(Click here for slightly larger image of the LPC3180)The LPC3180 SoC and development boardNXP Semiconductor's
NXP LCP3180 system-on-chip processor is touted as the first ARM9-based microcontroller built on 90nm process technology. It is also touted as the only ARM9 chip with a hardware VFP (vector floating-point) unit. Yet another claimed first among ARM9-based microcontrollers is "USB On-The-Go (OTG) integrated with full host capability, for direct connection to PDAs, smart-card readers, and printers."
The LCP3180 is based on an ARM926EJ-S core clocked up to 208 MHz. Besides the VFP and USB host/device interface, there's an MMU (memory-management unit) for complex OS support, a real-time clock, dual SPI, dual I2C, dual PWM, three 10-bit analog-to-digital channels, and some seven UARTs. There are also generous 32KB instruction and data caches.
LPC3180 function block diagram
(Click to enlarge)
PhyCore LPC3180 |
The phyCORE LPC3180 development board measures 2.4 x 2.1 inches (60 x 53 mm). Besides the NXP SoC, it integrates 16MB to 64MB of SDRAM, and 16MB to 128MB of flash memory.
Other key features cited by PhyCore include:
- Processor and board-level signals are extended to two high-density connectors on the underside of the SBC
- JTAG signals are available on the board's edge connector
- An industrial temperature range of -40 to +85 deg. C is supported
The BSPAdeneo's first
announced its BSP for the LCP3180 at the Embedded Systems Conference in April 2007. The BSP is said to support most of the board's peripherals. Also claimed supported are "key" features of the NXP processor, such as its power management and VFP circuits.
Adeneo CEO Yannick Chamming said, "We've been working with NXP and Phytec for many months now to release a strong and reliable Windows Embedded CE solution." The BSP provides a cost-effective way for developing custom solutions on NXP chips, he added.
In September, Adeneo also announced an
LPC3180 port of Microsoft's .NET Micro Framework (.NET MF). This comes with a reference board emulator, allowing development to take place without actual hardware. The package provides a "hardware encapsulation" feature aimed at easing subsequent adaptations to custom designs, according to Adeneo.
Pricing and availabilityAdeno did not provide pricing for the BSP.
OEMs signing an NDA can evaluate Adeno's BSP for the LPC3180 now, under a 20-day source code evaluation license available at undisclosed pricing. A free binary evaluation version is also available, and is suitable for testing and demonstration, the company said.
The LPC3180 SBC costs about $180 per unit, in OEM quantities of 1,000.
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