Does the MCF52233 have a cache?

[Harjit]

In the MCF52235RM (reference manual), page 65, it says that the device has a 16 byte instruction cache.

On a couple pages earlier, they talk about the V2 core having a three 32-bit location instruction buffer.

Does anyone know if there is a 16 byte instruction cache?

[mnorman]

Hi, Harjit,

The MCF5223x does not have an instruction cache.  This is the case for all ColdFire devices that do not have an external bus.  WIthout an external bus, there is no use for a cache as all the memories are already on-chip.

However, all V2 ColdFire devices do have an instruction buffer or FIFO between the instruction fetch pipeline and the operand execution pipeline.  This is not a cache.  It is just a way to allow the core to buffer instructions fetches and minimize potential stalls (waiting for instructions to be fetched).

-mnorman