I have an 8-bit microprocessor and a 16-bit co-processor. I want to know whether the two can be interfaced. In other words, I want to know whether the two are compatible with each other.
The short answer is yes, but to give you a more accurate answer I need to re-frame the question.
It should be "How difficult will it be to integrate an 8 bit processor and a 16 bit co-processor?"
Co-Processors are designed to take some of the workload off of the main processor. Often they are optimized for Math functions or even more specifically for graphics calculations. Without knowing more details it is almost impossible to answer your question accurately.
Generally with the proper design and programming it is absolutely possible to integrate just about any co-processor and microprocessor combination. The issue is that some combinations are harder than others. If you are going to be communicating over an 8 bit bus to a 16 bit bus you will need a buffer to handle the first 8 bits while you add the second and vice versa in the other direction. All this is kinda a pain in the butt.
If you are dealing with a 8 bit microcontroller and can communicate over an I2C bus to the co-processor then this may not be an issue at all.
If you can give more details about the chips and a little bit of an overview of the project I may be able to give you more specific advice.
-Doug
__________________
A robot must risk his neck for his brother man, and may not cop out when there's danger all about. - Isaac Hayes' First Law of Robotics
Query on processor compatibilty
Re: Query on processor compatibility
