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12/07/95 ARM7500 July 1995.

Designed by ARM Ltd, this single chip computer combines a CPU, video generator, memory controller and I/O system in one 240 pin monolithic device. The ARM7500 is almost a Risc PC on a chip. The 7500 includes an ARM7 processor with associated MMU, 8 word write buffer and 4Kbyte cache. There is also a complete video generator chip, similar to VIDC20, and most of the functions of IOMD. The chip boasts two PS/2 keyboard ports, which can be used for an industry standard PC keyboard and a PS/2 mouse. And there is a four-channel PC joystick interface.

Summary of features

  • ARM704 CPU with 4Kbyte cache, MMU and 8 word write buffer
  • Video generator capable of up to 24-bit colour
  • LCD support for mono LCD (built-in greyscaler) and TFT type colour panels
  • Stereo sound output, either analogue (8-bit logarithmic) or digital IIS
  • DRAM controller, supports four 64Mbyte banks with variable access speed
  • Programmable DRAM refresh options
  • DMA controller for video, cursor and sound data reads
  • Built-in 16-bit I/O bus - expandable to 32-bits
  • Four comparator controlled timers to support PC-style joysticks
  • Two PS/2-style 'keyboard' ports
  • 8-bit general purpose I/O port
  • Two timers - IOC compatible
  • Power-saving modes - Suspend CPU or Stop clocks
  • Optional 16-bit wide data path, for DRAM and ROM
  • Support for executing code from 16-bit I/O mapped memory (PMCIA XIP).

    The table below shows its performance benchmarks against other Acorn computers and PC competition.

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    The block diagram shows the layout of the ARM7500.

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