For current information contact Analog Devices at 800/262-5643
ADSP-BF53x July 2003
This information applies to a product under development. Its characteristics and specifications are subject to change with-
out notice. Analog Devices assumes no obligation regarding future manufacturing unless otherwise agreed to in writing.
14 REV. PrB
PRELIMINARY TECHNICAL DATA
opment environment. The same emulator hardware that
supports other Blackfin processors also fully emulates the ADSP-
BF53x processor.
The VisualDSP++ project management environment lets pro-
grammers develop and debug an application. This environment
includes an easy to use assembler (which is based on an algebraic
syntax), an archiver (librarian/library builder), a linker, a loader,
a cycle-accurate instruction-level simulator, a C/C++ compiler,
and a C/C++ runtime library that includes DSP and mathemat-
ical functions. A key point for these tools is C/C++ code
efficiency. The compiler has been developed for efficient transla-
tion of C/C++ code to processor assembly. The processor has
architectural features that improve the efficiency of compiled
C/C++ code.
The VisualDSP++ debugger has a number of important features.
Data visualization is enhanced by a plotting package that offers
a significant level of flexibility. This graphical representation of
user data enables the programmer to quickly determine the per-
formance of an algorithm. As algorithms grow in complexity, this
capability can have increasing significance on the designer’s
development schedule, increasing productivity. Statistical
profiling enables the programmer to non intrusively poll the
processor as it is running the program. This feature, unique to
VisualDSP++, enables the software developer to passively gather
important code execution metrics without interrupting the real-
time characteristics of the program. Essentially, the developer can
identify bottlenecks in software quickly and efficiently. By using
the profiler, the programmer can focus on those areas in the
program that impact performance and take corrective action.
Debugging both C/C++ and assembly programs with the
VisualDSP++ debugger, programmers can:
•View mixed C/C++ and assembly code (interleaved
source and object information).
•Insert breakpoints.
•Set conditional breakpoints on registers, memory,
and stacks.
•Trace instruction execution.
•Perform linear or statistical profiling of program
execution.
•Fill, dump, and graphically plot the contents of memory.
•Perform source level debugging.
•Create custom debugger windows.
The VisualDSP++ IDDE lets programmers define and manage
software development. Its dialog boxes and property pages let
programmers configure and manage all of the Blackfin develop-
ment tools, including the color syntax highlighting in the
VisualDSP++ editor. This capability permits programmers to:
•Control how the development tools process inputs and
generate outputs.
•Maintain a one-to-one correspondence with the tool’s
command line switches.
The VisualDSP++ Kernel (VDK) incorporates scheduling and
resource management tailored specifically to address the memory
and timing constraints of DSP programming. These capabilities
enable engineers to develop code more effectively, eliminating the
need to start from the very beginning, when developing new
application code. The VDK features include Threads, Critical
and Unscheduled regions, Semaphores, Events, and Device flags.
The VDK also supports Priority-based, Preemptive, Coopera-
tive, and Time-Sliced scheduling approaches. In addition, the
VDK was designed to be scalable. If the application does not use
a specific feature, the support code for that feature is excluded
from the target system.
Because the VDK is a library, a developer can decide whether to
use it or not. The VDK is integrated into the VisualDSP++ devel-
opment environment, but can also be used via standard
command line tools. When the VDK is used, the development
environment assists the developer with many error-prone tasks
and assists in managing system resources, automating the gener-
ation of various VDK based objects, and visualizing the system
state, when debugging an application that uses the VDK.
VCSE is Analog Devices technology for creating, using, and
reusing software components (independent modules of substan-
tial functionality) to quickly and reliably assemble software
applications. Download components from the Web and drop
them into the application. Publish component archives from
within VisualDSP++. VCSE supports component implementa-
tion in C/C++ or assembly language.
Use the Expert Linker to visually manipulate the placement of
code and data on the embedded system. View memory utilization
in a color-coded graphical form, easily move code and data to
different areas of the processor or external memory with the drag
of the mouse, examine run time stack and heap usage. The Expert
Linker is fully compatible with existing Linker Definition File
(LDF), allowing the developer to move between the graphical
and textual environments.
Analog Devices emulators use the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG Test
Access Port of the ADSP-BF53x processor processor to monitor
and control the target board processor during emulation. The
emulator provides full speed emulation, allowing inspection and
modification of memory, registers, and processor stacks. Non
intrusive in-circuit emulation is assured by the use of the proces-
sor’s JTAG interface—the emulator does not affect target system
loading or timing.
In addition to the software and hardware development tools
available from Analog Devices, third parties provide a wide range
of tools supporting the Blackfin processor family. Hardware tools
include Blackfin processor PC plug-in cards. Third party
software tools include DSP libraries, real-time operating systems,
and block diagram design tools.
Designing an Emulator-Compatible Processor
Board (Target)
The Analog Devices family of emulators are tools that every
system developer needs to test and debug hardware and software
systems. Analog Devices has supplied an IEEE 1149.1 JTAG Test