2.0 Functional Introduction
Reset and Programming: After the power up, the
DP8440/41 must be reset and programmed before it can be
used to access the DRAM. The chip is programmed through
the address bus.
Initialization Period: After programming, the DP8440/41
enter a 60 ms initialization period. During this time the
DP8440/41 perform refreshes to the DRAM. Further warm
up cycles are unnecessary. The user must wait until the
initialization is over to access the memory.
Modes of Operation: The DP8440/41 are synchronous
DRAM controllers. Every access is synchronized to the system clock. The controllers can be programmed in Page
Mode or Normal Mode. Burst accesses are dynamically requested through the input BSTARQ.
Opening Access: They involve a new row address. Regardless of the access mode programmed, opening accesses
behave in the same way. ADS
and CS initiate and qualify
every access. After asserting the ADS
, the DP8440/41 will
assert RAS
from the next rising edge of the CLK. The
DP8440/41 will hold the row address on the DRAM address
bus and guarantee that the row address is held for the Row
Address Hold Time (t
RAH
) programmed. The DRAM controller will then switch the internal multiplexor to place the column address on the DRAM address bus and assert CAS
.
DTACK
will wait the programmed number of wait states be-
fore asserting to indicate the end of the access.
Normal Access: If the controller is programmed in Normal
Mode (B1
e
1), RAS will assert and negate after the pro-
grammed RAS
low time. The user can perform burst access
if desired.
Page Access: The DP8440/41 have an internal page comparator. This feature enables the user to do a series of accesses without negating RAS
for as long as the row address
remains unchanged. The user needs to provide a new address for every access. The page comparator can also be
programmed as an input. This is beneficial for CPUs that
have an internal page comparator. The user can do burst
accesses while in page if desired.
Burst Access: These controllers can also generate new
addresses to burst a specific number of locations. The user
can choose to burst in a wrap around fashion for 2, 4, 8, 16
locations. Or, if the input NoWRAP is asserted, the controller will burst consecutive locations and the column address
will not wrap around. The controller must be programmed in
Latch Mode to generate the burst addresses.
Refresh Modes: The DP8440/41 can perform Automatic
Internal Refreshes, or Externally Controlled Refreshes. During a long page access the controller can queue up to six
refresh requests and burst refresh the addresses missed
when the access finishes.
Refresh Types: The DP8440/41 can be programmed to do
all RAS
Refresh, Staggered Refresh, Error Scrubbing during
Refresh or CAS
-before-RAS refresh.
Wait Support: These controllers provide wait logic for all
three types of accesses. The user needs to program the
desired number of wait states for opening, page and burst
accesses.
RAS
and CAS Configurations: The RAS outputs can be
programmed to drive one, two or four banks of memory and
the CAS
drivers can be programmed for byte writing in bus-
es up to 64 bits wide.
TRI-STATE Outputs and Multiporting: The GRANT
input
can be used for multi-porting. When high this input will
TRI-STATE the outputs, allowing another controller to drive
the DRAM.
Other Features: Independent RAS
precharge counters allow memory interleaving, thus back to back access to different memory banks is not delayed due to precharge.
The output NADTACK
can be used to pipeline one address,
getting the next access to start one clock early.
The input NoWRAP will increment the address during a
burst access in a linear fashion. This is convenient for
graphics or long page access.
Terminology: This paragraph explains the terminology
used in this data sheet. The terms negated and asserted are
used. For example, ECAS0
asserted means the ECAS0 input is at logic 0. The term NoWRAP asserted means that
NoWRAP is at logic 1.
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