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CPU not MPU/MCU

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AtomSoft

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hwy guys.... just wanted some info... What we do here is program MCU/MPU right...

Micro Controller/Processor Unit

Where can i get info on CPUs? Like are there CPUs you can program? I know that CPUs dont have memory on board and stuff like that. I just want more info on it.

How do i go about looking something like this up?
 
The difference has become very difficult to see any more. I first learnt assembly on a Z80 back in 1980 and I can now get that same chip with onboard everything. Clicky.

Mike.
 
Ok let me ask a nice question....

Whats is the FASTEST MCU you have seen in DIP form? Weather it be ARM(if any), PIC, AVR

Also can you name some other companies i can reasearch...

NXP = ARM
ST = ARM

etc.... I want speed in a DIP...
 
Start by doing a search on the above mentioned CPUs. Datasheets may have some answers for you, and other info can be found in people's projects incorporating the above CPUs.
 
I can name a lot of companies, but none that I know that make fast chips in DIP packages. Even the CPU's, the only DIP packages I know of are the old Z80, 8080's and those things are ancient and pale in comparison to even a current 8bit uC.

My best guess would be Parallax Propeller at 80Mhz, but only when using the assembly option and not their high level programming. I don't have any real experience with it, but sounds pretty fast and has some kind of parallel processing.
 
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The propeller can do video It's can do a lot cool chip in a pdip **broken link removed**
**broken link removed**
 
I always felt Parallax makes things to easy.. like toys ....

Ima have to look around to see what i can find... Thanks guys! This doesnt mean im leaving PICs or anything heh. Just wanted more info... Might look into ARM9 and creating SMD Adapters
 
I was thinking about the :

PIC32MX360F512L

Seems like a good idea to stick with PIC micro since im familiar.... ARM7's are cool but dev would cost a lot.... (software mostly)

I might start on 32bit PICs
 
In terms of raw MIPS, the XMOS chips are hard to beat. I keep thinking about getting one of the devel boards or bare chips, but practically I have no real use for them.

Another option would be, Cortex-M3 STM32 at 75Mhz with a stripped down ARM7 architecture. Easy to implement on. I'm using Luminary Micro offerings, I'd like to go STM32, but the Luminary Micro chips are half the price. The LM Cortex-M3 chips are 50Mhz, but the 8bit ports on a 32bit processor is what drives me insane.
 
Luminary Micro advertises 1.25 DMIPS per 1Mhz. I assume STM32 are the same, since they use the same core with Thumb2 instruction set.

I have no idea what you are doing, but if you are doing fast switching or response time you want to look at things like jitter and triggering delays in the chip you are thinking about as well as raw processing power.
 
They do seem cool! Massive mips and independant processing modules, timer driven. Very sexy.

About the only thing I could fault is they don't have a reasonable solution for one-off projects which is a massive chunk of the market. They need something like a PDIP 40 package etc so you can build a finished one-off app without having to buy an extra 64LQFP adaptor PCB (which doubles the IC cost) and the hassle and time of soldering LQFP, or equal hassle and cost of being forced to make a custom application PCB to fit the LQFP and still have the problem of soldering it.

Releasing a bottom end XS1-L1 in a PDIP 40 would probably double their user base.
 
hwy guys.... just wanted some info... What we do here is program MCU/MPU right...

Micro Controller/Processor Unit

Where can i get info on CPUs? Like are there CPUs you can program? I know that CPUs dont have memory on board and stuff like that. I just want more info on it.

How do i go about looking something like this up?
Well, you need to specify what you WANT to do. In most project applications, having the program and RAM on-board is a GREAT thing and saves literally months or YEARS of development time.

All the PICs are microcontrollers with on-board RAM and ROM. In fact, they cannot run programs from external RAM or ROM even if you have it, not without interpreted code.

There are "single board computers" (Google it) if you need to run Linux or whatever, or need a monitor. It's a very minimal version of a traditional PC motherboard and processor. Takes much more power and they cost like 50x-100x more than a PIC. They're not uncommon in the world. The checkout terminal at the supermarket might have an SBC in it.

Going between a PIC and an SBC- working with a processor and RAM bus, maybe hard drive or video bus, designing the board, writing the custom software- it's potentially a huge undertaking and may be totally unnecessary.

Also like the board from a Palm Pilot or Windows CE machine is essentially an SBC. There are often hacking pages on how to make them do "new" things. These may be a cheap and highly capable option, but it depends on your job. Could you look up the processor chip it uses and try to design your own board? Sure, but why? It could take a year of skilled development and you may have trouble even obtaining the chip.
 
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