“SmartFusion gave us the resources to build a highly-agile smartgrid sensor with greater flexibility in a smaller package,” said David Brain, CTO Smartgrid Technologies. “The integration of a state-of-the-art embedded ARM processor with on-chip analog to digital conversion and the ability to build custom features in the uncommitted gate array is an unbeatable combination.”

“The launch of Actel’s SmartFusion represents a step forward in intelligent FPGA design and also demonstrates the rapidly growing momentum behind the ARM Cortex-M3 processor in a wide range of applications,” said Eric Schorn, vice president, marketing, processor division, ARM. “In addition to exploiting the Cortex-M3 processor’s industry leading high-performance and low-power features, SmartFusion licensees are also able to access ARM’s vast ecosystem of more than 600 Partners, providing tools, software and middleware optimised for the ARM architecture.”

The combination of three programmable elements - logic, a microcontroller subsystem and analog – helps make the SmartFusion family fully-customisable and an easy-to-use system design platform. Embedded designers can optimise hardware/software tradeoffs on the fly without board-level changes. All the data transferred from the processor to the FPGA or from the analogue to the processor or between the FPGA and the analogue is on-chip. In addition, Actel’s FlashLock technology provides intellectual property (IP) security.

When faced with options for co-processing or interface customisation, SmartFusion devices offer a solution in a wide variety of applications, including motor control, system and power management and industrial automation. These applications span the industrial, military, medical, telecommunications, computing and storage markets.

A Closer Look

SmartFusion devices feature Actel’s proven, flash-based ProASIC3 FPGA architecture. Built on an advanced 130-nm CMOS process, Actel offers densities ranging from 60K to 500K system gates, with 350 MHz performance and up to 204 I/Os. This combination enables the integration of existing functions from other devices, substantially reducing board space and power consumption of the overall system.

Development kit

Microcontroller Subsystem:

Intelligence is added to the FPGA in the form of a microcontroller subsystem that features a hard ARM Cortex-M3 processor running at 100 MHz. A full complement of standard peripherals and features include:

• Multi-layer AHB communications matrix with up to 16 Gbps throughput
• 10/100 Ethernet MAC with RMII interface
• Two of each: SPI, I²C, UART, 32-bit Timers
• Up to 512 KB flash memory and 64 KB of SRAM
• External memory controller (EMC)
• 8-channel DMA controller

Programmable Analogue:

The innovative and proprietary Analog Compute Engine (ACE) performs sample sequencing and computation, which offloads the ARM Cortex-M3 processor from analog initialization and processing. The programmable analog system features:

• ADCs and DACs with 1 percent accuracy. 
• Up to three 12-bit ADC with up to 600 Ksps sampling rate
• Up to three 12-bit first order sigma delta DACs
• Up to ten 50 ns high-speed comparators
• Multiple integrated temperature, voltage and current monitors

The SmartFusion family is supported by Libero Integrated Design Environment (IDE) v9.0, Actel’s software toolset for designing with all Actel FPGAs. Libero IDE version 9.0 is immediately available for download.

Libero IDE includes industry-leading synthesis, simulation and debug tools from Synopsys and Mentor Graphics as well as innovative timing and power optimisation and analysis. For embedded designers, Actel offers free SoftConsole Eclipse-based IDE with GNU, as well as, evaluation versions of software from Keil and IAR Systems. Full versions are available from the respective suppliers. Micrium supports SmartFusion devices with their new real-time operating system (RTOS) μC/OS-III, TCP/IP stack and μC/Probe products.

Block diagram

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