Design Automation


Software eases embedded processor programming

23 November 2011 Design Automation

To reduce learning curves and accelerate development time in the embedded design process, Texas Instruments unveiled its free StarterWare software packages, offering user-friendly, production-ready software for Sitara 32-bit ARM microprocessor (MPU), C6000 digital signal processor (DSP) and DSP + ARM developers. StarterWare provides application developers with a flexible starting point that does not require the use of an operating system, and allows for easy migration to other TI embedded devices.

The new StarterWare software packages simplify the ARM MPU and DSP development process, offering application programming interfaces (APIs) to configure and interface with peripherals. In addition, StarterWare includes lightweight software stacks to enable USB, network and graphics functionality. The included example code and application notes can significantly reduce development time.

The software packages do not require using or learning the intricacies of an operating system. Without having to access the hardware through an operating system, developers can fine-tune the system to achieve optimal resource management of the CPU, peripherals and memory, and to reduce system latencies by up to 500 times compared to running under the Linux operating system. In more complex systems that may require an operating system to manage multiple data flows, StarterWare provides an optimum foundation. Many real-time operating system (RTOS) vendors are planning to leverage StarterWare in their offerings for TI embedded processors.

In addition to these benefits provided by StarterWare for the Sitara 32-bit ARM MPUs and C6000 DSPs, TI’s DSP + ARM processors are supported with a simplified and low-latency inter-processor communication software layer that does not require an operating system, enabling processing and I/O tasks to be efficiently shared between the two cores for optimised system performance.

The StarterWare software packages enable customers to migrate easily among TI embedded devices. A software designer can migrate from a Stellaris ARM Cortex-M microcontroller (MCU) to a Sitara 32-bit ARM MPU by programming the MPU like an MCU, using the software’s familiar MCU tool chains such as IAR and Keil. Developers can also scale from an ARM MPU to a C6000 DSP or DSP + ARM processor because the software offers the same API calls for DSPs and ARM MPUs.

For more information contact EBV Electrolink, +27 (0)21 402 1940, [email protected], www.ebv.com



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