Design Automation


Code analysis tool optimises low-power designs

13 June 2012 Design Automation

Texas Instruments launched the ULP Advisor software code analysis tool, teaching developers how to create energy-efficient, low-power applications with MSP430 microcontrollers. Created by MSP430 experts, the tool is a true software-based power-optimisation teaching tool for microcontrollers.

ULP Advisor provides a static code analyser that flags software code and offers low-power tips and tricks to help developers understand where to improve code, line by line, resulting in milliamps and nanoamps saved in designs for ultimate low-power performance.

This hands-on teaching tool not only helps developers optimise current application code to achieve longer battery life, it also helps them avoid the same types of ultra-low-power pitfalls when designing future applications.

The tool works by checking code against a thorough specification list of ‘ultra-low-power best practices,’ flagging and itemising each ultra-low-power rule violation via a graphical user interface. It highlights areas of improvement and provides comprehensive resources on how to optimise applications for ultra-low power.

An interactive, community-focused wiki offers information specific to each rule, code examples, videos, tutorials, links to relevant technical documentation and promotes collaboration between experts and beginners where anyone can contribute ultra-low-power insight. The free software tool supports all MSP430 devices and applications, and is integrated into TI’s Eclipse-based Code Composer Studio integrated development environment (IDE) v5 and included in the latest version of IAR Embedded Workbench.



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