Given the numerous advantages of ARM microprocessors, with the gradual development of the embedded application field at home and abroad, ARM microprocessors are bound to gain extensive attention and application.

Shenzhen Sichi Technology Co., Ltd boasts a professional and efficient R&D and engineering technical team. Its business covers PCB cloning, PCB modification, chip decryption, IC decryption, single-chip microcomputer decryption, STM SMT processing and other related services. It can also quickly solve various problems arising in the production process and those fed back by customers, ensuring the continuous and stable quality of products. 

Now and in the future, Shenzhen Sichi Technology Co., Ltd will keep a closer eye on the latest industry development trends, understand the newest technological evolution directions, disseminate advanced ARM technologies and concepts, and comprehensively promote technological development in relevant fields.

Shenzhen Sichi Technology Co., Ltd has always maintained an advanced technical level in ARM development and application, with its core service areas including industrial, consumer, medical, network communication, digital, computer peripheral categories and more. For instance, it undertakes the processing and assembly of circuit boards and complete machines for all electronic high-tech products across industrial, consumer, medical, communication, digital, computer peripheral and other sectors, such as mobile phone motherboards, PHS, MP3 players, DVD players, computer motherboards, laptop motherboards, network equipment boards, instrument control boards, switches, routers, set-top boxes, digital cameras, printers, wireless radios and so on.

Due to the fact that ARM microprocessors feature more than a dozen core architectures, dozens of chip manufacturers, and a myriad of internal functional configuration combinations, it brings certain difficulties for users to evaluate and select products in terms of functionality and cost performance. Therefore, Sichi Technology has launched a full range of ARM application solutions.

Introduction to ARM Processors

1. Selection of On-chip Peripheral Circuits

In addition to the ARM microprocessor core, almost all ARM chips have expanded and integrated relevant functional modules into the chip according to their respective application fields, which we refer to as on-chip peripheral circuits – such as USB interface, IIS interface, LCD controller, keyboard interface, RTC, ADC, DAC, DSP coprocessor and others. Designers should analyze system requirements and utilize on-chip peripheral circuits to fulfill the required functions as much as possible. This approach can not only simplify system design but also enhance system reliability.

2. Selection of ARM Microprocessor Core

As mentioned above, ARM microprocessors include a series of core architectures to adapt to different application fields. If users intend to use operating systems such as WinCE or standard Linux to reduce software development time, they need to select ARM chips with MMU (Memory Management Unit) function at or above the ARM720T level. ARM720T, ARM920T, ARM922T, ARM946T and Strong-ARM all come with the MMU function. In contrast, ARM7TDMI does not have an MMU and thus does not support Windows CE and standard Linux. However, operating systems that do not require MMU support, such as uCLinux, can currently run on the ARM7TDMI hardware platform. In fact, uCLinux has been successfully ported to a variety of microprocessor platforms without MMU and has delivered excellent performance in terms of stability and other aspects.

3. Capacity of On-chip Memory

The on-chip memory capacity of most ARM microprocessors is relatively limited, requiring users to expand external memory during system design. Nevertheless, some chips are equipped with a relatively large on-chip memory space – for example, ATMEL's AT91F40162 features a high on-chip program storage space of up to 2MB. Users can consider selecting such chips in the design process to simplify system design.

4. System Operating Frequency

The system operating frequency largely determines the processing capability of an ARM microprocessor. The typical processing speed of ARM7 series microprocessors is 0.9 MIPS/MHz, with the common main system clock of ARM7 chips ranging from 20MHz to 133MHz. The typical processing speed of ARM9 series microprocessors is 1.1 MIPS/MHz, and the common main system clock frequency of ARM9 chips is from 100MHz to 233MHz, while ARM10 can reach a maximum of 700MHz. Different chips handle clock signals differently: some chips only require a single main clock frequency, while the internal clock controller of some chips can provide different clock frequencies for the ARM core and functional components such as USB, UART, DSP and audio respectively.