68
F. Firouzi et al.
– 44–64 – 100 pin package known as A4, A3, A1
– 32 pin package (XMEGA-E, XMEGA8E5)
– More extensive performance features including DMA, cryptography support,
and event system
– Large peripheral set including ADCs
• 32-Bit AVR – Atmel developed 32-bit microcontrollers in 2006. This microcontroller included DSP instructions, a 32-bit data path, and additional audio/video
processing features. While the instruction set resembled that of other RISC cores,
unfortunately, it is not compatible with the initial AVR. AVR32 support has
not been provided by Linux since the 4.12 kernel. Recently, Atmel also started
to produce microcontrollers based on M variants of the ARM architecture. M
variants of ARM will be discussed in the next section.
2.4.2.3 ARM Microcontrollers
ARM (Advanced RISC Machines) is a group of reduced instructions set computing
(RISC) architectures designed by Arm Holdings. ARM Holdings is a fabless
business in a way that licenses are purchased by other companies that utilize the
architecture when designing their own products. The list of notable companies that
utilize ARM core processors includes (but is not limited to) Atmel, Cypress Semiconductors, Apple, Analog Devices, Broadcom, Nvidia, Freescale Semiconductors,
NXP, Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.
In comparison to AVR and PIC systems, ARM microcontrollers utilize Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM) instead of simple SRAM. SDRAM can be
synchronized with the processor clock cycle to improve efficiency and allow a
greater number of operations to be executed during each clock cycle. ARM processors also include a proprietary technology called the Advanced Microcontroller
Bus (AMB). This technology enables hardware developers to more easily design
and incorporate additional components into the ARM core.
ARM microcontrollers are a popular option for consumer electronics (i.e.,
smartphones) because of their storage capability, speed, and cost efficiency when
compared to other higher-end microcontrollers. However, longer set up times mean
that these microcontrollers are a less likely option when trying to develop a
prototype quickly.
2.5 ARM Microcontrollers
2.5.1 Background
The ARM architecture indicates the specifications such as register sets, operation
modes, and instruction sets that should be supported by any implementations of the
ARM core. Several ARM architectures, ranging in size from 32-bits to 64-bits, have
F. Firouzi et al.
– 44–64 – 100 pin package known as A4, A3, A1
– 32 pin package (XMEGA-E, XMEGA8E5)
– More extensive performance features including DMA, cryptography support,
and event system
– Large peripheral set including ADCs
• 32-Bit AVR – Atmel developed 32-bit microcontrollers in 2006. This microcontroller included DSP instructions, a 32-bit data path, and additional audio/video
processing features. While the instruction set resembled that of other RISC cores,
unfortunately, it is not compatible with the initial AVR. AVR32 support has
not been provided by Linux since the 4.12 kernel. Recently, Atmel also started
to produce microcontrollers based on M variants of the ARM architecture. M
variants of ARM will be discussed in the next section.
2.4.2.3 ARM Microcontrollers
ARM (Advanced RISC Machines) is a group of reduced instructions set computing
(RISC) architectures designed by Arm Holdings. ARM Holdings is a fabless
business in a way that licenses are purchased by other companies that utilize the
architecture when designing their own products. The list of notable companies that
utilize ARM core processors includes (but is not limited to) Atmel, Cypress Semiconductors, Apple, Analog Devices, Broadcom, Nvidia, Freescale Semiconductors,
NXP, Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.
In comparison to AVR and PIC systems, ARM microcontrollers utilize Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM) instead of simple SRAM. SDRAM can be
synchronized with the processor clock cycle to improve efficiency and allow a
greater number of operations to be executed during each clock cycle. ARM processors also include a proprietary technology called the Advanced Microcontroller
Bus (AMB). This technology enables hardware developers to more easily design
and incorporate additional components into the ARM core.
ARM microcontrollers are a popular option for consumer electronics (i.e.,
smartphones) because of their storage capability, speed, and cost efficiency when
compared to other higher-end microcontrollers. However, longer set up times mean
that these microcontrollers are a less likely option when trying to develop a
prototype quickly.
2.5 ARM Microcontrollers
2.5.1 Background
The ARM architecture indicates the specifications such as register sets, operation
modes, and instruction sets that should be supported by any implementations of the
ARM core. Several ARM architectures, ranging in size from 32-bits to 64-bits, have