Microcontroller Reference Design Overview; Introduction - Xilinx MicroBlaze User Manual

R
Microcontroller Reference Design
Overview

Introduction

When selecting an embedded microcontroller, typically an engineer will list the required
features and then select a stand alone, off the shelf microcontroller or processor that has
those features. In most cases there are additional features or peripherals that are not need,
but are included non-the less. When using a Soft Processor in an FPGA an engineer has an
opportunity to select from pre-created microcontroller hardware images, or modify and
customize the features and peripherals.
This guide is provided as an aid in getting started and learning how to use the Xilinx
Embedded Development Kit (EDK) tools. It does this through examples, which show how
multiple software images can run on a defined soft microcontroller hardware
configuration. This guide show how an FPGA with a soft processor can be used the same
way an engineer would select an off the shelf microcontroller. This guide will provide
examples of a number of different microcontroller configurations from which an engineer
can choose. The soft microcontroller features and peripherals in the FPGA may be used
without modification, or may be modified and customized using the Xilinx EDK Platform
Studio tools. This guide will cover the flow where multiple software images are loaded on
an unmodified hardware configuration.
MicroBlaze Microcontroller Ref Des User Guide
UG133 January 7, 2005
www.xilinx.com 1