Two Ethernet MACs in a new DualCore ARM Microcontroller

On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:09:39 +0100, "Tom Lucas"
<news@REMOVEautoTOflameREPLY.clara.co.uk> wrote:

>"Jim Granville" <no.spam@designtools.co.nz> wrote in message 
>news:444f3fcc@clear.net.nz...
>> Ulf Samuelsson wrote:
>>
>>> Bill Giovino wrote:
>>>
>>>>DualCore has introduced a monster - two ARMs, two 10/100 Ethernet
>>>>MACs, and a whole lot more on one microcontroller:
>>>>
>>>>http://microcontroller.com/news/dualcore_DCIC9907.asp
>>>>
>>>>Not a bad start for a startup, huh?
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> But at "below $20" it sounds expensive.
>>
>>  True, and it also starts to call for a different category than
>> "Microcontroller", with limited on-chip memory it probably is more 
>> correctly an "Embedded Microprocessor" - or a ROM-less Microcontroller
>> -jg
>
>What is it then that defines something as a microcontroller rather than a 
>microprocessor? Does it have to have on-chip memory for that? My Sharp ARM7 
>has no on-board flash but has 8K of on-board RAM. Does that make it a 
>microprocessor? 
>

Doesn't the actual words explain their meaning ? Microprocessor is a
device designed to be used for processing data. It is normally biased
to have a very high throughput with a large address space for both
code and data. 
A microcontroller is a device optimised to control something, hence it
designed to be able to interact with the external world. I/O pins,
timers, etc. These days, a microprocessor are often supported by a
host of microcontrollers that handels the actual control of needed
devices for file storage etc. so that the microprocessor waste as
little resources as possible on non data processing tasks.
Whether any of these things are internal or external or in multiple
devices does not matter. If it is in one physical device, then it is a
single chip microcontroller or microprocessor. 

Regards
  Anton Erasmus

On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 12:29:49 +0200, "Ulf Samuelsson"
<ulf@a-t-m-e-l.com> wrote:

>Tom Lucas wrote:
>> "Jim Granville" <no.spam@designtools.co.nz> wrote in message
>> news:444f3fcc@clear.net.nz...
>>> Ulf Samuelsson wrote:
>>>
>>>> Bill Giovino wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> DualCore has introduced a monster - two ARMs, two 10/100 Ethernet
>>>>> MACs, and a whole lot more on one microcontroller:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://microcontroller.com/news/dualcore_DCIC9907.asp
>>>>>
>>>>> Not a bad start for a startup, huh?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> But at "below $20" it sounds expensive.
>>>
>>>  True, and it also starts to call for a different category than
>>> "Microcontroller", with limited on-chip memory it probably is more
>>> correctly an "Embedded Microprocessor" - or a ROM-less
>>> Microcontroller -jg
>>
>> What is it then that defines something as a microcontroller rather
>> than a microprocessor? Does it have to have on-chip memory for that?
>> My Sharp ARM7 has no on-board flash but has 8K of on-board RAM. Does
>> that make it a microprocessor?
>
>A new Troll!
>
>To me the fact that a CPU is combined with peripherals makes it
>a microcontroller, but this is my private opinion.
>There are no clear boundaries and a discussion is probably a waste of time.

As long as one are already discussing something with as many opinions
as there are people, why not throw in DSPs into the mix. What makes a
DSP a DSP and not a microcontroller or a microprocessor ?

Regards
  Anton Erasmus

Anton Erasmus wrote:
> As long as one are already discussing something with as many opinions
> as there are people, why not throw in DSPs into the mix. What makes a
> DSP a DSP and not a microcontroller or a microprocessor ?
>
If there are no faster instructions in the architecture than
the multiply/accumulate instruction (including the load of data and
coeffients)
then that is enough for me to call it a DSP.
There are DSP microcontrollers and the same rules could be used
to differentiate DSP from DSP microcontrollers.

> Regards
>   Anton Erasmus

-- 
Best Regards,
Ulf Samuelsson
ulf@a-t-m-e-l.com
This message is intended to be my own personal view and it
may or may not be shared by my employer Atmel Nordic AB