Home Architectures Cortex-M3 and Cortex-M0 Prototyping system to incorporate Cortex-M0 and Cortex-M3 processors implemented in FPGA
Prototyping system to incorporate Cortex-M0 and Cortex-M3 processors implemented in FPGA
Prototyping of Cortex-M Processor-Based Systems with the Microcontroller Prototyping System MPS alias HPE from Gleichmann Research

Industry’s first prototyping system to incorporate Cortex-M0 and Cortex-M3 processors implemented in FPGA

ARM announced at Embedded Systems Conference (ESC), San Jose, Calif., the Keil™ Microcontroller Prototyping System (MPS), enabling evaluation and prototyping of ARM® Cortex™-M class processors and user defined peripherals in a single product. The Keil MPS is the first prototyping system incorporating a full-speed Cortex-M0 or Cortex-M3 processor implemented in FPGA which can be integrated with third-party peripheral IP to deliver a prototyping system for hardware and software application development.

The MPS enables ARM Partners to implement a Cortex-M class system without having access to the processor RTL, meaning different processors can be benchmarked in order to choose the most suitable for the intended devices price/performance. Additionally, the MPS is delivered fully configured with the Cortex-M processor and is fully tested so that the user does not have to test the processor implementation and can immediately begin adding third-party IP or writing software.

For more information on the hardware features of the system, have a look at he original manufacturer

Key benefits of the Keil MPS are:

  • Cortex-M class processor running at up to 50MHz allows systems to run at close to the speed of the final microcontroller (MCU) device or system-on-chip (SoC), at least in case the core is a Cortex-M0, half the speed if it is a Cortex-M3.
  • Integrated memory and peripherals interfaces such as USB, Ethernet, DVI, MMC/SD Card, and FlexRay/CAN enable the system to be configured with a wide range of peripherals which may be included on the final SoC.
  • Large FPGA prototyping system based on an Altera Stratix III enables users to incorporate third-party peripherals and IP.
  • Comprehensive Development Tools – the MPS includes the Altera Quartus II Web Edition to build and download the MCU or SoC hardware design to FPGA, Keil ULINK2 JTAG adapter and Keil MDK-ARM (evaluation version) to develop application software.

Availability

The ARM Microcontroller Prototyping System is available today, shipping with Cortex-M3 processor support. Cortex-M1 and Cortex-M0 processor support to follow. For more information: http://www.arm.com/products/DevTools/mps.html