Embedded control engineers prefer the simplified programming provided by floating-point architectures, but are often deterred by the higher cost. Addressing this paradox, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) announced the first fixed-point digital signal controllers (DSCs) that are entirely compatible in hardware and software with high-performance floating-point DSCs. TI’s new TMS320F282x series of DSCs combine the affordability of a fixed-point architecture with the faster software development inherent to floating-point devices. Floating-point algorithms that previously required significant recoding for fixed-point operation can now be recompiled in minutes to run on the F282x devices. The DSCs bring savings in time-to-market and manufacturing costs, enabling developers to design energy-efficient, less expense industrial applications such as servo controllers, automotive radar, solar inverters and wind turbines. For more information, go to www.ti.com/f282x.
The new fixed-point F282x DSCs build on the success of TI’s recently introduced TMS320F283x floating-point DSCs, which double performance and cut development time in half from TI’s previously leading DSCs. The F282x controllers operate at up to150 megahertz, are 100 percent code-compatible with F283x devices and can be programmed using the same development tools. The F282x controllers are also completely pin-to-pin compatible with the F283x series. This means that for the first time, a developer can create a control system using floating-point operations for greater accuracy and rapid programming, then recompile the same source code to be used on a fixed-point device for cost efficiency without re-designing any hardware.
Applications that do not need the full performance of a floating-point controller can be prototyped and debugged using F283x DSCs, then manufactured using F282x DSCs to take advantage of fixed-point economy. The parallel fixed- and floating-point devices not only save significant time in development but also allow manufacturers to target both performance and cost-conscious market segments using the same software and hardware engineering.
TI’s F282x DSCs bring high performance, ease of development and greater affordability to a wide array of advanced embedded control applications. For instance, in variable speed AC drives and servo controllers, TI DSCs provide the performance needed to execute the most precise and responsive control algorithms. End applications such as industrial tools, robotics and computer numeric control (CNC) systems can use smaller, less expensive motors that operate with greater precision while drawing less power and supplying a more consistently high output. Similar advantages are seen in power inverters for alternative energy systems, which achieve peak efficiency through Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms and dynamic algorithm adjustments when the wind speed drops or the sky becomes cloudy. Enhancements such as data logging, power line communications (PLC) or inverter synchronization to the utility grid are also possible with the high level of performance offered by TI DSCs.
Texas Instruments
