Does anyone know if there is a way to connect generic PCI boards to the xCORE?
I'm working on an educational project yp build a sort of intelligent TV station-hub. We are thinking of using xCORE as the peripheral handler in order to connect Satellite TV PCI boards.
Can I connect PCI boards to xCORE?
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oslucchi
- Newbie
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Ross
- XCore Expert
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Currently there is no PCI software IP that I know of.
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BEBDigitalAudio
- Experienced Member
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- Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:45 pm
As far as I know, there is no project involving the XS1 in a PCI environment.
Note that any development related to PCI implies that you get a PCI-SIG membership, which is *very* expensive for a small structure. The PCI specifications are not public, you must be a member to access them, and it is not allowed to make them available on the Web.
The second problem is that most (if not all) manufacturers of PCI expansion do not publish any data concerning the interfacing with the board. So, if you create a XS1 based PCI Master, the PCI specification will only explain you how to "see" the board and identify the resources it uses, but you will not be able to see how to use the board itself (the job being done by drivers)
The last critical point is that most video related PCI boards are "PCI Master - able". That means they can take control of the PCI bus (running at 33MHz... which is already faster than the normal speed of a XS1 core), to get access to shared resources like memory.
In conclusion, I would say that it's probably very difficult, if not impossible to create a XS1 based PCI board. You would probably need a dedicated PCI Bus controller, which are designed specifically for being interfaced with x86 or IA64 compatible chips (they are normally integrated in "South bridge" chipset)
Benoit
Note that any development related to PCI implies that you get a PCI-SIG membership, which is *very* expensive for a small structure. The PCI specifications are not public, you must be a member to access them, and it is not allowed to make them available on the Web.
The second problem is that most (if not all) manufacturers of PCI expansion do not publish any data concerning the interfacing with the board. So, if you create a XS1 based PCI Master, the PCI specification will only explain you how to "see" the board and identify the resources it uses, but you will not be able to see how to use the board itself (the job being done by drivers)
The last critical point is that most video related PCI boards are "PCI Master - able". That means they can take control of the PCI bus (running at 33MHz... which is already faster than the normal speed of a XS1 core), to get access to shared resources like memory.
In conclusion, I would say that it's probably very difficult, if not impossible to create a XS1 based PCI board. You would probably need a dedicated PCI Bus controller, which are designed specifically for being interfaced with x86 or IA64 compatible chips (they are normally integrated in "South bridge" chipset)
Benoit