
2011 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS39931D-page 113
PIC18F46J50 FAMILY
8.0
8 x 8 HARDWARE MULTIPLIER
8.1
Introduction
All PIC18 devices include an 8 x 8 hardware multiplier
as part of the ALU. The multiplier performs an unsigned
operation and yields a 16-bit result that is stored in the
product register pair, PRODH:PRODL. The multiplier’s
operation does not affect any flags in the STATUS
register.
Making multiplication a hardware operation allows it to
be completed in a single instruction cycle. This has the
advantages of higher computational throughput and
reduced code size for multiplication algorithms and
allows the PIC18 devices to be used in many applica-
tions previously reserved for digital signal processors.
Table 8-1 provides a comparison of various hardware
and software multiply operations, along with the
savings in memory and execution time.
8.2
Operation
8 x 8 unsigned multiplication. Only one instruction is
required when one of the arguments is already loaded
in the WREG register.
8 x 8 signed multiplication. To account for the sign bits
of the arguments, each argument’s Most Significant bit
(MSb) is tested and the appropriate subtractions are
done.
EXAMPLE 8-1:
8 x 8 UNSIGNED MULTIPLY
ROUTINE
EXAMPLE 8-2:
8 x 8 SIGNED MULTIPLY
ROUTINE
TABLE 8-1:
PERFORMANCE COMPARISON FOR VARIOUS MULTIPLY OPERATIONS
MOVF
ARG1, W
;
MULWF
ARG2
; ARG1 * ARG2 ->
; PRODH:PRODL
MOVF
ARG1, W
MULWF
ARG2
; ARG1 * ARG2 ->
; PRODH:PRODL
BTFSC
ARG2, SB
; Test Sign Bit
SUBWF
PRODH, F
; PRODH = PRODH
;
- ARG1
MOVF
ARG2, W
BTFSC
ARG1, SB
; Test Sign Bit
SUBWF
PRODH, F
; PRODH = PRODH
;
- ARG2
Routine
Multiply Method
Program
Memory
(Words)
Cycles
(Max)
Time
@ 48 MHz
@ 10 MHz
@ 4 MHz
8 x 8 unsigned
Without hardware multiply
13
69
5.7
s27.6 s69 s
Hardware multiply
1
83.3 ns
400 ns
1
s
8 x 8 signed
Without hardware multiply
33
91
7.5
s36.4 s91 s
Hardware multiply
6
500 ns
2.4
s6 s
16 x 16 unsigned
Without hardware multiply
21
242
20.1
s96.8 s242 s
Hardware multiply
28
2.3
s
11.2
s28 s
16 x 16 signed
Without hardware multiply
52
254
21.6
s
102.6
s254 s
Hardware multiply
35
40
3.3
s16.0 s40 s