The interface functions of the chip To address the fundamental questions of where it comes from, where it goes, and how to get there. As for the earlier questions of where it comes from and where it goes, we will elaborate on that in future articles. Today, we will discuss the question of how to get there. Assuming that the boss and product manager have already defined the application scenarios for the chip, the architect needs to consider how to implement it. The chip application must take into account the peripheral interface situation. Taking mobile phones as an example, their basic functions have not changed significantly over the years. The functionalities supported by high, medium, and low-end chips are basically the same, which leads to some interfaces that are never used, yet chip companies continue to retain them. The reasons may be due to chip debugging requirements or product planning needs for other applications; for example, using mobile phone chips in other mobile terminals, such as smart displays, tablets, translation devices, and smart cockpits, it is easy to find that the chip interfaces are lacking in various aspects. In the hardware evaluation of a project, an important task is to verify whether the interfaces of the target main chip match the functional definitions of the project product. As application engineers, we often consider whether these interfaces are sufficient and how to use them. However, as product managers of the chip, we need to consider: which interfaces to support, their quantity, protocol rates, etc.? Defining too many interfaces that will never be used occupies chip area and increases costs, while defining too few may require customers to add external switches or hub chips, thereby increasing the overall solution cost and potentially losing customers. So how should we approach this? Principles: 1. Meet the requirements of all target markets; allow for appropriate margins for flexible applications; keep up with technological iteration demands;In this article, we will explore the target application block diagram, high-speed, low-speed, and conventional interfaces, and some considerations regarding these interface definitions. All of this combined gives us the functional interfaces of a chip;
Amateur updates, time for writing articles is limited, considerations are not comprehensive, and in-depth discussions are welcome;