RISC μcontroller executes FORTH

Product news

RISC l controller executes FORTH A 16-bit RISC microcontroller that directly executes the FORTH programming language has been introduced both as a standard product and as part of a standard cell library by Harris Semiconductor. The RTX2000 microcontroller is based around the Novix NC4000 processor

Leadless chip carriers claimed to provide at least twice the packing density of conventional surface- mount devices, and five times that of dual inline packages, by using a three-dimensional construction, have been produced by Dowty Interconnect of the UK. Developed in collaboration with Inmos to house arrays of transputers, the Chiprack connection system has now been expanded to accommo- date more complex three- dimensional system architectures made up of stacks of VLSI and ASIC devices. Chiprack components are 40 mm square and have 26 contact positions per side (total 104 per device). Separate signals can be sent and received from either side of each component, giving a total capability of 208 lines per carrier. Contact pads on both upper and lower surfaces of the devices allow three-dimensional arrays to be constructed using conventional bonding techniques. All signals are presented at the outside of the rack for test access and further interconnection, and systems can easily be dismantled and reassembled or reconfigured if necessary.

Dowty Interconnect, Knaves Beech Business Centre, Loudwater, High Wycombe, Bucks HP10 9UT, UK. Tel: (0628) 810810

core (Microprocessors Microsyst. Jan./Feb. 1986 p 41), with on-chip additions including a 16 x 16 bit multiplier, stacks, timers, an interrupt controller, four data buses and an 'ASIC bus'. It is designed for embedded realtime applications.

The first of a series of RTX ('realtime express') processors, the RTX 2000 is an 8 or 10 MHz device implemented in 1.5-2.0 IJm CMOS. The 10MHz version is claimed to perform a sustained 10 FORTH MIPS, with a peak of 40 M I P S - inherent parallelism allows up to four FORTH instructions to be performed in a single cycle. Pipelining is avoided, and memory management for a cache-free system architecture is provided on chip.

Realtime performance is opti- mized using a dual-stack architecture with four data buses - -a simpler alternative to pipelining for keeping down interrupt response times (less than 400ns to execution of first instruction), says Harris. Also provided is a 16-bit parallel 'ASIC bus' for communication with off-chip semicustom peripherals such as hardware multipliers.

Like the Novix device from which the CPU architecture is derived, the RTX 2000 instruction set is an implementation of FORTH, obviating the need for assembly language programming in realtime appli- cations. Crosscompilers for c, ADA and PROLOG are currently under development. The PROLOG compiler is aimed at what Harris sees as a key application area - - artificial intelli- gence; the company envisages the use of RTX processors in individual joints of standalone robots, and in neural networks for voice indenti-

Harris Semiconductor, Palm Bay Road, Palm Bay, Melbourne, FL 32905, USA. Tel: (305) 724-7000

Harris Systems Ltd, Semiconductor Sector, Eskdale Road, Winnersh, Wokingham, Berks RGll 5TR, UK. Tel: (0734) 698787

Zorcan Corp., 3450 Central Express- way, Santa Clara, CA 95051, USA. Tek (408) 720-0444

fication, automatic inspection etc. As well as being available as a

standard part, the full RTX 2000 implementation has been incorpo- rated into Harris's standard cell library, allowing for on-chip incorporation of a variety of logic functions and 80C86 series peripherals. Second sourcing of the RTX series will be available through the US-based Zoran Corp.

A speech recognition card for IBM PC XTs and A Ts, claimed to provide a spoken input facility for disabled operators who have difficulty using manual input devices, has been introduced by Cherry Electrical Products of the UK. The VoiceScribe 128 can be trained through stochastic pattern matching to recognize up to 128 words or phrases. This 128-phrase vocabulary is sufficiently large, says the developer, to run most applications without recourse to keyboard, mouse or touch screen, and is not reduced by the repetition of words during training. An "almost instantaneous' response to spoken words, with word recognition accuracy of 99.3%, is claimed for the system, and the vocabulary can be edited without leaving an application. VoiceScribe 128 comprises a full-size PC expansion board, a desk-mounted microphone and three operating software modules: a speech driver to control the board and perform basic speech recognition tasks; a program to develop speech applications; and a keyboard emulator to allow speech inpuL

Cherry Electrical Products Ltd, Coldharbour Lane, Harpenden, Herts AL5 4UN, UK. Tek (05827) 63100

536 Microprocessors and Microsystems