Analog Devices' Blackfin Brings 20:20 Vision to Portable X-Ray System; Blackfin's flexibility, price and performance drive Inno
March 20 2006 - 11:13AM
Business Wire
Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in
high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications,
announced that its ADSP-BF533 Blackfin(R) processor is providing
core control and signal processing capabilities to the Innov-X
portable x-ray system, a breakthrough instrument used to examine
the recovered hull of the S.S. Hunley, the first combat submarine
of the American Civil War. The portable device, which houses an HP
iPAQ for instrument calibrations, employs an X-ray method called
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine the composition of solid
materials. Blackfin enables this method by processing "pulse" data
gathered by the Innov-X system, measuring energy or wavelength
emissions that can be matched to specific elements on the periodic
table. In addition, Blackfin delivers Innov-X multiple, independent
DMA controllers that support automated data transfers with minimal
overhead for the processor core. In sum, Innov-X, replaced a field
programmable gate array (FPGA) with the Blackfin processor for its
best-in-class programmability, integration and cost effectiveness.
That integration, which Innov-X found eliminated the need for
separate digital signal and control processors, greatly reduced
bill of material (BOM) costs and simplified hardware and software
design tasks. "Other processors offered similar performance, but
none came close to matching the flexibility of Blackfin to handle
the array of complex processing tasks inherent in elemental
analysis," said Alan Peevers, the Innov-X consultant who designed
the portable X-ray unit. "Simply put, no other processor on the
market provides the combination of signal processing and
performance at such low cost." In Blackfin, Innov-X found all the
features it was looking for on a single chip: a high-speed parallel
peripheral interface (PPI); direct memory access (DMA) controllers
to transfer high-speed data to on-chip memory; general purpose I/O
(GPIO) pins to communicate with its I(2)C bus (a control bus that
provides the communications link between integrated circuits); a
universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) port to
interface with peripherals; and several timers, including a
watchdog timer. It was not only the hardware that separated
Blackfin from the competition: its superior toolset helped Innov-X
cut development time down to three weeks. Using VisualDSP+++, an
integrated software development and debugging environment (IDDE),
enabled the Innov-X design team to manage projects from beginning
to end on one single interface. The design team combined the tool's
edit/compile/download cycle functionality with the EZ-Kit Lite, an
evaluation board that facilitates architecture evaluations via
PC-hosted toolsets. "The combination of signal and control
processing capabilities offered by the Blackfin processor makes it
ideal for demanding processing requirements, such as those needed
by Innov-X," said John Croteau, General Manager, Convergent
Platforms and Services Group, Analog Devices, Inc. "For portable
applications, Blackfin cannot be beat - not only is it fully
integrated and ideal for applications that are space constrained,
but its enhanced Dynamic Power Management (DPM) capabilities enable
device operation to 0.8V and extend battery life in portable
applications. Once again, where there is design innovation, there
is Blackfin." A Convergent Future Demands Blackfin-Class Processing
Analog Devices' Blackfin(R) embodies a new breed of 16/32-bit
embedded processor with the industry's highest performance and
power efficiency for applications where a convergence of
capabilities - multi-format audio, video, voice and image
processing; multi-mode baseband and packet processing; and
real-time security and control processing - are critical. It is
this powerful combination of software flexibility and scalability
that has gained Blackfin widespread adoption in convergent
applications such as digital home entertainment; networked and
streaming media; automotive telematics and infotainment; and
digital radio and mobile TV. About Analog Devices Innovation,
performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which
Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest
growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged
industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal
conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000
customers, representing virtually all types of electronic
equipment. Celebrating 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of
high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital
signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in
Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities
throughout the world. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the
New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "ADI" and is included in
the S&P 500 Index. Blackfin is a registered trademark of Analog
Devices, Inc. All other trademarks included herein are the property
of their respective owners.
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