TI's DSP May Reduce System Size By 3X for Digital Still Cameras

It's a small world, after all, and everything in it seems to be getting smaller thanks to the wonders of modern technology. Texas Instruments is a big proponent of miniaturizing our world and just came out with a new DSP that could reduce the size of hand-held multimedia products. The C5509 DSP maintains code-compatibly with TMS320C54x DSPs and features a new architecture that delivers the low power and dedicated on-chip peripherals needed in such things as digital still cameras, personal video cameras, personal medical, identification, and security devices. TI says the C5509 DSP improves battery life up to 70 percent and allows the end product to offer more features in a smaller footprint. Features include a USB 1.1 port for direct connection to a PC, 10-bit ADC to enable battery monitoring and button interfaces, I2C interface to microcontrollers and codecs for inter-chip communication, three multi-channel buffered serial ports (McBSPs) for full-duplex communication, interfaces for Sony Memory Stick and MMC/SD, 64-bit device ID, and secure ROM and disconnect options for JTAG access. Other features of the include 32 Kwords of dual-access SRAM; 96 Kwords of single-access SRAM; 32 Kwords of ROM; a six-channel DMA; an enhanced 16-bit host port interface; a watchdog timer; a real-time clock with 32-kHz crystal input and separate power supply; and two 20-bit general-purpose timers. Samples of the TMS320C5509 DSP are available today in 144-pin LQFP and 179-pin MicroStar BGA packages. Full production begins in Q1 of 2002 at a price of $18. The C5509 DSP evaluation module (EVM) is available from Spectrum Digital , for a limited time at $995.