Vortex86
Encyclopedia
The Vortex86 is a SoC
based on an x86 compatible core. It formerly belonged to SiS
, which got the basic design from Rise Technology
, and was sold to the Taiwan
ese DM&P Electronics.
DMP further signed an agreement with Xcore to allow them to rebrand the chip as Xcore86.
The PDX-600 is a version of the Vortex86DX that only differs in the number of RS-232 ports (3 instead of 5) and has no I²C
and servo controllers
, thus targeting more the embedded
than the industrial market. Netbook
s similar to the Belco 450R use this chip.
Advantages: Southbridge integrated, Graphics integrated, Super I/O integrated, LAN / Phy integrated, SD Card Controller integrated, BIOS Licence integrated, fan less design.
The Vortex86MX+ is a high performance and fully static 32-bit X86 processor with the compatibility of Windows based, Linux and most popular 32-bit RTOS.
It also integrates 32KB write through 4-way L1 cache, 256KB write through/write back 4-way L2 cache, PCI rev. 2.1 32-bit bus interface at 33 MHz, DDR2, ROM controller, IPC (Internal Peripheral Controllers with DMA and interrupt timer/counter included), Fast Ethernet, FIFO UART, USB2.0 Host and IDE controller within a single 720-pin BGA package to form a system-on-a-chip (SOC).
It provides an ideal solution for the embedded system and communications products (such as thin client, NAT router, home gateway, access point and tablet PC) to bring about desired performance.
The Vortex86MX+ will be apply in devices like heating systems, DIN rail PC, keyless entry system / access control system, industrial coffee machine also.
DM&P provides an embedded Linux
distribution customized to use the SoCs
features.
Before adopting the Vortex86 series, DM&P manufactured the M6117D, an Intel 386SX compatible, 25–40 MHz SoC.
Code intended for i686 may fail due to the lack of a Conditional Move (CMOV) instruction. This is an instruction that combines the effect of a conditional branch and a move instruction. Compilers asked to optimize code for a more advanced CPU (for example the GNU Compiler with its -march=i686 option) generate code that uses CMOV. Linux systems intended for to run on i686 are generally not runnable on Vortex86 because the GNU C Library, when built for i686, uses a CMOV instruction in its assembly language strcmp function, which its dynamic loader (ld.so) uses. Hence, no program that uses shared libraries can even start up.
Technically, CMOV is optional in the i686 architecture. But Intel's i686 product, the Pentium Pro, had it, and consequently things that generate code typically consider CMOV to be available when you ask them to generate code for i686.
Here is what the Linux kernel reports (via /proc/cpuinfo) about the properties of a Vortex86 original CPU. Note that it says an FPU is available, though the CPU does not have one. This reflects the fact that the Linux kernel emulates the FPU.
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
based on an x86 compatible core. It formerly belonged to SiS
Sis
- Places :* Sis * Sis, Armenia, a town* Sis, Azerbaijan, a village* Sis, Iran, a city* Kozan, Adana, Sis in Armenian* Mountains of Sis, a range of the Pre-Pyrenees- Other :...
, which got the basic design from Rise Technology
Rise Technology
Rise Technology, was a short lived microprocessor manufacturer that produced the Intel x86 MMX compatible mP6 processor.The Santa Clara, California based company was started by David Lin in 1993 with funding from 15 Taiwanese investors, including UMC, ACER and VIA Technologies...
, and was sold to the Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese DM&P Electronics.
DMP further signed an agreement with Xcore to allow them to rebrand the chip as Xcore86.
Versions
- Vortex86 original (SiS55x/Rise mP6 or simply Vortex86) – Developed by SiSSilicon Integrated SystemsSilicon Integrated Systems is a company that manufactures, among other things, motherboard chipsets. The company was founded in 1987 in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan.-Business:...
, three integer and MMX pipelines, branch prediction - Vortex86SX – 300 MHz, 16 KB Data + 16 KB Instruction L1 cacheCacheIn computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere...
, no FPU, no L2 cache. Can use both SD and DDR2DDR2 SDRAMDDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
RAMRandom-access memoryRandom access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in... - Vortex86DX – 600 MHz to 1 GHz (2.02 WattWattThe watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s @ 800 MHz ), 16 KB Data + 16 KB Instruction L1 cache, FPU, 256 KB L2 cache, 6-staged pipeline. Can address up to 1 GB DDR2 RAM
The PDX-600 is a version of the Vortex86DX that only differs in the number of RS-232 ports (3 instead of 5) and has no I²C
I²C
I²C is a multi-master serial single-ended computer bus invented by Philips that is used to attach low-speed peripherals to a motherboard, embedded system, cellphone, or other electronic device. Since the mid 1990s, several competitors I²C ("i-squared cee" or "i-two cee"; Inter-Integrated Circuit;...
and servo controllers
Servo drive
A servo drive is a special electronic amplifier used to power electric servomechanisms.A servo drive monitors the feedback signal from the servomechanism and continually adjusts for deviation from expected behavior.-Function:...
, thus targeting more the embedded
Embedded system
An embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system. often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal...
than the industrial market. Netbook
Netbook
Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers.At their inception in late 2007 as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost — netbooks omitted certain features , featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced computing...
s similar to the Belco 450R use this chip.
- Vortex86MX – 1 GHz, the CPU core itself hardly differs from the Vortex86DX. This version drops conformance to ISAIndustry Standard ArchitectureIndustry Standard Architecture is a computer bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers introduced with the IBM Personal Computer to support its Intel 8088 microprocessor's 8-bit external data bus and extended to 16 bits for the IBM Personal Computer/AT's Intel 80286 processor...
and integrates a GPUGraphics processing unitA graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
and a HD Audio controller, it also integrates a UDMA/100 IDE controller. The consumer grade version is known as the PMX-1000. Current models of the Gecko Edubook use the Xcore86, a rebadge of the Vortex86MX.
- Vortex86MX+ SoC
Advantages: Southbridge integrated, Graphics integrated, Super I/O integrated, LAN / Phy integrated, SD Card Controller integrated, BIOS Licence integrated, fan less design.
The Vortex86MX+ is a high performance and fully static 32-bit X86 processor with the compatibility of Windows based, Linux and most popular 32-bit RTOS.
It also integrates 32KB write through 4-way L1 cache, 256KB write through/write back 4-way L2 cache, PCI rev. 2.1 32-bit bus interface at 33 MHz, DDR2, ROM controller, IPC (Internal Peripheral Controllers with DMA and interrupt timer/counter included), Fast Ethernet, FIFO UART, USB2.0 Host and IDE controller within a single 720-pin BGA package to form a system-on-a-chip (SOC).
It provides an ideal solution for the embedded system and communications products (such as thin client, NAT router, home gateway, access point and tablet PC) to bring about desired performance.
The Vortex86MX+ will be apply in devices like heating systems, DIN rail PC, keyless entry system / access control system, industrial coffee machine also.
DM&P provides an embedded Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
distribution customized to use the SoCs
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
features.
Before adopting the Vortex86 series, DM&P manufactured the M6117D, an Intel 386SX compatible, 25–40 MHz SoC.
CPU
The CPU implements the i586 architecture, but the early versions Vortex86 original and Vortex86SX do not have a floating point unit (FPU). Any code that runs on an i486SX CPU without a 487 will run on Vortex86, as will any code that runs on i586 but does not use floating point instructions. Any i586 code will run on Vortex86DX and later. Some Linux kernels (by build-time option) emulate the FPU on any CPU that is missing one, so that even a program that uses floating point instructions, if it runs under Linux, works on any Vortex86 CPU, albeit slowly.Code intended for i686 may fail due to the lack of a Conditional Move (CMOV) instruction. This is an instruction that combines the effect of a conditional branch and a move instruction. Compilers asked to optimize code for a more advanced CPU (for example the GNU Compiler with its -march=i686 option) generate code that uses CMOV. Linux systems intended for to run on i686 are generally not runnable on Vortex86 because the GNU C Library, when built for i686, uses a CMOV instruction in its assembly language strcmp function, which its dynamic loader (ld.so) uses. Hence, no program that uses shared libraries can even start up.
Technically, CMOV is optional in the i686 architecture. But Intel's i686 product, the Pentium Pro, had it, and consequently things that generate code typically consider CMOV to be available when you ask them to generate code for i686.
Here is what the Linux kernel reports (via /proc/cpuinfo) about the properties of a Vortex86 original CPU. Note that it says an FPU is available, though the CPU does not have one. This reflects the fact that the Linux kernel emulates the FPU.
processor : 0
vendor_id : SiS SiS SiS
cpu family : 5
model : 0
model name : 05/00
stepping : 5
cpu MHz : 199.978
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 1
wp : yes
flags : fpu tsc cx8 mmx up
bogomips : 399.95
clflush size : 32
cache_alignment : 32
address sizes : 32 bits physical, 32 bits virtual
power management:
See also
- Embedded x86 Manufacturers
External links
- DM&P Electronics official website
- Vortex86 Series overview
- [ftp://download@ftp.dmp.com.tw/vortex86sx/SX_CPU_Speed.pdf Change CPU speed in DOS, Linux, Windows]
- ICOP UK Distributor