TI Introduces New Fixed-Point Digital Signal Controllers
Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) announced what the company claims are the first fixed-point digital signal controllers (DSCs) that are entirely compatible in hardware and software with high-performance floating-point DSCs. The new TMS320F282x series of DSCs are said to combine the affordability of a fixed-point architecture with the faster software development inherent to floating-point devices.
The new fixed-point F282x DSCs build on the success of TI’s recently introduced TMS320F283x floating-point DSCs, which double performance and cut development time in half from TI’s previously leading DSCs. The F282x controllers operate at up to150 megahertz, are 100% code-compatible with F283x devices and can be programmed using the same development tools. The F282x controllers are also completely pin-to-pin compatible with the F283x series.
Applications that do not need the full performance of a floating-point controller can be prototyped and debugged using F283x DSCs, then manufactured using F282x DSCs to take advantage of fixed-point economy. According to the company, the parallel fixed- and floating-point devices not only save significant time in development but also allow manufacturers to target both performance and cost-conscious market segments using the same software and hardware engineering.
TI’s F282x DSCs are claimed to bring high performance, ease of development and greater affordability to a wide array of advanced embedded control applications. For instance, in variable speed ac drives and servo controllers, TI DSCs provide the performance needed to execute the most precise and responsive control algorithms. End applications such as industrial tools, robotics and computer numeric control (CNC) systems can use smaller, less expensive motors that operate with greater precision while drawing less power and supplying a more consistently high output. Similar advantages are seen in power inverters for alternative energy systems, which achieve peak efficiency through Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms and dynamic algorithm adjustments when the wind speed drops or the sky becomes cloudy. The devices also have enhancements such as data logging, power line communications (PLC) or inverter synchronization to the utility grid.
According to TI, for applications such as these, developing code using floating-point operations saves time and expense; then by recompiling the developer can run the same software on a fixed-point controller. It is claimed that the tedious job of recoding and debugging using fixed-point numeric representations has been eliminated, and one version of the source code can continue to support ongoing development for both fixed- and floating-point controllers. Code development for F282x controllers follows the same flow as that for F283x devices, except that resetting a single compiler command directs TI’s IQ Math™ library of numeric functions to link the source code to the appropriate operations for fixed-point implementation. All of the F282x and F283x DSCs are also fully code-compatible with TI’s earlier ™S320C28x DSCs, allowing manufacturers to easily upgrade older designs to TI’s highest-performing controller families.
Development support for F282x fixed-point DSCs is already available in the same tools used for F283x floating-point DSCs. To help jump start development, TI offers its F28335 eZdsp™ starter kit, which comes complete with an F28335 DSC target board and TI’s Code Composer Studio™ Integrated Development Environment. Other support from TI includes commonly used control algorithms, and a wide variety of tools and software modules are also available.
TI’s new ™S320F28235 digital signal controllers are now sampling in limited quantities. Volume production is scheduled for all F282x fixed-point and F283x floating-point DSCs in the second quarter of 2008.
