TMS320C553x block diagram
C5535 eZdsp development board
C5535 eZdsp block diagram
Low power and low pricing are major features of Texas Instruments' (TI) fixed-point 16- bit DSP. Pricing that starts at $1.95. The chips are software-compatible with other C55x devices. This includes support for TI's DSP/BIOS kernel. A FFT hardware accelerator is available in the high end TMS320C5535.
It comes in 50 MHz and 100 MHz versions that can execute one or two instructions per cycle. The DSP core has dual ALUs and dual multipliers (Fig. 1). The former has a total active power under 0.15 mW/MHz (at 1.05V) and under 0.22 mW/MHz at 100 MHz (at 1.3V).
The TMS320C553x family can handle a range of applications including advanced audio processing. To highlight this application area, TI is has put together the $99 C5535 eZdsp development kit (Fig. 2). I had a chance to check one out and it is really slick.
| TMS320 C5532 | TMS320 C5533 | TMS320 C5534 | TMS320 C5535 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | single 16-bit fixed point C55x core |
|||
| Peak MMACS | 100,200 | |||
| Frequency |
50 MHz,100 MHz |
|||
| Power | Total active power under 0.15 mW/MHz at 50 MHz & 1.05V; under 0.22 mW/MHz at 100 MHz & 1.3V | |||
| RAM |
64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 320 KB |
| ROM |
128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB | 128 KB |
| DM |
4 4-channel DMA | |||
| USB | none | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| MMC/SD | 2 | |||
| ADC | none | none | none | 4-channel 10-bit |
| On-Chip Regulators | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| LCD Bridge | none | none | none | 1 |
| I2C | 1 | |||
| I2S | 4 | |||
| UART (SCI) | 1 | |||
| SPI | 1 | |||
| Timers | 3 32-bit GP,1 WD,1 RTC | |||
| Boot Loader Available | Yes | |||
| Hardware Accelerators | none | none | none | FFT |
| Core Supply | 1.3 V,1.05 V | |||
| IO Supply | 1.8 V,2.5 V,2.8 V,3.3 V | |||
| Operating Temperature | -10C to 70C,-40C to 85C | |||
| Package | 12 mm by 12 mm BGA package with 0.8 mm pitch | |||
The C5535 eZdsp development board (Fig. 3) has USB support that can be used a digital audio interface as well as a USB port for the XDS100 JTAG debugging tools. Support includes TI’s software framework for USB audio class and human interface device (HID). The board and software implement a USB media player. The boot software is stored on an 8 Mbyte serial flash and there is a 2 Gbyte microSD card as well. An SD card adapter, USB cable and an inexpensive microphone/headset are also included with the kit.
The audio demo software has volume control via on-board buttons and status presented on a tiny 96- by 16-pixel I2C OLED display. A very small CD has a full copy of TI's Code Composer Studio integrated development environment (IDE). It also includes source code so I was able to build on the demo.
There is a 60-pin expansion connector that provides access to most signals allowing the board to be plugged into a custom interface. Around the DSP is a pair of headers for TI's wireless modules. I have some here but didn't have a chance to program them using the DSP.
Overall, the kit and DSP are well designed and easy to program. The documentation is good and even the Gerbers for the board are available. I like the wireless support and may take advantage of it in the future.