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TMS320C54x DSKplus
The 'C54x DSKplus builds on TI's industry-leading line of low
cost, easy-to-use DSP Starter Kit (DSK) development boards. The
high-performance board features the TMS320C542 16-bit fixed-point
DSP. Capable of performing 40 million instructions per second
(MIPS), the 'C542 makes the 'C54x DSKplus the most powerful DSK
development board on the market. Other TMS320 DSKs include the 'C2x DSK , the 'C5x DSK , and the floating-point 'C3x DSK . |
Key FeaturesThe 'C54x DSKplus includes:
'C54x Algebraic AssemblerThe C54x DSKplus includes the algebraic assembler that speeds the initial code development process. The algebraic assembler does not require new users to learn a new DSP mnemonic instruction set, making coding easier and more direct. The assembler also utilizes a one-step assembly and linking process to simplify code debugging. The software accomplishes this by using special directives to assemble code at an absolute address. Some extremely useful features include:
Code Explorer DebuggerThe 'C54x DSKplus debugger was developed by GO DSP Corporation in an effort to provide the first true Windows-based debugger for a DSK. The Code Explorer debugger supports debugging, a new feature available only on the DSKplus that allows the user to specify labels for referencing constants, variables, and marticies by name. Also, the debugger desktop environment is fully configurable and loaded upon entry into the debugger. This means that optional colors, fonts, and window sizes can be changed within the debugger and saved upon exiting. Some additional features of the debugger include capability of connecting files as I/O, graphical animation, and data memory viewing. The file I/O capability enables users to connect files as inputs or outputs to any location within your application code. Therefore you can simulate different input sequences and data streams without having to physically generate them. Graphical animation allows you to view data in a graphical format, either with time domain or frequency domain and in a variety of variable sizes (i.e. 8-bit signed char, 8-bit unsigned char, 16-bit, 32-bit, etc). Disassembly Window
The disassembly window displays the DSP code in algebraic instructions.
The variable names and subroutines (symbols) are shown in blue.
The physical DSP address is the first column and the machine code
for the instructions are in column 2. The yellow bar indicates
the location where the DSP program counter (PC) points.
The disassembly window properties can be accessed by placing the cursor in the disassembly window and right-clicking and then choosing properties. The disassembly window can display code in algebraic or mnemonic formats with direct and immediate addressing values shown in hex, decimal and even binary. Data Memory Window
The data memory window can be modified or replicated as needed. By placing the cursor inside the data memory window and right-clicking and then choosing properties, the user can change the title of the window, starting address and even data organization in the window. Valid display formats include 8-bit signed/unsigned char, signed/unsigned long, floats, and others. The page field can specify either Data or Program memory spaces. 'C54x CPU and Peripheral Registers
The two register windows in the 'C54x Code Explorer debugger are
the CPU and Peripheral Registers. The 'C54x CPU Registers is the
collection of registers which control the operation of the DSP
CPU. The program counter, status register, and configuration registers
are contained within this window. Notice that bit values within
the register are brought out separately to make modification and
monitoring easier.
The second window is the Peripherals window. This window includes
the registers for configuring the DSP peripherals like the serial
ports and timers. Modifications to this register can be done by
clicking on the register in the Peripheral Registers window. Graphical Windows
Graphical windows are extremely useful when trying to view a value
of a register, variable, or buffer. The graphic window allows
the user to animinate any value in either data or program DSP
memory. This is accomplished by placing a breakpoint anywhere
in the application code and pressing the Animation button. Each
time the DSP reaches the breakpoint the graphical windows are
updated and refreshed.
The options window contains the graphics setup for the window. For example, the title can be changed to reflect the data being animated, the display buffer length can be changed, or the data read from the DSP can either be a single value from a list (buffer) of values in either data or program memory. Also, the sampling rate can be modified for correct displaying of the frequency data (FFT). The display can be viewed using 8-bit signed/unsigned chars, ints, long, floats, and even a log can be performed on the displayed data. Setting Breakpoints
A breakpoint can be selected by either double clicking on a line
in the Disassembly window or by Selecting the DEBUG-BREAKPOINTS
in the Pull Down Menu. The Pull Down Menu will prompt you with
a menu listing all the available symbols in the Symbols box. You
can either select a breakpoint from the list of Symbols or by
entering an address in the Address field.
The Breakpoint dialog box contains the following fields: Address, Symbols and Breakpoints. If the address of the desired breakpoint is known, simply enter the value in the Address field. The Symbol field contains the list of all the symbols in the program. If the location address of the breakpoint is labeled, simply type the label name and press add. Setting Probe Points Probe points allow the update of a particular window or the reading/writing
of samples from a file to occur at a specific point in an algorithm.
This effectively "connects a signal probe" to that point
in the algorithm.
When a graph window object is created, it assumes that it is to
be updated at every breakpoint. However, this attribute can be
changed and the window can be updated only when the program reaches
the connected probe point. After the probe point is hit, and the
window is updated, execution of the program is continued. This
optimizes the display of the graph window and also allows you
to keep a history of the signal even when the data on the DSP
is not valid. With the combination of Code Explorer's File I/O capabilities, probe points can also used to connect streams of data to a particular point in the DSP Code. When the probe point is reached in the algorithm, data is streamed from a specific memory area to file, or from the file to memory. Using File I/O
Code Explorer allows the user to stream data onto (or from) the target from a PC file. This allows the user to simulate code using known sample values. Note that this file I/O feature is not intended to satisfy real-time constraints. The File Input/Output feature uses probe points. When the execution of the program reaches a probe point, the connected object, whether it is a file, graph or memory window, is updated. Once the connected object is updated, execution continues. Using this concept, if a probe point is set at a specific point in the code and then connected to a file, file I/O functionalities can be implemented. System Requirements
How to Install
When connecting the DSKplus to your PC, it is highly recommended
you turn off your PC's power to make the connections below:
At this point the green power LED is illuminated and power is supplied to the 'C54x DSKplus board. If the Green LED is not illuminated, check the connections on the power supply and power cord. Installing the software
The DSKplus kit includes two 3.5" floppies labeled Disk #1
and Disk #2. To install the software correctly, please follow
the steps below:
Starting the Debugger
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Select the port which is connected to the DSKplus board. If for
some reason the port is not listed, the port address can be modified
by typing in the address int the text box.