Danville Signal Processing

dspFlash™ SHARC & Blackfin Programmer

Analog Devices Blackfin and SHARC DSPs generally use external flash memory for boot-loading and other data storage. This flash can be pre-programmed before soldering onto the board, programmed with a bed of nails tester, or programmed via JTAG using an ADI ICE and VisualDSP++. None of these methods are ideal for production targets.

Production Targets

Danville's dspFlash™ SHARC & Blackfin Programmer is a production programmer that supports Blackfin and third generation SHARC DSPs. Thousands of DSP/flash memory configurations are supported, all you need to use the Programmer is a standard ADI JTAG connection on your target.

The dspFlash™ programmer is connected via USB to a PC running Windows 2000, XP or Vista, with the target device connected via a removable ribbon cable to a standard ADI JTAG connector. Working in conjunction with the dspFlash™ programmer is the dspFlash Windows software program; this software is used to specify the target DSP, flash device, chip select, file format and data file.

Configurations can be saved for later use and uploaded to the dspFlash™ programmer to its internal SDRAM. All the data then resides in the dspFlash programmer so it doesn't need to be downloaded each time when programming multiple devices saving vital production time. The programmer is faster than an ADI HP-USB ICE and the VisualDSP++ flash programming utility!

Future Proof

The dspFlash™ Windows application is frequently updated to support new Analog Devices DSPs and flash devices.

Features of the dspFlash™ SHARC & Blackfin Programmer

• Support for popular SPI serial & parallel flash devices
• Support for current and future ADI DSPs (2126x, 2136x, BF531 and later)
• Firmware upgradeable via USB
• Standalone - Windows application
• Compatible with the Intel HEX & ADI ldr files
• 64Mbit internal buffer, files downloaded once from PC
• USB bus powered
• Replaceable, inexpensive ribbon cable plugs into latching header
• 3.3V, 2.5V & 1.8V logic levels
• Hot swappable

JTAG Boundary Scan

JTAG, which stands for Joint Test Action Group, was an industry group formed in 1985 to develop a method to test populated circuit boards after manufacture. At the time, multi-layer boards and non-lead-frame ICs were becoming standard and making connections between ICs not available to probes. The majority of manufacturing and field faults in circuit boards were due to solder joints on the boards, imperfections in board connections, or the bonds and bond wires from IC pads to pin lead frames. JTAG was meant to provide a pin-out view from one IC pad to another so all these faults could be discovered. The industry standard finally became an IEEE standard in 1990 as IEEE Std. 1149.1. Another term that refers to the same process of testing is Boundary Scan - a method for testing interconnects (thin wire lines) on printed circuit boards or sub-blocks inside an integrated circuit.

Analog Devices SHARC DSP

SHARC is the name of a family of high performance 32-bit floating-point processors based on a Super Harvard Architecture. SHARC Processors dominate the floating-point digital signal processing market, delivering exceptional core and memory performance complemented by outstanding I/O throughput. The industry-standard SHARC family makes floating-point processing economical for applications where performance and dynamic range are key considerations, such as home audio, professional audio, automotive audio, medical, industrial, and instrumentation products. The Analog Devices SHARC Processor portfolio currently consists of three generations of products providing code-compatible solutions ranging from entry-level products priced at less than $10 to the highest performance products offering fixed- and floating-point computational power to 400 MHz/2400 MFLOPS. Irrespective of the specific product choice, all SHARC Processors provide a common set of features and functionality usable across many signal processing markets and applications. Read more at http://www.analog.com/processors/sharc/

Analog Devices Blackfin DSP

The Analog Devices Blackfin® embodies a new breed of 16/32-bit embedded processor with the industry's highest performance and power efficiency for applications where a convergence of capabilities – multi-format audio, video, voice and image processing; multi-mode baseband and packet processing; and real-time security and control processing – are critical. It is this powerful combination of software flexibility and scalability that has gained Blackfin widespread adoption in convergent applications such as digital home entertainment; networked and streaming media; automotive telematics and infotainment; and digital radio and mobile TV. More details can be found at http://www.analog.com/processors/blackfin/

Please contact Sarsen Technology for full details including price and delivery of the Danville Signal Processing dspFLASH™ SHARC and Blackfin DSP Programmer.