DSP App and Development Tool Step Up

Heeding requests for more robust tools and applications, upgrades to the Platinum Edition of Code Composer Studio IDE and DSP/BIOS real-time kernel promise to accelerate and ease DSP system development. The IDE adds Component Manager, which allows users to lock down on a specific compiler and DSP/BIOS kernel for the program's life. They can install and evaluate a new compiler or DSP/BIOS kernel before committing to it. The DSP/BIOS real-time kernel sports a new API library that aids implementation of power management techniques in hardware. Developers can scale core voltage and frequency, shut down peripherals, idle portions of the chip, and perform operations that reduce power consumption. Other updated kernel features include a message queue library to facilitate DSP-to-DSP communication and a memory protection function that locks out areas of memory to prevent overwriting by an erroneous program. Price for the Platinum Edition IDE is $3,595, including 15 months of update service. The DSP/BIOS kernel is included free in Code Composer Studio. TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC., Dallas, TX. (972) 644-5580.