The 120-day trial versions are becoming very popular with technology books because this corresponds to the length of a semester. It is just enough time to get used to the tools and develop some applications for a final project.
The book starts with a number of overview chapters covering embedded systems, real time programming, and DSP algorithms. It moves onto DSP architectures and then optimization techniques that are always critical in DSP applications.
The chapter on real-time operating systems (RTOS) is wonderfully generic. It covers the topic from a DSP perspective with concentration on scheduling and synchronization. It does a better job than many other books I have read that concentrate on an RTOS.
The chapters on testing and project management show off the TI tools as examples, but the coverage is again generic and applicable to just about any set of DSP tools. The author does an excellent job of delving into critical details with comments and observations that are very useful.
Moving towards the end of the book you find more advanced topics such as multicore development. This is becoming more common, especially with off-the-shelf chips that pair a DSP and MPU.
Finally, there is a contributed chapter by Bob Brankel, TI Fellow, on “The Future of DSP Software Technology.” It is short but insightful.
Almost a third of the book is dedicated to appendices that are just as useful and easy to read as the rest of the book. They cover topics such as optimization tips and tricks, cache optimization, and rules and guidelines for developing DSP algorithms.
The book does a good job of keeping things general while still addressing TI’s DSPs. If you need to learn how to use Code Composer Studio or just want to learn about DSPs, then this book is for you.
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