A system on a chip or system on chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit (also known as an "IC" or "chip") that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic systems. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single substrate. SoCs are very common in the mobile computing market because of their low power consumption. A typical application is in the area of embedded systems.
Questions tagged [soc]
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Is there a theoretical possibility of having a full computer on a silicon wafer instead of a motherboard?
I have not seen a single reference where a whole computer is built inside a chip itself instead of modularizing and spreading it on a board.
I acknowledge that having modular parts enable versatility, but can big silicon companies such as Intel, AMD…
user0193
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Does Intel sell CPUs in ribbons?
I used to work at this electronics assembly plant in Arizona, and the machines there used reels of SMT parts that were like a bucketed plastic ribbon with a peel-off plastic seal. I don't know what those are called; most of them held tiny pieces of…
Brent
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what really are: Microcontroller (uC), System on Chip (SoC), and Digital Signal Processor (DSP)?
The actual question is at the end. But reading that alone might not show you why am I confused. I wrote this post starting with some definitions, assumptions, and speculations and then asking the actual question.
I always think that I know the…
himura
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Why are accelerometers (and other MEMS devices) so rarely integrated into components?
With the way things are headed, more and more functionality moves into a single chip each year. However, one thing that seems to remain completely untouched by this is MEMS devices like accelerometers and gyros.
Despite many device classes…
Azsgy
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Why are the challenges in using SRAM over DRAM for main memory?
Historically, when compared to DRAM (dynamic ram), SRAM (static ram) is more expensive with a lower density, but it's much faster and more efficient. As a result, SRAM is reserved for devices, such as processor caches and microcontrollers, where…
user148298
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Attaching Ethernet interface to an SoC which has no embedded Ethernet circuit
We are developing an ARMv8 processor based SoC which doesn't have ethernet IP inside. Now it's in FPGA form.
Currently I'm using SD card interface to load Linux and file system. But during the development, it would be convenient to have a network…
Chan Kim
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Why is NMI commonly pulled high on many ARM SoC schematics?
I've noticed that "AP-NMI" is pulled high on several ARM SoC schematics, and it is pulled high by the real-time clock (RTC) voltage, which is an always-on power domain (battery backup). Why is this?
I've also noticed that without NMI being pulled…
Drakes
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Reason for power-on sequence requirement in SoC
In the SoCs that I am working on, the memory rail has to be powered up first and then the logic rail, and memory rail is expected to be higher in voltage than the logic rail at any point in time. Could you explain the possible reasoning behind…
Geektronics
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Is there any single-board computer/system-on-a-chip with good documentation for developing bare metal?
I always wanted to develop my own crappy operating system, but the many weird legacy quirks of the x86/PC platform kept me from doing so (e.g. real vs protected mode, only low resolutions available in VGA/VESA, etc.). Now I realized, that maybe one…
Wolf
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What's the reason for power-down sequencing in a SOC? Can you damage it in some way?
Power-on sequencing I understand. But why do power-off sequencing? I could understand if you had to do something before power died, or maybe you just wanted to shutdown I/O before core so that no crazy pins are toggled while you're on your way…
confused
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Determine SOC of a lithium ion battery
How can I measure the state of charge (SOC) of a lithium ion battery.?
I know it is a very common question and I can google it, so I did google it and read about all the techniques for e.g Coulomb counting method and open circuit voltage method,…
yiipmann
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What is the difference between SoC FPGA and 'regular' FPGA?
I've recently developed an interest in implementing projects on top of an FPGA dev board, and wish to purchase one such as the Altera DE1.
Looking in the company's site, I noticed there is another class of FPGAs called "SoC FPGAs" (such as DE1-SoC)…
Edwin
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Altera DE1-SoC Diagram
In this link is a description of the Altera DE1-SoC kit, and the bottom of the page shows the diagram of the SoC-FPGA chip. It shows some peripherals are connected to the FPGA and other are connected to the HPS. The question is, Does that implies…
3bdalla
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JLC2313 stackup with DDR3 fly-by
I’m building a simple SBC based on Allwinner A33 for my undergraduate final project, includes two x8 DDR3 chips. I’m going with 6 layers JLC2313 Stackup 1.2mm thickness (cost reasons). It’s my first DDR3 design and I have a lot of questions.
Their…
TIdo
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Hardware Secure Elements
After checking multiple suppliers and reading about HW secure elements, I would like to understand the use of this type of electronic components.
Maybe I´m wrong, but it seems a HW secure element provides a Root of Trust for a certain data. This is,…
LazyTurtle
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