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Why the PicoBlaze Microcontroller?
R
The data registers and scratchpad RAM are not affected by Reset.
See “RESET Event” in Appendix C for more information.
Why the PicoBlaze Microcontroller?
There are literally dozens of
The PicoBlaze microcontroller is specifically designed and optimized for the
Some standalone microcontroller variants have a notorious reputation for becoming obsolete. Because it is delivered as VHDL source, the PicoBlaze microcontroller is immune to product obsolescence as the microcontroller can be retargeted to future generations of Xilinx FPGAs, exploiting future cost reductions and feature enhancements. Furthermore, the PicoBlaze microcontroller is expandable and extendable.
Before the advent of the PicoBlaze and MicroBlaze™ embedded processors, the microcontroller resided externally to the FPGA, limiting the connectivity to other FPGA functions and restricting overall interface performance. By contrast, the PicoBlaze microcontroller is fully embedded in the FPGA with flexible, extensive
The PicoBlaze microcontroller is resource efficient. Consequently, complex applications are sometimes best portioned across multiple PicoBlaze microcontrollers with each controller implementing a particular function, for example, keyboard and display control, or system management.
Why Use a Microcontroller within an FPGA?
Microcontrollers and FPGAs both successfully implement practically any digital logic function. However, each has unique advantages in cost, performance, and ease of use. Microcontrollers are well suited to control applications, especially with widely changing requirements. The FPGA resources required to implement the microcontroller are relatively constant. The same FPGA logic is
Programming control sequences or state machines in assembly code is often easier than creating similar structures in FPGA logic.
Microcontrollers are typically limited by performance. Each instruction executes sequentially. As an application increases in complexity, the number of instructions required to implement the application grows and system performance decreases accordingly. By contrast, performance in an FPGA is more flexible. For example, an algorithm can be implemented sequentially or completely in parallel, depending on the
PicoBlaze | www.xilinx.com | 15 |
UG129 (v1.1.2) June 24, 2008