Purpose is to realize a very compact card allowing the developmen of applications real-time FORTH associated to peripherals configurables by using a host computer (PC, MAC or the other one) as mass memory. The main characteristics of this card are the following ones:

• an optimized RISC FORTH processor running at 25 MHZ integrated in a FPGA,
• A FLASH ROM of 1 MegaBytes containing a FORTH kernel (with obviously interpreter and compiler), a real-time kernel features of which are described in this site, with it more an available space important for different embarked applications,
• A RAM of 1 very widely sufficient MegaBytes for the mos part of applications,
• A clock for the real-time kernel (1 ms), an interface RS232 for the dialogue with the host computer and various peripherals which will be adapted to various applications (FPGA allows it),
• A supplementary 512 KiloBytes RAM being able to be connected to the FPGA according to need.

The FPGA code is contained in a 1 MegaBits EEPROM of the making ATMEL. The configuration tooms (software with specific cable connectable in the PC parallel port) are described in its site (to see documentation corresponding to the AT17V010).

The ROM is used only at the time of the initialization, its program is then downloaded in the RAM in superior performances.

Software discovers automatically if an application is accommodated in this ROM and, if it is case, loads this application and executes it. This allows at your choice to work in a autonomous way while keeping the possibility of putting into dialogue with the hosy computer for the parameters monitoring for example.

Dialogue with the card makes by using a terminal window VTxxx of the host computer at 9600 bauds. Software packages application can be downloaded by using the XMODEM protocol.