[sdiy] ARM Launches Class-Leading Cortex-M4 Processor for High Performance Digital Signal Control - MarketWatch

[Tom Farrand]

NXP has already signed onto the M4 program.  As I understand it, the
M4 comes in two flavors: The M4 and the M4F.  The M4F is the one which
includes an FPU whereas the M4 does not.  It is claimed that an MP3
decoder can be implemented with the NXP chips that will consume only
0.5mw of power.  That is pretty impressive.

I think NXP has really got their shit together.  Last week I was
playing with their LPC1768 processor demo board.  What is cool about
that is the C/C++ compiler is online and free.  The code-size limit is
256K!  That is not much of a limit.  The demo board appears as a USB
mass storage device on your computer.  Plug it in and there is a file
on this "thumb drive" that is a URL for the whole lot.  Click it and
off you go to mbed.org.  Register your dev board and start writing
code.  Compile it and download the .bin to the dev board as just
another file on a "thumb drive".  Press the reset button on the dev
board, it sees it has a new program and loads it into flash (no tools
needed).  Then it begins executing the new code.  Very slick.  This
LPC1768 runs Cortex M3 code at 100MHz with no wait-states.  It has
512K flash and 64K of RAM.  USB with device, host, and OTG is there as
well.  Even the USB PHY is on-chip ... just add a USB connector and
off you go.  Digikey carries these dev kits for $60.  They are well
worth the money.  This is my new favorite chip!  Or you can get the
LPC1769 and do 120MHz if you need a bit more oomph.  Oh yeah, it has a
200ksps 12-bit A/D and a 10-bit D/A.  It also has the usual suspects
like RTCC, CAN, 4 UARTs, I2S, I2C, SPI, 10/100 Ethernet, so on.
Digikey price on quantity 1 of the LPC1768 is $11.48.  Here is the
real part number: LPC1768FBD100,551

The dev board I have is Digi-key number OM11043 and costs $60.  It
comes with a USB cable and everything you need to write programs,
download, program the flash, and run.  It has an LPC1768 running at
100MHz (not the 120MHz version).  This board looks like a fat DIP
package and is friendly to easy hacking.  It has some LEDs and other
items of interest there.  Actually, there is a 2nd NXP processor on
the bottom of the board.  That is what actually functions as a JTAG
programmer for the 1768.  The 1768 only runs the code you write or
download from mbed.org.  That way, none of the resident LPC1768
functions are eaten up by the dev board itself.  The whole CPU is
yours to do with as you see fit.

You should probably stay tuned to NXP for the upcoming M4, too.  Both
of these processor families could be very useful to DIY efforts.  Oh
yeah, the 1768 comes in an LQFP package.  That means it can be
soldered at home and it has pins that can be probed.  A lot of other
"hot" chips are BGA.  I hate BGA chips!

Tom Farrand (No affiliation with NXP - just a satisfied customer)


On Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 1:10 PM, thx1138 <thx1138 at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
>
> http://www.marketwatch.com/story/arm-launches-class-leading-cortex-m4-proces
> sor-for-high-performance-digital-signal-control-2010-02-22?reflink=MW_news_s
> tmphis
>
> This so cool of a product. Such a killer part for Audio apps.
>
> Regards,
>
> Terry
>
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