Targeting the increasingly demanding requirements of embedded automotive and industrial applications, Analog Devices’ newest series of Blackfin processors features a balance of increased I/O and memory bandwidth, on-chip memory, and integration of CAN and MOST system peripherals, to deliver high performance to industrial and multimedia/networked in-vehicle automotive applications.
The new ADSP-BF54x family (ADSP-BF542/BF544/BF548/BF549) also embeds new Lockbox Secure Technology that protects developers' software code, which represents the valuable intellectual property that differentiates their products.
"Analog Devices' newest Blackfin processor family brings developers more of what they need to design performance-hungry and connectivity-ready electronics, making it ideal for manufacturers of automotive electronics as well as industrial manufacturers, particularly those designing applications requiring field upgradeability," said John Croteau, general manager, Convergent Platforms and Services Group, Analog Devices. "The Blackfin processor is unmatched for enabling these products because of its blend of signal- and control-processing multimedia support. The software flexibility is critical for automotive applications in particular because media formats and communications standards inevitably change in the time it takes applications to go from concept to the highway."
Convergent applications
"System performance has become a crucial enabler for in-vehicle electronics because audio, video, and hands-free communication continue to intensify processing demands," said Peter Kohlschmidt, an Infotainment director at Audi. "The Blackfin processor has proven a good fit for our audio head units."
Operating at speeds up to 600 MHz, the ADSP-BF54x family doubles the internal bus bandwidth of Blackfin to 532 MBps to meet the demands of system peripheral integration. This internal bandwidth is matched by up to 260 KB of on-chip memory. Additionally, the high-performance processing is complemented by a rich set of integrated peripherals that reduces system cost and development risk by minimising the need for external components.
The ADI CROSSCORE software and hardware development tools that support other Blackfin Processors also support the ADSP-BF54x family. These tools include the VisualDSP++ integrated development and debug environment, emulators, and EZ-KIT Lite evaluation hardware.
Industrial focus
The new Blackfin family is ideal for a wide-variety of industrial applications where field upgradeability, local storage and display capabilities are critical. Target markets include factory automation, wireless instrumentation, wireless telecommunications radios and switching, and security systems where the signal processing performance and rich peripheral set of the Blackfin BF54x family works to differentiate the end application.
Security features protect IP
The family also incorporates new Lockbox Secure Technology that allows developers to ensure code and data integrity through authentication, and to safeguard confidentiality by means of encrypting any or all of the system. Not only does this provide a means for developers to protect the intellectual property of their own products, but it also offers a platform for the digital rights management (DRM) content protection that is required for devices such as media players.
Availability
The ADSP-BF542 is available at 400 MHz, 533 MHz and 600 MHz; The ADSP-BF544 is available at 400 MHz and 533 MHz; The ADSP-BF548 is available at 533 MHz and 600 MHz. The ADSP-BF549 is available at 533 MHz.
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