Paul Curtis wrote:
> "Jim Granville" <no.spam@designtools.co.nz> wrote in message
> news:y2s1c.30630$ws.3353920@news02.tsnz.net...
> 
>>>Anybody any more information? Any controllers based on this?
>>>Anything?
>>
>>There was a brief thread on this here a few says ago.
>>Without memory reach Opcode numbers, (or even MHz) it is hard to
>>compare, but I'd call the MAXQ a very brave step for MAXIM.
> 
> 
> I'd say it's a step in the right direction.  The 8051 has run out of puff,
> even with chilli sauce on it to make it go faster.

  I can see a process running out of puff, but not a core ?.
The fundamentals that made the 80C51 a good single chip embedded 
microcontroller 20+ years ago have not changed.
  Boolean opcodes, register bank switching, direct memory opcodes,
DJNZ instructions for tight loops...
  On the other hand, Process has come a very long way in 20 years.
80C51's can now run to 100MHz, or fit into SO8-150/SO14-150 packages,
but no, you would not use one for a GPS mapping engine...

  What is looking under long term pressure, are the middle-road 16 bit
CPUs, where the ARM offerings are starting to squeeze that sector.

-jg

"Jim Granville" <no.spam@designtools.co.nz> wrote in message
news:y2s1c.30630$ws.3353920@news02.tsnz.net...
> > Anybody any more information? Any controllers based on this?
> > Anything?
>
> There was a brief thread on this here a few says ago.
> Without memory reach Opcode numbers, (or even MHz) it is hard to
> compare, but I'd call the MAXQ a very brave step for MAXIM.

I'd say it's a step in the right direction.  The 8051 has run out of puff,
even with chilli sauce on it to make it go faster.

> Much of what they describe are HW techniques they could apply to
> ANY core, so why invent a new wheel ( new SW, new training .... )
>
> Microchip are way behind on dsPIC, and anyone remember cyantech ?

Cyan was an offshoot from Cambridge Consultants, and the XAP core is, IIRC,
doing OK, and XAP2 is now out and about.  I have a Cyan dev kit, it was
quite nice, but the core was a bit of a dog to do byte stuff with.

-- Paul.

Ville Voipio wrote:

> I got a new issue of the Maxim Microcontroller Engineering Review.
> Instead of being full of 51-based stuff, it introduces a new
> core (MAXQ).
> 
> The core looks pretty ok, it seems to be an 8-bit RISC core
> with 16-bit (quite) orthogonal one-cycle instructions. Maxim's
> comparisons with AVR, PIC16, and MSP430 (but not with '51...)
> show that the core is rather efficient both powerwise and
> in code density. This seems to hold true even when the sales-
> talk factor is stripped out.
> 
> So, an interesting new core. However, I tried finding whether
> this is just vapourware and googled a bit.

The text " Simulations � replace with MAXQ2000 post layout sim numbers "
gives a clue....

 > I drew blank,
> "MAXQ core" did not give anything useful, and neither did
> "MAXQ architecture".
> 
> Anybody any more information? Any controllers based on this?
> Anything?

There was a brief thread on this here a few says ago.
Without memory reach Opcode numbers, (or even MHz) it is hard to
compare, but I'd call the MAXQ a very brave step for MAXIM.

Much of what they describe are HW techniques they could apply to
ANY core, so why invent a new wheel ( new SW, new training .... )

Microchip are way behind on dsPIC, and anyone remember cyantech ?

-jg

I got a new issue of the Maxim Microcontroller Engineering Review.
Instead of being full of 51-based stuff, it introduces a new
core (MAXQ).

The core looks pretty ok, it seems to be an 8-bit RISC core
with 16-bit (quite) orthogonal one-cycle instructions. Maxim's
comparisons with AVR, PIC16, and MSP430 (but not with '51...)
show that the core is rather efficient both powerwise and
in code density. This seems to hold true even when the sales-
talk factor is stripped out.

So, an interesting new core. However, I tried finding whether
this is just vapourware and googled a bit. I drew blank,
"MAXQ core" did not give anything useful, and neither did
"MAXQ architecture".

Anybody any more information? Any controllers based on this?
Anything?

- Ville

-- 
Ville Voipio, Dr.Tech., M.Sc. (EE)