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Feb. 15, 2005

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) has announced a board support package (BSP) for running uCLinux on its ADSP-BF533 Blackfin, a novel processor which integrates a DSP core into a traditional microcontroller architecture. Running a Linux derivative on the chip "empowers engineering teams to share and develop ideas in real-time using open source coding," the company said. Linux, according to ADI program manager Maggie Nakhla, "has emerged as the favorite development environment for embedded developers."

(Click for larger view of the ADI Stamp DSP reference board)

The BSP is being provided for a small board called the BF533 Stamp (shown in the above photo), and the Linux kernel at the heart of ADI's uClinux port is 2.6. uClinux was specifically developed for processors that lack a memory management unit. The 2.6 Linux kernel is of particular interest to the embedded design community, according to ADI, because its "many time-sensitive features" make Linux suitable for a larger range of real-time audio, video, and image processing applications. According to Nakhla, the 2.6 kernel also provides more capable pre-emption capabilities than the 2.4 kernel, as well as "a more granular scheduler and more standardized way to build real-time applications for embedded developers."

ADI calls the Blackfin the first in a new breed of "16/32-bit embedded processors designed specifically to meet the computational demands and power constraints of today's embedded audio, video and communications applications." Its hybrid design, combining a 32-bit RISC-like instruction set with a 16-bit dual multiply
accumulate (MAC) signal processor within a general-purpose microcontroller architecture, "avoids the restrictions, complexity and higher costs of traditional heterogeneous multiprocessor systems," according to ADI. The chip features dynamic power management that enables what the company claims is "breakthrough" power consumption by allowing an application to simultaneously adjust operating frequency and voltage.

In addition to a Blackfin chip and supporting circuitry, the BF533 Stamp also provides 4 MB of flash memory and 128 MB of SRAM, plus an Ethernet controller, serial and parallel ports, a standard JTAG interface, timers, power supply and a set of I/O headers suitable for off-board cable expansion or expansion via a local daughterboard. The BSP also includes a GNU toolchain, U-boot bootloader, JTAG tools, the CYGWIN (Linux on Windows) tool, documentation, and board schematics.

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