You are currently reviewing an older revision of this page.

MPS2(+) M-class prototyping system

MPS2

MPS2 is an FPGA-based motherboard targeting Cortex-M systems.

It provides:

  • Preconfigured implementations of M-class cores for demonstration and software validation
  • An FPGA prototyping environment for hardware development

DesignStart

Arm DesignStart is an Arm IP online access portal, enabling users fast and easy access to trial a selection of Arm products without charge.

Products available include one of the most licensed Arm processor, the Arm Cortex-M0 processor and an array of Arm Artisan Physical IP solutions optimized for a wide range of foundry processes. A new design option for the performance efficient Arm Cortex-M3 processor is also available.

There are two ways to access industry-leading processor IP through DesignStart:

  • DesignStart Eval enables anybody to click and get instant access to Cortex-M0, Cortex-M3 and their subsystems. Designers can configure or modify the subsystem, add their own IP and peripherals, and then prototype on an FPGA. See here for more information.
  • DesignStart Pro is for companies looking to develop their own chip.  Companies simply register on the DesignStart website, sign and return a simplified contract, then start building their chip.  No upfront fees, just a simple success-based royalty once they are in production.  See here for more information.

DesignStart has it's own Arm Connected Community.  Visit here for DesignStart information, resources and technical information.

Versions

There are 2 versions of MPS2. MPS2 (V2M-MPS2-0318A) and MPS2+ (V2M-MPS2-0318C) which provides double the FPGA capacity of MPS2. Only MPS2+ is currently available for purchase.

M0 DesignStart works with both revisions. M3 DesignStart is designed for the MPS2+.

Applications Notes

The preconfigured cores for MPS2 are provided as Application Notes.

See here for more information regarding MPS2. This page provides a table of information about the Application Notes available for the board, including links to download the documentation for each one.  This page also gives links to downloads for the latest CMPS deliverables for MPS2(+), which contains the images for the Armv6-M and Armv7-M Application Notes. There are also links to the new Armv8-M example IoT FPGA Images for the MPS2+ board. 

The image downloads are subject to an EULA.

Mbed Target

The MPS2 board is a recognised Mbed Target board. There are 3 target options:

  • Arm Cortex-M Prototyping System - This is for use with the standard preconfigured cores. More details here.
    NOTE: When used in Mbed online compiler you can chose which core you are working with: M0, M0+, M3 (default), M4 or M7. The selection is made from a drop down box in the top right of the online compiler page.
  • MPS2 with Arm Cortex-M3 DesignStart. More details here.
  • Example Subsystem for Embedded SSE-100 (IOT Subsystem for Cortex-M) - More details here.

In the github repo for mbed, the targets MPS2, CM3DS_MPS2 and IOTSS can be found in the TARGET_ARM_SSG folder.

There is new firmware for MPS2+ available which adds compatibility improvements for Mbed - See here