High-Performance, Configurable, 8-bit Microcontroller Core

This 8051 IP core implements a range of fast, 8-bit, 8051-compatible microcontrollers that execute the MCS®51 instruction set.

The R8051XC2 IP core runs with a single clock per machine cycle, and requires an average of 2.12 machine cycles per instruction. Dhrystone 2.1 tests show it to run from 9.4 to 12.1 times faster than the original 8051 at the same frequency. Representative 90 nm ASIC results have reached 430 MHz, for an effective speed-up of 400 times over 80C51 chips.

The configurable core has a rich set of optional features and peripherals. Designers can choose from several versions, including the easy-to-configure full version with all options included; a custom, non-configurable version with options specified at purchase; and pre-packaged versions with different sets of options and degrees of configurability.

All versions of this 8051 core benefit from power-saving architectural efficiency—the R8051XC2 is 10% better in milliwats/DMIP than our previous generation—and various power-management options are available. System development is facilitated through a native on-chip debugging option and support by development tools from Keil and IAR.

This product builds on CAST’s experience with hundreds of 8051 IP customers going back to 1997. Designed for easy reuse in ASICs, structured ASICs, or FPGAs, the core is strictly synchronous, with positive-edge clocking (except in the optional debug & SPI modules), synchronous reset, and no internal tri-states. Representative 90nm ASIC results show the core to be conservative in its use of space, requiring just 8,000 to 71,000 gates.

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