SA-1100 Developer’s Manual 1-5

Introduction

The instruction set comprises eight basic instruction types:
Two make use of on-chip arithmetic logic unit, barrel shifter, and multiplier to perform
high-speed operations on data in a bank of 16 logical registers (31 physical registers), each 32
bits wide.
Three classes of instructions control data transfer between memory and the registers: one
optimized for flexibility of addressing, one for rapid context switching, and one for swapping
data.
Two instructions control the flow and privilege level of execution.
One class is used to access the privileged state of the CPU.
The ARM instruction set is a good target for compilers of many different high-level languages.
Where required for critical code segments, assembly code programming is also straightforward,
unlike some RISC processors that need sophisticated compiler technology to manage complicated
instruction interdependencies.
The SA-1100 is a static part and has been designed to run at a reduced voltage to minimize its power
requirements. This makes it a good choice for portable applications where both of these features are
essential.
1.3 Example System
Figure 1-2 shows how the SA-1100 can be used in a hand-held computing device.
Figure 1-2. SA-1100 Example System
A6870-01
32.768
KHz
3.686
MHz
Intel® StrongARM®*
SA-1100
Portable
Communications
Microcontroller
UART or LocalTalk
Communications
Tablet / Serial
Keyboard
Infrared
Communications
USB Synchronization
Port
Codec
Flash
ROM
DRAM
Glue Logic
PCMCIA Interface
(Flash, Modem)
Gray Scale
or
Color LCD
Display
* StrongARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited.