Does anybody in this forum know where I can find a general design reference (schematic level) for a basic ARM7 micro (from any vendor) so that I can use to start out hardware design. Unlike 8051 based processor, I can not find an ARM spec sheet that includes schematic. Thanks in advance, JIMMY
Unlike an 8051, and ARM is not a physical chip that you can go out and buy. It's just a bunch of designs that chipmakers can license to build into their products. Therefore, to start designing, you are going to have to identify a specific product from a specific vendor. Having done that, you will be able to obtain the necessary support from the vendor's website. The best way to proceed would be to buy a devkit for your chosen chip - schematics will be included in the kit. Keil has two right here on this very site: http://www.keil.com/mcb2100/ http://www.keil.com/mcb2130/
There are a number of vendors that sell pre-packaged ARM processors with various peripherals and perhaps integrated memory, including: Atmel http://www.atmel.com/products/AT91/ Philips http://www.semiconductors.philips.com/markets/mms/products/microcontrollers/key_solutions/32bit/ Oki http://www2.okisemi.com/site/productscatalog/armsolutions/MCUTables-9.html and no doubt many others. The processor cores all come from ARM, so you can check their web site for generic programming reference model and the like. Specific details for a particular chip will have to come from the manufacturer's data sheet.