Embedded Systems Design Europe - March 2008 - (Page 23)

feature understanding of designing with ARM’s Cortex-M1 microprocessor and FPGA implementation tools. As the number of functions in a system grows, power to the system is no longer an afterthought. With timeto-market pressures and the need to support more features, designers must select peripherals from a standard set of components to meet their power and cost budgets. As a result, this may mean mixing an LCD with a 2.5-V supply and a keypad with a 1.8-V supply. With many devices, the core and I/O voltage within the device will also vary. So, within a single product, the power supply may need to generate multiple voltages and possibly different sequences of the same voltage. In portable applications, the restrictions can be even greater, requiring power management to extend battery life. Designs can therefore become quite complex, featuring multiple supplies, controlled ramp rates, power sequencing, and complex supply management where supplies are turned on and off as needed. Intelligent power control has existed in some high-end systems as a custom implementation or more recently with standards, such as ATCA and MicroTCA. With the market now demanding smaller, portable versions of many applications, the power control must be scaled down as well, creating a need for intelligent power control that’s low cost, small form factor, and low power. Intelligent power control involves the following basic aspects: application-speciﬁc standard product (ASSP) would require a standard power proﬁle. The use of a programmable device, however, allows for adaptation to multiple system requirements. Programmable devices also allow for future system upgrades and ﬁne tuning. A number of programmable power modules are available, but they still need to be combined with some form of brain to tell them when to turn each supply on and off. As shown in Figure 1, mixed-signal PSCs allow for the combination of programmable power generation with real- time analysis and control. Combining functions for power sequencing, monitoring, and control in a single chip results in signiﬁcant cost savings in terms of materials list, board space, and build costs. In addition, a single device consumes less power and can manage the power supplies for the rest of the system. And, if the PSC can perform wake up from a watchdog timer or external trigger, the entire system can be shut down except for one device. Some PSCs can also manage smart battery charging, which is another intelligent way to enhance power control in the system. Early adoption of PSCs in intelligent power control applications has been facilitated by the use of reference designs, some in the area of ATCA and others in the associated intellectual property (IP), such as Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). This platform-based approach lets designers start from a known system and customize it, or use a ﬁxed standard and work it into their system. Some system management development kits also provide examples for a more custom approach to power control. This still requires a clear understanding of the PSC as well as a custom development environment. Because the PSC’s core includes standard ﬂash-based FPGA gates, the Cortex-M1 core can be used as part of the design. This provides signiﬁcant beneﬁts to an existing ARM designer who must integrate intelligent power control without having to learn a 23 • • • • Generating all the required system voltages. Sequencing each device’s power up and down to maintain system integrity and prevent issues such as latch-up, inrush current, or I/O contention. Supporting the ability to switch off certain devices when not needed and power them back up for seamless operation. Maintaining minimum functionality in standby, with the ability to wake at certain intervals or ondemand. Implementing these functions in an www.embedded.com/europe | embedded systems design europe | MARCH 2008 022-023-024-025_EETE.indd 23 5/03/08 14:09:42 http://www.embedded.com/europe

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Embedded Systems Design Europe - March 2008 Distributors to Increase Embedded Focus Kontron and Quanta to Join Forces Coverity Raises $22m as European Business Booms Help is at Hand for Europe's Industrial Control Developers Milestones in Embedded Systems Microsoft is Recruiting for Embedded Center in Aachen European Designers to Win Cash for Green Designs Duo Work on Smaller Form Factor Europe Invests in Real-Time Java for Multicore Systems Curtiss-Wright Buys Pentland Systems Designing DSP-Based Motor Control Using Fuzzy Logic Lower the Cost of Intelligent Power Control with FPGAs Virtualizing Embedded Linux Back to the Future: Manchester Encoding Is Multicore Hype or Reality New Products Advertising Contacts

Embedded Systems Design Europe - March 2008

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