Toshiba TLCS
Encyclopedia
The Toshiba TLCS series are a family of CISC
and RISC
microcontroller
s from Toshiba
.
systems. These are no longer advertised on Toshiba web.
/16-bit
architecture reminiscent of the Z80.
(TLCS-900, TLCS-900/L, TLCS-900/H and TLCS-900/L1 series) and 32-bit
(TLCS-900/H1 series) systems. Most of them are CISC based, with a few systems being RISC based.
As demand for these features differs widely depending on the requirements for a specific project (low energy consumption; high number of I/O ports; etc.), customers can choose from a wide range of different versions.
compatible C
compiler
and an assembler. Neither tool is available for free.
There is a project for porting GNU assembler to the TLCS-900 family.
Alfred Arnold's The Macroassembler AS http://john.ccac.rwth-aachen.de:8000/as/index.html is a free assembler supporting the TLCS-47, TLCS-870, TLCS-90, TLCS-900 and TLCS-9000 families.
Complex instruction set computer
A complex instruction set computer , is a computer where single instructions can execute several low-level operations and/or are capable of multi-step operations or addressing modes within single instructions...
and RISC
Reduced instruction set computer
Reduced instruction set computing, or RISC , is a CPU design strategy based on the insight that simplified instructions can provide higher performance if this simplicity enables much faster execution of each instruction. A computer based on this strategy is a reduced instruction set computer...
microcontroller
Microcontroller
A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM...
s from Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
.
TLCS-47 Family
The microcontrollers in the TLCS-47 family are 4-bit4-bit
The Intel 4004, the world's first commercially available single-chip microprocessor, was a 4-bit CPU. The F-14 Tomcat's Central Air Data Computer was created a year before the 4004, but its existence was classified by the United States Navy until 1997...
systems. These are no longer advertised on Toshiba web.
TLCS-870 Family
The microcontrollers in the TLCS-870 family use a 8-bit8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
/16-bit
16-bit
-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
architecture reminiscent of the Z80.
TLCS-900 Family
The microcontrollers in the TLCS-900 family are 16-bit16-bit
-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
(TLCS-900, TLCS-900/L, TLCS-900/H and TLCS-900/L1 series) and 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
(TLCS-900/H1 series) systems. Most of them are CISC based, with a few systems being RISC based.
Features and differences
Current TLCS' offer some or all of the following features:- multifunction, bi-directional general purpose I/O ports with optional built-in pull-up resistorPull-up resistorPull-up resistors are used in electronic logic circuits to ensure that inputs to logic systems settle at expected logic levels if external devices are disconnected or high-impedance...
s - mask programmable, one time programmableProgrammable read-only memoryA programmable read-only memory or field programmable read-only memory or one-time programmable non-volatile memory is a form of digital memory where the setting of each bit is locked by a fuse or antifuse. Such PROMs are used to store programs permanently...
, flash memoryFlash memoryFlash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
or EEPROMEEPROMEEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration...
type of ROM. ROMless versions are also available - a variety of serial interfaces:
- I²CI²CI²C 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;...
- Synchronous/Asynchronous Serial Peripherals (UART/USART) (used with RS-232RS-232In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
, RS-485, and more) - Serial Peripheral Interface BusSerial Peripheral Interface BusThe Serial Peripheral Interface Bus or SPI bus is a synchronous serial data link standard named by Motorola that operates in full duplex mode. Devices communicate in master/slave mode where the master device initiates the data frame. Multiple slave devices are allowed with individual slave select ...
(SPI) - USB
- I²C
- watchdog timerWatchdog timerA watchdog timer is a computer hardware or software timer that triggers a system reset or other corrective action if the main program, due to some fault condition, such as a hang, neglects to regularly service the watchdog A watchdog timer (or computer operating properly (COP) timer) is a computer...
(WDT) - multiplexed 10-bit A/D convertersAnalog-to-digital converterAn analog-to-digital converter is a device that converts a continuous quantity to a discrete time digital representation. An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement...
; D/A convertersDigital-to-analog converterIn electronics, a digital-to-analog converter is a device that converts a digital code to an analog signal . An analog-to-digital converter performs the reverse operation... - dual clock inputs and on-line clock switching by selecting different gear values (frequency divider), thus allowing either low-power low-frequency modes or high-performance high-frequency modes
- prescalablePrescalerA prescaler is an electronic counting circuit used to reduce a high frequency electrical signal to a lower frequency by integer division.-Example of use:...
8-bit and 16-bit timers (may be used as Programmable Interval TimerProgrammable Interval TimerIn computing and in embedded systems, a programmable interval timer is a counter which triggers an interrupt when it reaches the programmed count.- Common features :...
s) - 8-bit and 16-bit pulse-width modulationPulse-width modulationPulse-width modulation , or pulse-duration modulation , is a commonly used technique for controlling power to inertial electrical devices, made practical by modern electronic power switches....
(PWM) and programmable pulse generation (PPG) output - power voltageVoltageVoltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
supply range between 1.8 to 5.5 VoltVoltThe volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the... - external interruptInterruptIn computing, an interrupt is an asynchronous signal indicating the need for attention or a synchronous event in software indicating the need for a change in execution....
control - pattern generator, suitable for stepper motorStepper motorA stepper motor is a brushless, electric motor that can divide a full rotation into a large number of steps. The motor's position can be controlled precisely without any feedback mechanism , as long as the motor is carefully sized to the application...
control - Chip select/waitChip selectChip select or slave select is the name of a control line in digital electronics used to select one chip out of several connected to the same computer bus usually utilizing the three-state logic....
controller - different chip carrierChip carrierA chip carrier, also known as a chip container or chip package, is a container for a transistor or an integrated circuit. The carrier usually provides metal leads, or "pins", which are sturdy enough to electrically and mechanically connect the fragile chip to a circuit board. This connection may be...
formats
As demand for these features differs widely depending on the requirements for a specific project (low energy consumption; high number of I/O ports; etc.), customers can choose from a wide range of different versions.
Development Tools
Toshiba offers a ANSI CANSI C
ANSI C refers to the family of successive standards published by the American National Standards Institute for the C programming language. Software developers writing in C are encouraged to conform to the standards, as doing so aids portability between compilers.-History and outlook:The first...
compatible C
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
and an assembler. Neither tool is available for free.
There is a project for porting GNU assembler to the TLCS-900 family.
Alfred Arnold's The Macroassembler AS http://john.ccac.rwth-aachen.de:8000/as/index.html is a free assembler supporting the TLCS-47, TLCS-870, TLCS-90, TLCS-900 and TLCS-9000 families.