While DSPs can certainly be used as general purpose microcontrollers, they
generally do not do so without a certain amount of kicking and screaming,
either on your part or on the part of the DSP :-)

Coming (not-so) soon to an mChip distributer near you: the dsPIC30F series.
A super-PIC with built in DSP functionality. These are 16-bit parts with a
true DSP style multiply-and-accumulate engine grafted in. They support
typical DSP capabilities like zero overhead looping, so that can do things
like compute a 30tap FIR filter in 30 + a few cycles. Expected initial top
speed is 30 mips (maybe more?).

Expect these in a year or so.

Bob Ammerman
RAm Systems
(contract development of high performance, high function, low-level
software)


----- Original Message -----
From: "D Lloyd" <dan.lloyd@GB.ABB.COM>
To: <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2001 10:56 AM
Subject: [EE]: Inventive use of DSPs


> Hi,
>
> First of all, thanks to everyone who responded on the version control
> question....I had a poke around with what was suggested but came to the
> conclusion that what I am using is bad.......what I have seen is not an
> order of magnitude better......and at least I know what I am using now is
> bad. (Better the devil you know)
>
> On a separate issue, I have heard stories about people using DSPs as
> micros, effectively. Using the core to provide number crunching while also
> implementing some communications capability. Has anyone any experience
with
> this? It would be nice, for certain applications to get rid of the
> micro/DSP combo...certainly on the basis of cost. Is this possible/old
> hat/a stupid question?
>
> Regards,
> Dan
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList
> mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu
>
>

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