address to other memory address with increment of target is not done in one cycle, that for sure, not even when the target memory is internal SRAM.
Looking for such ambitious targets and not be able to handle BGA sounds just a little mismatch to me.
Go and study a little more before you continue with your project.
No offense, your knowledge is no match for your task.

Bob

Just after start searching I also find that ;-)

Added after 5 minutes:

I have to say that some days ago I found the solution, but I don't use an ARM.

The big change now is that I only have to read the input at 100M times/s, because the input now are demultiplexed, I have to read 2x more bits, but only at 100M/s.

For that I will use a FIFO from TI, and them read it at low speed with a normal PIC

For now this solution works.

Thank you all for your help.