Motorola Inc has introduced a 32-bit custom microprocessor programme designed to enable customers to combine their proprietary computer systems with processors from the 68000 line. The programme, Flexcore, can be used with applications ranging from communications devices and computer peripherals to hand-held computing devices and video games. Flexcore was designed with high volume manufacturers and third party technology providers in mind, the company said. The price of the system varies, but typically involves a non-recurring cost of $125,000 for design and layout. Motorola said Flexcore enables customers to reduce the board size, the number of component interconnections and power consumption, while increasing productivity and systems reliability. The first third party technologist currently participating in the programme is Peerless Systems Corp in El Segundo, California which is combining its imaging technology with a static 68EC000 core to create the highly integrated 68322 dual processor to serve the laser printer market. Motorola says Digital Equipment Corp began using Flexcore in the production of 3.5 half height and low profile magnetic disk drives. Based on standard cell methodology, FlexCore increases the variety, cost effectiveness and time to market of new, highly integrated processors, says Motorola. Other benefits of FlexCore, it says, include reduced board size, so reducing component interconnections; reduced power consumption; reduced system design costs; increased production throughput; increased system reliability. Selecting from the array of design elements in Motorola’s standard cell library, customers design the circuitry required to build on a 68000 family processor core, essentially designing an entire system on a chip. The resulting design net-list is then laid out by Motorola, verified and fabricated in silicon. All parts are mass-produced and fully tested in keeping with Motorola quality requirements. Processor Cores Custom products designed under FlexCore can be built from a selection of 68000 family microprocessor cores, offering upward compatibility and surrounded by as many as 100,000 gates of customer circuitry, peripherals and memory. Currently, core offerings include the 3 MIPS static 68EC000 and the 8 MIPS static 68020 cores. Additional cores are being developed to broaden the range of performance to include the 12 MIPS 68030 core in late 1994, the 36 MIPS 68040 core in mid-1995 and the 100 MIPS 68060 and PowerPC cores in late 1995. All the cores are updated and redesigned to provide static and 3.3V and 5V operation, resulting in low power consumption – a critical concern in the design of portable computing devices. Prices vary for specific designs.
