Topic 3: ARM
Part 2: Introduction to the instruction set
ARM Instruction Set - Overview
ARM processors share the same basic
instruction set
Every instruction is just 32-bit long (we’ll
discuss the format of instructions and
indicate how binary strings are assigned
to different `portions’ of instructions later)
2
Categories of ARM instructions
Data transfer instructions
Data processing instructions
Control flow instructions
3
Data Transfer
Basic instructions are MOV and MVN
MOV r0, #11 ; put the value 11 in register
r0
MOV r0, r2 ; r0 := r2
MVN r0, r2 ; r0 := not r2
(MVN stands for move negated: it leaves
the result register set to the value
obtained by inverting every bit in source
4 operand)
Data Processing - Arithmetic
ADD uses three operands
– Two sources and one destination
Form: ADD a, b, c ; a gets b + c
(everything to right of ; is a comment)
5
Arithmetic – More on addition
ADD is used to add two 32-bit values
Operands may be unsigned or 2’s
complement signed integers
ADDS does the same but sets a carry flag
The carry flag can be checked via the
Current Program Status Register (CPSR)
6
Same basic form for other operations !
Arithmetic operations have the same basic form:
ADC x, y, z does x = y + z + C where C is
a bit in the Current Program Status
Register (CPSR); ADC stands for add with
carry
C
SUB x, y, z does x = y – z while
SBC x, y, z does x = y – z -
SBC subtracts z and NOT(carry flag) from
7 y; so it is the same as y – z + C -1
Control Flow Instructions
Branch, if-then instructions
Specific instructions include B
(unconditional branch), BEQ, BNEQ etc.
Will discuss in more detail later
8
Introduction to assembler directives
To get a complete program which an
assembler can handle, need some way of
defining storage space, specify where
program and data blocks are to be placed
in memory ...
In other words, we need instructions to
the assembler for creating areas of code,
marking the end of the code etc.
9
The AREA directive
Area: This directive instructs the assembler to
begin a new code or data section in general
AREA CODE READONLY
specifies two attributes for the AREA directive:
(a) CODE: the section is only for code (and not for
data).
(b) READONLY: this section should not be written
to, and can therefore be placed in read-only
memory
Other directives
EQU : This directive is used to define symbolic
names for constants. For example
abc EQU 2 ; assigns the value 2 to the
; symbol abc
ENTRY: This directive specifies the program
entry point
END: This directive must appear at the end of a
source file
There are also directives such as DCD and DCW
etc. to allocate few bytes of memory
Sample program (can call it
myprog.s)
AREA Reset, CODE, READONLY
ENTRY
MOV r0, #11
ADD r1, r0, #3
MOV r2, #11
stop
B stop ; defines an infinite loop
END
12
Explanation
The first two lines in the program (as well
as the last line) have assembler
directives
In between the assembler directives, we
have ARM code consisting of data
transfer, data processing and control flow
instructions
Exercise: Determine the final contents of
r1 and r2
13
Running myprog.s in Keil µVision5
Select Project → New µVision Project (and give a name in
the window that comes up)
Then in “Select Device for Target”, choose “Legacy Device
Database” instead of “Software Packs” and select LPC2378
under NXP
Now at the prompt:
Copy `LPC2300.s' to Project Folder and Add File to Project ?
-- Say "No"
14
Running the program (continued)
Then click on “Source Group 1” and Add myprog.s using “Add Files to Group" .
Thereafter, select Project → Build Target
Now select Debug → Start/Stop session
You may get a window with a message as "Evaluation Mode: Code size limit is 32K“
-- just click "Ok"
You will see the cursor stopping at the first ARM instruction. Just single step (use F11
key) and see how the register contents are changing on the left hand side
Can also observe memory contents at the bottom
Note that you need to pay attention to indenting (use one Tab space for ARM
instructions, AREA etc.)
15
Register operands
Unlike programs in high-level languages
like C, operands of arithmetic instructions
are restricted: they must come from a
limited number of special locations built
directly in hardware called registers.
Operands of ADD are contents of
registers (in the CPU)
Size of a register in ARM is 32 bits
There are sixteen 32-bit registers in ARM
16
Reference
D. Patterson and J. Hennessy, Computer
Organization and Design, ARM Edition
17
