This list is for discussion of the design and implementation of field-programmable gate array based processors and integrated systems. It is also for discussion and community support of the XSOC Project (see http://www.fpgacpu.org/xsoc).
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----- Original Message ----- From: John Kent <> To: <> Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 2:41 AM Subject: Re: [fpga-cpu] Transputers [ was What are peoples opinion of theAltera Nios Processor? ] > Hi Ben ... > > yes 8 MHz is fine ... I'll have a further poke around. > I thought the standard Risc architecture had a register file > of 32 x 32 bit registers, which makes for a largish machine. > If I want MMU and cache I can go out and buy a commercial > chip for a lot less money and bother :-) > > I had visions of designing a stripped down 68K with 4 x 32 bit data > registers > and 4 x 32 bit address registers and the basic 6800 dual operand > instructions > branches, jumps and a stack. But I'd have to write a compiler and assembler > to suit. Actually sounds like you would really benefit from an assembler that would let you easily expriment with the architecture. Something that would let you play with instruction bit formats and language grammer to evaluate different ideas without spending months writing assemblers or being tied to an architecture because of a limited assembler. Imagine an assembler that you could configure to accept a syntax as complex as that of a Z80, or as simple as a 6502. Imagine tinkering with the Z80 and adding extra registers with only a few minutes of effort. Or bending it to allow special complex instructions, not macros, but instructions that generate binary depending on the context in which the operands are presented. Imagine doing all this with instruction descriptions that would look at home in most CPU assembler documentation, no mystical bit patterns in complex multilevel tables but instead high level BNF type descriptions and easy to maintain (and experiment with) operand to instruction mappings. XCASM is a meta assembler that does all this and much more. XCASM can be found at http://www.xcprod.com Regards Sergio Masci |