I looking for a graphic co-processor chip or PCB to add to my embedded STM32F4xx board

[marcot]

Posted on March 19, 2017 at 21:25

I am looking for a graphic co-processor chip or PCB to add to my embedded processor boards used with industrial equipment.

My boards presently use the STM32F4xx micro-controller which is a little slow for graphics processing. The next big upgrade from ST, the STM32H7xx, is also likely to be too slow. The solution for the next few years of production seems to be adding a graphic co-processor (GPU) to the STM32F4xx.

The main problem is that my board is an embedded system without PC like bus. The operating systems is a minimal real time version produced by Keil lacking all the services of Windows or Linux.

So, I am looking for a chip to mount on my boards that would interface like a memory on the parallel bus or use an SPI interface.

Does anybody knows of a suitable co-processor on the market?

[waclawek.jan]

Posted on March 22, 2017 at 10:14

You should be doing it the other way round: get a PC or a high-powered board such as the various beaglebones or pies, fulfilling your graphics capabilities expectations; and use the STM32 as a real-time-capable slave.

JW

[marcot]

Posted on March 22, 2017 at 10:39

Thank you Jan for your answer but it is not acceptable to add a PC to this type of embedded industrial controller.  I need a medium volume, rugged solution that will work for the next twenty years.  This is not a one of and we have to support the product once in the field.

I know that ARM is working on GPU like cores but don't expect to see them in the STM32 family any time soon.  This is why I am looking for a companion chip.

Regards.

Marco

[AvaTar]

Posted on March 22, 2017 at 11:12

I agree with Jan.

Get a Cortex A (from the A5 upward). The 'A' stands for 'Application', and HMI falls into that category.

And there exist application processors with Cortex M slaves for real-time purposes.

Or live with the limited performance and resources of a microcontroller.

I know that ARM is working on GPU like cores but don't expect to see them in the STM32 family any time soon.  This is why I am looking for a companion chip.

Not gonna happen.

The required bus interface would defeat the very purpose of the cheap all-in-one microcontroller solution.

Current external bus interfaces are already a compromise with limited acceptance.

[waclawek.jan]

Posted on March 22, 2017 at 11:55

I was about to write a saga on the last 20 years of my 'needs hi-end video in medium volume, rugged solution that will work for the next twenty years' experience, but I better cut down to 'face the reality'.

Get what's available now - using the A-class ARM with capable graphics as your video coprocessor;  establish a simple interface both hardware- and protocol-wise, resist the temptation to delegate more work to the more capable processor; maintain a stock of the 'coprocessor' to fill the expected for an expected time for migration to other similar solution if the original gets unavailable.

Alternatively, cut down on the requirement to fit them within the capabilities of the existing 'F7 or upcoming 'H7. You might perhaps want to tell us more about those requirements to discuss.

JW