RISC micro runs legacy programs faster

The SH7206 is the first SuperH 32bit RISC microprocessor based on the new SH-2A CPU core.

The SH7206 is the first SuperH 32bit RISC microprocessor based on the new SH-2A CPU core.

The device offers an operating frequency of 200MHz, 128Kbyte of RAM, 16Kbyte of cache memory and a variety of on-chip peripheral functions, including multifunction timer units for motor control, that reduce application size and cost.

This makes the device suitable for industrial equipment such as AC servos and inverters, office equipment such as video printers, and consumer electronics products.

The SH-2A core is a newly developed high-performance CPU with a superscalar architecture that enables two instructions to be executed simultaneously.

It provides substantially better real-time control performance and approximately 3.5 times the processing power of the earlier SH-2 CPU core, delivering 360MIPS (at 200MHz operation) compared with the 104MIPS of the SH-2 (at 80MHz operation).

The SH-2A also offers 128Kbyte of RAM accessible in a single clock cycle and 16Kbyte of cache memory on-chip.

This further contributes to rapid program execution.

The instruction set for the SH7206 is upward compatible with the SH-2 and ROM code efficiency has been improved by about 75%.

Thus, programs written for the SH-2 can be used unmodified and can also be shrunk to about three-quarters of their original size.

The SH-2A CPU core has 15 internal dedicated register banks for interrupts and just six response cycles, reduced from 37 in the SH-2.

As a result, the interrupt response time of the SH-2A operating at 200MHz is a mere one-fifteenth that of the SH-2 operating at 80MHz.

This enables extremely rapid program switching when an interrupt event occurs.

The SH7206 provides excellent real-time performance by storing programs that must run at high-speed in the on-chip RAM and executing them at 200MHz.

Programs that are larger than 128Kbyte and perform multitasking must be stored in external memory but can be executed quickly using the 16Kbyte cache memory.

The device is therefore well suited for high-end industrial applications where real-time performance is critical, such as AC servos and inverters, as well as office and consumer applications requiring high-speed processing, such as middleware for handling JPEG graphics data or MP3 audio data.

The SH7206 incorporates two multifunction timer units (MTU2) that output three-phase PWM waveforms and can be used to control two AC motors simultaneously.

It is equipped with two four-channel 10bit A/D convertors, a two-channel 8bit D/A converter and an eight-channel DMAC, which are all useful for many types of industrial equipment.

The chip also includes a four-channel serial communication interface with 16-stage FIFO and a single-channel I2C-bus interface, which can be used to implement a wide variety of communications functions.

The device can connect directly to external RAM, SRAM, burst ROM and multiplex I/O, for example, without the need for additional external devices as the external data bus can be expanded to 32bit.

It supports a maximum of 81 I/O channels, allowing connections with a variety of peripheral devices and effective control of integrated equipment.

The inclusion of multiple peripheral functions reduces the number of external devices needed, making it possible to implement applications that are both compact and lower cost.

The SH7206 is available in a 176-pin LQFP.

On-chip debugging functions make it possible to perform real-time debugging at the maximum operating frequency.

The E10A-USB emulator, which is USB-powered and requires no external power supply, is available as a development environment.

The device is also compatible with the E200F, which supports high-speed emulation functions including real-time traces at the maximum operating frequency.

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