Chapter 2

Microcomputer architecture
2.1 Embedded system architecture

Harvard Architecture
Physically separate storage and signal pathways for instructions
and data.

DATA INSTRUCTION
MEMORY MEMORY

Control & Address

Data Instruction

Control
IN
ALU CONTROL
OUT

Status CLOCK

Microcomputer principles and applications

2.1 Embedded system architecture

Von Neumann architecture

Program instructions and Data are both stored as sequences of bits
in computer memory.

MEMORY

INPUT OUTPUT
* keyboard
Address Bus Data Bus
* monitor
* mouse
* printer
* scanner
* LEDs
* A/D PROCESSING UNIT * D/A
* serial
* disk
* disk ALU
Registers
Clock
Program Counter
Control
Logic Instruction Register

Microcomputer principles and applications

2.2 MSP430 Architecture

• Reduced instruction set computing (RISC).

• Complex instruction set computing (CISC).

Instructions
and Data

Processing
Unit (CPU)

Input / Output

Microcomputer principles and applications

2.2 MSP430 Architecture

Microcomputer principles and applications

2.2 MSP430 Architecture

MSP430 Bus architecture

Memory Address Bus (uni-directional)
• Address Space = number of possible memory locations (also
called the memory size).
• Memory Address Register (MAR) stores the memory address
for the address bus (address space).
• Addresses peripherals as well as memory.
Memory Data Bus (bi-directional)
• Addressability = number of bits stored in each memory location.
• Memory Select (MSEL) connects an addressed memory
location to the data bus.
• Memory Write Enable (MWE) is the control signal that is
asserted when writing to memory.

Microcomputer principles and applications