Michael D. Asal

The TMS34010: an embedded microprocessor

The authors discuss the TMS34010, a high-performance 32-bit microprocessor with special instructions and hardware for handling the bit-field data and address manipulations often associated with computer graphics. They give a history of embedded microprocessors and examine the wide range of processors and applications covered by that term. They provide an overview of the internal architecture of the TMS34010 and discuss the choice of feature set in its design. Although it is aimed at graphics systems, the processors large address reach, bit-field processing, and DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) interface make it suitable for many other embedded processing applications.<<ETX>>

Requirements for a VLSI Graphics Processor

This article will discuss issues that must be considered in the design of a VLSI (very large scale integration) 32-bit microprocessor specialized for graphics applications. With a properly chosen architecture, a single-chip graphics processor should provide a cost-effective means for achieving high performance in color bit-mapped graphics displays for PCs and workstations. The goal in selecting an architecture is to reduce the components required for a medium-to high-resolution display so they fit easily on a single, small, printed-circuit card. At the same time the processing speed must result in screen updates that occur without perceptible delay. These improvements should enable bit-mapped graphics displays to replace the text-only displays that have seen wide-spread use in cost-sensitive applications.