Product category:
Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Sharp Microelectronics Europe | Subject: BlueStreak
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 26 November 2004
MCU portfolio runs from toys to high-end
control
Sharp Microelectronics now offers a total of nine microcontrollers under the name BlueStreak.
Sharp Microelectronics now offers a total of nine microcontrollers under the name BlueStreak They are all based on ARM7 or ARM9 cores
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 26 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Sharp Microelectronics and Enea Embedded Technology are co-operating to optimise BlueStreak system-on-chip components, particularly for use in mobile terminal devices.
Integrated MCUs to star at Embedded World
At this year's Embedded World, in Hall 12, Stand 244, Sharp Microelectronics will unveil its second reference design with the latest TFT technology for mobile media players.
Its extensive portfolio of 16 and 32bit SoCs offers finely graduated performance, ranging from comparatively simple 90MHz processors through to highly integrated 200MHz CPUs.
Their range of applications are correspondingly broad, ranging from smart toys, alarm systems and industrial controls, through to high-end mobile devices such as PDAs, mobile phones, media players and GPS systems.
The latest developments in the BlueStreak family are detailed below.
Further reading
MCUs beef up for mobile multimedia
Sharp Microelectronics Europe has enhanced the performance capabilities of its BlueStreak ARM9-based 32bit SoCs.
ARM-based MCU powers up mobile computer
Sharp Microelectronics Europe and Nordic ID, the manufacturer of mobile data capture instruments and auto ID products, are successfully co-operating to design ARM-based industry handheld devices.
ARM-based SoCs power into multimedia applications
Embedded World 2006 will see Sharp Microelectronics Europe unveil its newly developed SoC roadmap.
But all BlueStreak SoCs have one common feature - a high level of integration.
Depending on performance levels, numerous peripheral devices such as programmable LCD controllers, interfaces and network functionalities are already on board.
"Our BlueStreak SoCs provide targeted support for application engineers because the broad spectrum of integrated IC functionalities saves both time and money when developing new equipment", declares Gunter Wagschal who, as Product Marketing Manager at Sharp Microelectronics Europe, looks after the BlueStreak range.
By introducing the reference design for mobile media players (see below), the Japanese firm is taking yet another step towards complete system solutions and putting a virtually comprehensive concept for portable entertainment electronics into designers' hands.
In addition, Sharp Microelectronics is supporting its partners through a large number of development tools as well as comprehensive software and documentation that are freely available from the company's website.
The Japanese company's high level of service and system approach in the development of ARM-based microcontrollers was recognised in June this year when it won the Frost and Sullivan Innovation Award.
A new Sharp reference design offers the ideal basis for developing mobile media players and brings together important Sharp key components: the very latest LCD technology and the LH7A404 ARM9 SoC.
The essential difference between the two available models is their display features: the QVGA model offers a landscape format 3.6in TFT LCD (LQ036Q1DA01) and the QCIF+ model offers a 2.2in TFT LCD (LQ022B8UB04).
Thanks to LED backlighting, both panels achieve excellent colour saturation with low power consumption.
Both reference designs include a type LH7A404 ARM-9-based BlueStreak SoC (see below) clocked at 200MHz and equipped with numerous peripheral units specially designed for multimedia applications.
Operating systems such as WinCE or Linux are ported on an optional basis.
This means that all common media data formats such as WMA, AAC, MP3, WMV, MPEG4, XviD, DivX, JPEG, GIF and BMP can be played.
A built-in 1.0in CompactFlash microdrive or, alternatively, support for a 1.8in IDE ATA hard disk ensure a high storage capacity.
Other features include a development board, block diagrams, operating system software, video and audio codecs as well as a board support package.
The LH7A404 with a completely static design, power management unit and low-voltage operation (1.8V core, 1.8 or 3.3V I/O), on-chip PLL circuit and a power-saving RISC core offers high performance but low power consumption.
This 32bit component based on an ARM922TTM RISC core has peripheral units such as a USB host, touchscreen controller, programmable LCD controller and external DMA.
These peripherals interface with LCDs, optoelectronic components and Flash memories that Sharp Microelectronics can also supply.
The LH7A404 has further peripherals such as interfaces with storage media, serial and parallel interfaces, infra-red support, counters/timers, real time clock (RTC) and a watchdog timer.
The programmable LCD controller supports resolutions up to 1024 x 768 with up to 64,000 colours or 15 grey scales and offers a direct interface with STN, colour STN, TFT and Sharp's Advanced TFT screens.
The LH7A404 also has an 80Kbyte on-chip memory.
The LH7A400 combines a powerful 32bit ARM922TTM RISC core, a 16Kbyte cache, MMU, colour LCD controller and local SRAM.
The LH7A400 achieves a processing speed of approximately 220MIPS.
It has a large number of peripheral units such as interfaces with various storage media, DMA controller, serial and parallel interfaces, USB, infra-red support, counters/timers, real time clock (RTC), watchdog timer and an on-chip PLL circuit.
The programmable LCD controller supports resolutions up to 1024 x 768 with up to 64,000 colours or 15 grey scales and offers a direct interface with STN, colour STN, TFT and Sharp's HR TFT and DMTN screens.
The LH7A400 also has an 80Kbyte on-chip memory.
The OSE 5.0 real-time operating system which provides special support for applications on mobile terminal devices was recently ported to the SoC.
The 32bit LH79524 microcontroller is an affordable MCU based on an ARM720TTM core clocked at 77.4MHz.
It is used to control STN, colour STN, TFT and Advanced TFT displays.
Peripherals such as 10/100Base-T Ethernet MAC, USB port, touchscreen controller, external direct memory access (DMA) and a programmable LCD controller which supports 65,536 colours are integrated on-chip.
It also supports NAND Flash memory and has a 16Kbyte on-chip SRAM, I2C, I2S, counters/timers, SDRAM controller and a watchdog timer.
The static design, power management unit, low-voltage operation (1.8V core, 1.8 or 3.3V I/O), on-chip PLL and the low power consumption RISC core ensure high performance.
The LH79520 combines a 32bit ARM720TTM RISC core (cache RAM, write buffer and memory management unit) with essential powerful functional units such as a direct memory access (DMA) controller, vectored interrupt controller (VIC), colour LCD controller and 32Kbyte of local SRAM.
It also has serial and parallel interfaces, counters/timers, real time clock, watchdog timer, pulsewidth modulators, infra-red support and an on-chip PLL circuit.
JT support simplifies debugging.
This high level of integration cuts general system costs, reduces development cycle times and speeds up product launch.
The LH79525 16/32bit microcontroller is based on an ARM720TTM core clocked at 77.4MHz.
It controls STN, colour STN, TFT and Advanced TFT displays.
Peripherals such as 10/100Base-T Ethernet MAC, USB port, touchscreen controller, external direct memory access (DMA) and a programmable LCD controller which supports 4096 colours are integrated on-chip.
It has 16Kbyte of on-chip SRAM, I2C, I2S, counters/timers, SDRAM controller, watchdog timer and also supports NAND Flash memory.
The static design, power management unit, low-voltage operation (1.8V core, 1.8 or 3.3V I/O), on-chip PLL and low power consumption RISC core ensure high performance.
The LH75411 is an affordable microcontroller (MCU) with an ARM7TDMI core for controlling colour STN, CSTN, TFT, HR TFT, monochrome and grey-scale LCDs.
It has 32Kbyte of on-chip SRAM, three UARTs, SPI, three 16bit counters/timers, analogue/digital convertor with an integrated touchscreen controller, watchdog timer and a low-voltage detector.
The LH75411 operates at up to 90MHz on 1.8V over the industrial temperature range from -40 to +85C and is available in a 144-pin TQFP.
The LH75410 is an affordable microcontroller (MCU) with an ARM7TDMI-S core for controlling monochrome and greyscale LCD displays with up to 16 grey scales.
It has 32Kbyte of on-chip SRAM, three UARTs, SPI, three 16bit counters/timers, analogue/digital convertor with integrated touchscreen controller, watchdog timer and a low-voltage detector.
The LH75410 operates at up to 90MHz on 1.8V over the industrial temperature range from -40 to +85C and is available in a 144-pin TQFP.
The LH75401 is an affordable MCU with an ARM7TDMI-S core for controlling colour STN, CSTN, TFT, HR TFT, monochrome and greyscale LCD displays.
It has 32Kbyte of on-chip SRAM, three UARTs, SPI, three 16bit counters/timers, analogue/digital convertor with integrated touchscreen controller, watchdog timer, CAN2.0B and a low-voltage detector.
The LH75401 operates at up to 90MHz on 1.8V over the industrial temperature range from -40 to +85C and is available in a 144-pin TQFP.
The LH75400 is an affordable MCU with an ARM7TDMI-S core for controlling monochrome and grey scale LCD displays with up to 16 grey scales.
It has 32Kbyte of on-chip SRAM, three UARTs, SPI, three 16bit counters/timers, analog/digital convertor with integrated touchscreen controller, watchdog timer, CAN2.0B and a low-voltage detector.
The LH75400 operates at up to 90MHz on 1.8V over the industrial temperature range from -40 to +85 and is available in a 144-pin TQFP.
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