CAST Display-CTRL Actel Datasheet

Generates color and control data
for standard displays in the following resolutions:
DISPLAY-CTRL
High-Resolution Display
Controller Core
Implements a controller that accepts video data and works with a digital/analog converter (DAC) to drive standard QVGA (320x240) to WUXGA (1920x1200) displays.
The core accepts two different standard input formats — 15-bit (5:5:5) and 24-bit (8:8:8)
RGB — and produces 24-bit RGB pixel data. It also generates all of the required horizontal and vertical timing periods: horizontal and vertical front porch, back porch and
sync intervals. Video aspect ratios and monitor frequencies are configurable, and various display functions are provided.
The core passes 24-bit RGB to standard analog/digital video converters such as Analog
Devices’ ADV7120 CMOS, 80MHz, Triple 8-Bit Video DAC (ADV®). The DAC then generates output signals compatible with RS-343A/RS-170 standards.
Test and power save modes are built into the core. The design is strictly synchronous
with positive-edge clocking, no internal tri-states and asynchronous reset; therefore
scan insertion is straightforward. Actel FPGA implement requires 5,324 cells in Fusion
or ProASIC3 devices.
Applications
The core is designed to work with a video data processor in a variety of video display
systems, including
• Portable video systems
• Digital cameras with video output
• Advanced mobile phones with video capabilities
Block Diagram
− QVGA
320 x 240
85Hz
− VGA
640 x 480
85Hz
− SVGA
800 x 600
85Hz
− XGA
1024 x 768 85Hz
− SXGA
1280 x 1024 85Hz
− HD 720
1280 x 720 60Hz
− UXGA
1600 x 1200 60Hz
− HD 1080 1920 x 1080 60Hz
− WUXGA
1920 x 1200 60Hz
Works in conjunction with external video DAC such as Analog
Devices’ ADV7120
Accepts two standard video data
formats:
− 24-bit RBG (8:8:8)
− 15-bit RBG (5:5:5)
Output interface
− 8:8:8 24-bit RGB video
− HSYNC and VSYNC signals or
one composite
− Blanking (Data Enable) signal
Display functions with hardware
support:
− Scroll (in horizontal and ver-
tical directions)
− Sub-screen display (any posi-
tion)
− Horizontal flip screen
Fully configurable monitor frequencies and aspect ratios
Progressive scanning mode
32-bit data path
Configurable internal FIFO
Integrated Test mode: core generates color bar without any
AHB bus transactions
Internal, event-stimulated, interrupt request generation with
masking capability
Dedicated unidirectional DMA
controller with burst transaction
support
Built-in Power Save mode
Integrated with AMBA™ bus:
− AMBA™ AHB slave unit inter-
faces with host controller
− AMBA™ AHB master unit in-
terfaces with host memory
February 2009
Functional Description
The core combines a flexible data generation module with
additional elements necessary to communicate with its host
system, accept and convert different forms of video data,
and store that data for processing and output.
DMA AHB
Unidirectional DMA controller with an AHB Master Interface.
It is implemented to take image data from the AHB data
bus. The AHB Master Interface is compatible with the
ARM® AMBA™ Advanced High-speed Bus (AHB) interface
standard specification version 2.0. It operates as a master
device for data transfers, and only read transfers can be
initiated. It supports a 32-bit width data bus and a 32-bit
width address bus. The AHB Master can initiate only one of
the following transfer types: SINGLE, INCR, or INCR16.
AHB Slave
Bidirectional AHB Slave Interface for the CONTROL block.
The AHB Slave Interface is compatible with the ARM®
AMBA™ Advanced High-speed Bus (AHB) interface
standard specification version 2.0. It supports a 32-bit width
data bus and a 32-bit width address bus. The AHB Slave
supports only SINGLE transfers.
Conv
RGB format converter. Converts input RGB15 format to
output RGB24 format and stores into the FIFO.
RGB
Pixel data output and synchronization module. The RGB
module takes data from the FIFO and outputs this data with
horizontal and vertical synchronization signals (HSYNC and
VSYNC), as well as the video blanking signal (Data Enable). Additionally it generates data in test-mode without any
AHB bus activity.
SFR Sync
Software reset generation and synchronization module.
Write FIFO CTRL & Read FIFO CTRL
FIFO component implemented in a Dual Port RAM. It is designed to buffer pixel data between the CONV and RGB
units and works in two clock domains. The size of the FIFO
buffer is parameterized. There are two controllers: WRITE
FIFO CTRL for writing data from CONV to FIFO and READ
FIFO CTRL for reading data from FIFO to RGB.
The core was designed to make the integration of a highresolution display controller into an application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC) or a system-on-a-chip (SoC)
design easy to accomplish
Implementation Results
DISPLAY-CTRL reference designs have been evaluated in
a variety of technologies. The following are sample Actel
results optimized for area with a FIFO size of 512x48 bits
implemented.
Actel
Device
Fusion
AFS1500-2
ProASIC3
A3P1000-2
Cells
Sequ (R)
Comb (C)
RAM
Blocks
I/Os
Fmax
(MHz)
1184
4140
6
196
63
1184
4140
6
196
64
Support
The core as delivered is warranted against defects for ninety days from purchase. Thirty days of phone and email
technical support are included, starting with the first interaction. Additional maintenance and support options are
available.
Performance
VESA Monitor Timing Specification contains pixel clock frequencies for standard graphic resolutions; however, the
VESA Coordinated Video Timing Generator can be used to
calculate reduced timing parameters for LCD panels and
monitors. Pixel clock frequency versus on-screen resolution
according to VESA CVT is shown in the following table.
Resolution
Refresh Rate
Pixel Clock
320 x 240
85 Hz
8.50 MHz
640 x 480
85 Hz
35.00 MHz
800 x 600
85 Hz
56.75 MHz
1024 x 768
85 Hz
94.50 MHz
1280 x 1024
85 Hz
91.00 MHz
1280 x 720
60 Hz
64.00 MHz
1600 x 1200
60 Hz
130.25 MHz
1920 x 1080
60 Hz
138.50 MHz
1920 x 1200
60 Hz
154.00 MHz
Verification
The core’s functionality was verified by processing bitmap
pictures. These were converted by a C program into stimuli
and reference files. The stimuli files were applied to core
inputs, and the reference files compared with the core simulation outputs.
The DISPLAY-CTRL has also been verified through extensive functional simulation and it has achieved high Code
Coverage results. A demo system has been implemented.
Configurability
The DISPLAY-CTRL core has a set of synthesizable parameters that allow adjustment of the core for a particular
application:
DEPTH – defines the depth of the FIFO memory
LEVEL_AFULL – defines the almost full level of the FIFO
Default endianness type is Little-endian. Big-endian is
selected by using `define BIG_ENDIAN directive.
CAST, Inc.
Page 2
Deliverables
The core is available in ASIC (synthesizable HDL) and
FPGA (netlist) forms, and includes everything required for
successful implementation. The Actel version includes:
• Post-synthesis EDIF netlist
• Sophisticated self-checking HDL Testbench including:
• An example system design
• External Dual Port TAM
• Behavioral model of an external Video DAC
• Example AMBA™ bus systems
• Clock generator
• Simulation scripts, vectors, and expected results
• Place and route script
• Comprehensive user documentation, including a detailed specification, system integration guide and a
verification specification
Related Products
TVOUT-CTRL – is a synthesizable core which implements
a video display controller compatible with the ITU-R
BT.601/BT.656 recommendation (formally CCIR-601 and
CCIR-656). The Video DAC interface of the controller is
compatible with Analog Devices’ ADV7174/79 encoder video chip. The TVOUT-CTRL accepts three different input
formats and produces 4:2:2 YCbCr pixel data format. It can
also generate all of the required horizontal and vertical timing periods: horizontal and vertical front porch, back porch
and sync intervals.
Application Example
This application enables transmission of data from the host
memory to an LCD monitor, or a CRT monitor, or a TFT
panel. The CPU controls the configuration of the core and
process interrupt requests using an AMBA™ AHB Slave
bus. Data from the host memory are sent to the DISPLAYCTRL through an AMBA™ AHB Master interface. The
DISPLAY-CTRL outputs data in RGB24 format. Examples
of supported Video DAC devices are:
• ADV7120 – Analog Devices, 80MHz Triple 8-Bit Video
DAC
• CH7301C – Chrontel, DVI Transmitter up to 165M pixels/second
• AD9889B – Analog Devices, 165MHz HDMI/DVI Transmitter
ST7787 – Sitronix, 262K Color Single-Chip TFT
Controller/Driver
CAST, Inc. 11 Stonewall Court
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677 USA
tel 201-391-8300 fax 201-391-8694
Copyright © CAST, Inc. 2009, All Rights Reserved.
Contents subject to change without notice.
Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.