| HITACHI HOME | UP | SEARCH | HITACHI

News Release

June 19, 1997

Hitachi to Release a Chip Set of the SH7709 Top-of-the-Line SH-3 (SH 7700 Series) 32-bit RISC Microprocessor, and the HD64461 Peripheral Function IC, for Use in Hand-Held PCs

- Provision of a System Solution for Hand-Held PCs that Support Next Generation Windows(R) CE in the Form of a Chip Set Consisting of an 80-MIPS High-Performance Low-Power Microprocessor and a Set of High-Performance Peripheral Functions Implemented on a Single Chip -

Hitachi, Ltd. announces the release of the SH 7709 32-bit RISC microprocessor in the SH-3 (SH7700) series, which is appropriate for portable information processing and multimedia equipment. As the top-of-the-line microprocessor in the SH-3 series, the microprocessor achieves a performance level of 80 MIPS and features low power consumption of 300 MIPS/W. Hitachi has also developed the HD64461 IC that integrates in a single chip the peripheral functions required by hand-held PCs that support the next generation Windows(R) CE(*1), including a color LCD controller and an IrDA controller. Together these two chips form a chip set for hand-held PCs. Sample shipments of the SH7709 and the HD64461 will begin in August 1997 in Japan. The majority of next-generation hand-held PC systems that support Windows CE can be formed from these two chips, thus allowing a high-performance low-power system to be implemented compactly and within a short development period.

The Windows CE operating system, a new open, scalable Windows platform for consumer electronics and non-PC devices, was released by Microsoft Corporation last year. Hand-held PCs that include Windows CE have been released by several companies and have been well received due to their provision of performance close to that of PCs, their ability to exchange data with notebook and desktop personal computers, and their ability to operate for extended periods on batteries. The previously announced SH7708 version of Hitachi's SH-3 32-bit RISC microprocessor which supports of Windows CE has been adopted in many hand-held PCs due to its excellent balance between high performance and low power consumption, and due to the code efficiency of its 16-bit fixed-length instruction set. To handle the next generation Windows CE, higher performance, lower power and higher integration levels are required. The market also desires support that takes into account the whole system including peripherals, not just the microprocessor, to achieve the miniaturization, low weight, and low power required in portable equipment.

To respond to these needs, Hitachi introduces the high-performance low-power SH7709, which features a full complement of built-in peripheral functions, as the top-of- the-line model of the SH-3 (SH7700 Series). The SH7709 achieves a top clock speed of 80 MHz and a performance level of 80 MIPS and incorporates 8 Kbytes of cache. Due to the same code efficiency of the 16-bit fixed- length instruction set provided by the earlier SH7708, the SH 7709 can reduce the amount of ROM capacity required in a hand-held PC. The SH7709 retains the multi-function power management structure of the earlier SH-3 products. This structure not only allows the bus frequency, CPU frequency, and internal peripheral function module frequency to be changed dynamically under program control, but also supports sleep, standby, and module standby low power modes for fine-grained power management that matches the operating mode of the equipment. The SH 7709 also includes a 3x frequency multiplier for the CPU and adds a module stop function for the UBC and other modules and a dynamic power management function that stops the ALU for each instruction for fine-grained control. The SH7709 achieves a low power consumption level of 300 MIPS/W. For peripheral functions, the SH7709 includes the following functions that were also provided by the earlier products: an MMU, which is required when using an operating system that supports memory protection and virtual memory, a 32-bit multiplier, 32-bit timers, a real-time clock, an SCI circuit, and direct interfaces for PCMCIA cards and a wide range of memory types, including synchronous DRAM.

In addition, the SH7709 adds the following peripheral functions: a 4-channel DMAC (direct memory access controller), an 8-input 10-channel A/D converter, a 2-channel 8-bit D/A converter, a 2-channel SCI with built-in FIFOs, and 12 8-bit I/O ports. The SH7709 is offered in a 208-pin LQFP package. To help our customers develop compact hand-held PCs even more rapidly, Hitachi introduces the HD64461, which forms a hand-held PC chip set with the SH7709. This integrates, in a single chip, a wide range of peripheral functions, including a color LCD controller, an IrDA controller, an RS-232C controller, a PCMCIA controller, a software modem interface, and timers. This product was developed jointly with Integrated Technology Express, Inc. (ITE), and integrates on a single chip the peripheral functions that were previously implemented in ASICs as devices external to the microprocessor. The integrated LCD controller supports either 64,000 simultaneous colors or 256 colors from a palette of 260,000 colors at a 640 x 240 resolution.

This controller includes accelerator functions that support the Windows CE API, and provides high-speed graphics. The HD64461 includes an IrDA controller for infrared communication, and since this circuit conforms to the IrDA 1.1 standard, systems can communicate over an IR channel at up to 4 Mbps simply by connecting an external optical communication module. Other data communication features include a 16550 compatible RS-232C controller that supports data communication at up to 115.2 kbps simply by connecting an external driver. The device also incorporates a PCMCIA controller which supports either two PCMCIA slots or one PCMCIA slot and one CompactFlash(*2) slot. This controller also supports a wakeup function that clears standby mode based on an interrupt from a card.

The HD64461 provides as a standard feature an AFE interface that allows the direct connection of an analog front end (AFE) chip. This allows the SH7709 to implement a software modem. The HD64461 also provides power management functions including standby mode and module stop functions, and supports low power design in end products. It is offered in a 208-pin LQFP package. The SH7709/HD64461 chip set can implement high- performance, low-power, and compact hand-held PCs and Windows CE compliant products in general. Future developments in this area will include an increased-performance 100-MIPS version, versions with a built-in FPU, versions with modified peripheral functionality, and versions that can support CSP packages. Hitachi is committed to providing a wide range of variations in this product line. Hitachi is also developing the SH-4, which will be a super-scalar CPU designed for a 300-MIPS performance level.

Note

*1 Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
*2 CompactFlash is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation and is licensed royalty-free to the CFA which in turn will license it royalty-free to CFA members.

Application Product Examples

- Information and OA equipment:
Hand-held PCs, Windows CE compliant equipment

- Consumer products:
Amusement products (games), multimedia equipment, set-top boxes

- Industrial and automotive-related products:
In-car navigation systems, test equipment

Pricing in Japan

Product name Sample price (yen)
HD6417709 (SH7709) 4,000
HD64461 3,000

Integrated Technology Express, Inc.

Integrated Technology Express, Inc.(ITE) was founded in 1995 and is a technology and market leader in computer, communications, and consumer IC solutions. ITE is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with subsidiaries in Taiwan. For press contact, please call Julia Wu at +886- 2-707-9589.

ITE designs, develops, and markets the following circuits:
1. Peripheral--I/O and USB controllers for PCs
2. Portable--PC core logic chipsets for notebooks and H/PCs, Windows(R) CE based applications, and for RISC-based CPU platforms.
3. Communications--High speed communications products such as ADSL/ VDSL for Internet applications.
4. Mixed Signal--analog interface products such as Codec for communications and audio applications.

Features of the chipset

1. High-performance and compact implementation of hand-held PCs
2. Low power consumption
3. Compatibility with previous SH-3 microprocessors
4. Software modem support

Specifications

SH7709 Specifications
Item Specification
Power supply voltage 3.0 to 3.6 V
Operating frequency 80 MHz
Performance 80 MIPS
Power dissipation 260 mW (typ.)
Cache organization 8 Kbytes, mixed instruction/data, four-way set associative, write-through or write-back (selectable), LRU replacement
CPU instructions Same as SH-3(SH7700 series)
Built-in peripheral functions MMU, three serial interfaces (include 2 channel FIFOs), four 32-bit timers, real-time clock, twelve 8-bit I/O ports, memory interfaces (DRAM, SRAM, synchronous DRAM, burst ROM, PCMCIA), 32-bit multiplier
Bus width 16-bit or 32-bit (selectable)
Package 208-pin LQFP (0.5 mm lead pitch, 28mm x 28 mm)
Process 0.35 micrometer three metal layer CMOS process

HD64461 Specifications
Item Specification
CPU I/F - SH7709 SRAM interface for internal registers
- Memory mapped on area 4 of SH7709 for internal register
LCD Controller - STN color or monochrome LCD Drive
------640 x 240
------256/256k Color
------32 grayscales
- Data output: 8 bit
- Output clock: latch clock, shift clock, line marker, and AC Drive signal
- Low powermode: Stand-by mode, and Display off mode
- CRT output control
- Built-in 31MHz clock oscillator circuits
PCMCIA Controller - Supports full control signal for PCMCIA interface
- PCMCIA release 2.1 / JEIDA ver.4.2 Standard
- Bus interface: Uses SH7709 PCMCIA address/data/control bus
- 2 Slot support
- Memory card and I/O card support
- Voltage switch for 3.3 V/5 V select output
- Small pin count: Buffered Address/Data bus outside
AFE Interface - Supports AFE: STLC7546 (SGS-THOMSON)
- No need for DMA: On-chip buffer for high speed modem data transaction
- Built-in 9.216 MHz clock oscillator circuits for AFE
I/O port - Maximum 32 bits by pin multiplex
Interrupt - 2-channel 16-bit timer with pre-scale (1,1/4, 1/8, 1/16)
IrDA - IrDA 1.1 compatible
- Four speed support (288k, 576k, 1.152k, 4Mbps)
UART - 16550 compatible


WRITTEN BY Secretary's Office
All Rights Reserved, Copyright (C) 1997, Hitachi, Ltd.