BMS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT

Yelahanka, Bengaluru.
DEPARTMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND
MACHINE LEARNING

Date: 12-07-23
CASE STUDY MATERIAL IA-1

Course Name: Microcontroller & Embedded Systems Course Code: 21CS45

Course Coordinator(s): Dr. KALAIVANI YS

ARM Family of Processors

NOMENCLATURE

ARM 7
Introduced in 1994, the ARM7™ processor family has been immensely successful, and has helped
establish ARM as the architecture of choice in the digital world. Over the years, more than 10 billion
ARM7 processor family-based devices have powered a wide variety of cost and power-sensitive
applications. While the ARM7 processor family continues to be used today for simple 32-bit devices,
newer embedded designs are increasingly making use of latest ARM processors such as the Cortex™-
M0 and Cortex-M3 processors, both of which offer significant technical enhancements over the ARM7
family.

Features
1. Highly integrated RISC computer
2. 30 Dhrystone 2.1 MIPS ARM7 core @ 33MHz
3. 4 Kbyte combined instruction and data cache
4. Flexible Memory Management Unit
5. Supports 16 or 32 bit wide memory via internal ROM and DRAM controllers
6. 3 channel DMA
7. I/O controller
8. 2 serial ports, 4 A/D channels
9. 8 stereo sound channels
10. 32-bit CD quality serial sound channel
11. Video controller with up to 120MHz pixel clock
12. 16 million colours from 256-entry palette
13. 16-level grey scales for LCD displays
14. Suspend and stop power saving modes

Applications
ARM7500 is ideally suited to those applications requiring a compact, low-cost, power efficient, high
performance, RISC computing system on a single chip. These include: Multimedia Interactive visual
display terminals, Portable Computing Handheld test instrumentation, Games consoles Desktop
computing

ARM7DI
Is a low-power, general purpose 32-bit RISC microprocessor with integrated debug support. It
comprises the ARM7D CPU core, and ICE breaker module and a TAP controller. Its simple, elegant and
fully static design is particularly suitable for cost and power sensitive applications.
Enhancements
The ARM7DI is similar to the ARM6 but with the following enhancements:
1. advanced debug (integrated ICE) support for faster time to market
2. fabrication on a sub-micron process for increased speed and reduced power consumption
3. 3V operation, for very low power consumption, as well as 5V operation for system
compatibility
4. higher clock speed for faster program execution.

Applications
The ARM7DI is ideally suited to those applications requiring RISC performance from a compact,
power-efficient processor. These include:
Telecomms GSM terminal controller
Datacomms Protocol conversion
Portable Computing Palmtop computer
Portable InstrumentS Handheld data acquisition unit
Automotive Engine management unit
Information Systems Smart cards
Imaging JPEG controller
The ARM Processors: A, R, and M Categories and Their Specifics
ARM Holdings offers users the following types of processors:
• Cortex-A: built for advanced operating systems and exhibits the highest possible performance;
• Cortex-R: caters perfectly to the needs of real-time applications and provides its users with the fastest
response times;
• Cortex-M: mainly built for microcontrollers;
• SecurCore: takes care of security applications;
• Machine Learning: for ML application purposes.

Cortex-A, Cortex-R, or Cortex-M: Which One to Choose?

Different ARM Cortex controllers exhibit particular scalability and performance features that are most suited to
specific applications. Now, users do not have to make undesirable choices and surf from one unacceptable solution
to another. These three highly useful processor types were designed to provide the needed support and cater to your
application’s needs perfectly.
Cortex-A
The Cortex-A category of processors is dedicated to Linux and Android devices. Any devices – starting from
smartwatches and tablets and continuing with networking equipment – can be supported by Cortex-A processors.
Some technical information:
• The ARMv7-A architecture forms the basis of the A5, A7, A8, A9, A12, A15, and A17 processors;
• The set of common features for A-processors includes a media processing engine (NEON), a tool for
security purposes (Trustzone), and various supported instruction sets (ARM, Thumb, DSP etc.)
• The main features of Cortex-A processors are top performance and brilliant power efficiency closely
bundled to provide users with the best service possible.
Cortex-R
Cortex-R processors primarily target real-time solutions. They find application in controllers, networking
equipment, media players, and other similar devices. Furthermore, this type of ARM processor provides great
support for the automotive industry.
Cortex-R processors have a lot in common with high-end microcontrollers, but at the same time have the ability to
fulfill more scalable tasks.
Cortex-M
The point of interest of Cortex-M processors is the MCU market. The first processor of this set was released more
than 13 years ago. Since then, the popularity of M-processors has clearly risen: now, Cortex-M is known as an
industry standard. The ARM processors of this type find their implementation in FPGA, integrated memories,
clocks, etc. Different members of the set have different improved features: some of them demonstrate higher
performance, others are more energy efficient. Of course, each of the designed controllers is tailored to a particular
segment of the market.