Design and User Guide for the Single Chip Mote Digital System

In order to create a low-power and lightweight wireless sensor node for the control of MEMS microrobots, the Single Chip Mote project aspires to integrate a fully-functioning microprocessor, radio, sensors, and solar cells onto a single die, while also eliminating the need for external components through careful architectural design. This report presents the past two years of work on the design of the Single Chip Mote digital system, complete with an ARM Cortex-M0 microprocessor, control logic for an IEEE 802.15.4 radio, special-purpose radio timers, and ADC interface. This includes details on the design and contents of the Verilog code used to describe the hardware, and the software written to run and test the Single Chip Mote digital system. The required tools and testing procedures are also explained, along with the details required to convert this FPGA-based design to an ASIC design ready for tapeout. The intention behind this report is to pass on the knowledge acquired throughout the course of this project to those who are working to improve and iterate on this design. This report also presents preliminary power, area, and timing characteristics for the ASIC version Single Chip Mote digital system.