IOP16 16-bit I/O CPU Design

Overview

This CPU is intended to be used as an I/O Processor. The CPU can be used as a Microcontroller replacement in many applications. It implemented in an FPGA. It is useful for offloading polled I/O or replacing CPUs in small applications. The majority of these applications deal with 8-bit data and that's where this CPU excels.

Video PlayList

Features Set

• 16-bit CPU
• Simple/consistent opcode bit fields
  • Instructions are always only 16-bits wide
  • 4-bit opcode
    • Some sub-instructions allow more than 16 instructions
  • 4-bit register field (shared with address/offset)
  • 8-bit constant (shared with address/offset)
• High enough Performance - 12.5 MIPS (4 of 50 MHz FPGA clocks)
• Register File
  • 8 General Purpose registers
  • 3 constant value registers
  • Registers are 8-bits
• 12-bit of Program address (up to 4K instructions)
• Return Stack - 0 (none), 1 deep or optionally deeper as build option

IOP16 Block Diagram

Instruction Set

• IOP16 Instructions Detail

Assembler

• Table driven Assembler
  • Input comes from a CSV file
  • Outputs .MIF and Listing files
    • MIF (Memory Initialization File) is Altera ROM initialization File

Hardware Requirements

• Targeted at an FPGA implementation
  • The CPU could easily be run on pretty much any FPGA
  • Coded in VHDL
• Very small LUT/Memory footprint in FPGA
  • Uses 226 logic cells in an Altera EP4 FPGA
  • Requires a minimum 2 of 1K SRAM blocks (depends on program size)
    • Trade-off - SRAM could be replaced with logic cells (in theory)

Target Hardware

• The initial targeted hardware is the QMTECH EP4CE15 FPGA Starter Kit card
  • This FPGA is inexpensive and powerful
  • The CPU takes up very little of the resources of the FPGA
• QMTECH CYCLONE IV STARTER KIT GitHub
• QMTECH FPGA Files Reflector
• QMTECH EP4CE15 FPGA card - AliExpress page

Peripheral Support

• Extensive Peripheral Support
• 8-bit address (controls up to 256 peripherals)
• 8-bit data
• Read strobe (a couple of clocks wide)
• Write strobe (a couple of clocks wide)

Code Examples

Here are some Code and FPGA build example applications

• Design a CPU Base Code - GitHub

Blink LED

Almost minimal CPU = CPU + Timer + LED

• TestIOP16B
• testTimer Code

ANSI Terminal

• ANSITerm2 FPGA
• ANSITerm03 Code
• Hackaday ANSI Terminal in an FPGA

Front Panel Loopback

• Front Panel Loopback FPGA
• Front Panel Loopback Code
• Hackaday Front Panel

IOP16 Porting Guide

• IOP16 Porting Guide

External References

• Hackaday.io page.
• YouTube Video Series.