DSP SOLUTIONS

Graphical Environment Speeds System Development

Analog Devices and National Instruments have jointly announced an extension to NI’s LabVIEW graphical dataflow development environment that will speed the definition, production and testing of embedded systems based on ADI’s Blackfin Processors.

The LabVIEW Embedded Module for Blackfin Processors seamlessly integrates the LabVIEW development environment with Blackfin embedded processors via a single graphical development platform. It forms an out-of-the-box solution to real-world problems, enabling domain experts who may lack embedded programming experience to overcome the traditional challenges of embedded development and deliver sophisticated applications quickly.



The environment allows scientists, engineers, and domain experts to develop their applications from algorithm design and prototyping through to deployment and testing, all within a single platform. The Module builds on LabVIEW embedded technology, which facilitates dataflow graphical programming for embedded systems and includes hundreds of analysis and signal processing functions, integrated I/O, and an interactive debugging interface.

The Blackfin Module includes the fully featured and accessible ADI VisualDSP++ C development and debugging environment for low-level access, real-time, interactive debugging, and deployment directly to the latest family of 16-bit and 32-bit embedded processors from ADI. The LabVIEW C Code Generator can be used alongside the Module to generate C code from a LabVIEW block diagram.

Users can debug code graphically in LabVIEW or simultaneously debug both the graphical code and generated C source code. The Module allows users to control fundamental processor properties: they can enable cache, optimise linking, and view live front-panel updates via JTAG, serial, or TCP/IP, as well as set VisualDSP++ compiler options through LabVIEW.

LabVIEW itself includes more than 140 Blackfin-specific, hand-optimised mathematical, analysis, and signal processing functions; integrated I/O such as audio-and-video DACs, ADCs, and CODECs; and on-chip debugging, as well as easy graphical interconnection via Ethernet.

The new module ships with examples for applications including audio, control, power monitoring, and communications. It also provides easy connectivity to the wide range of NI test and measurement hardware for deploying external simulation and test methodologies early in the development process.

Features

• BlackFin Development environment for non-expert programmers
• Unifies entire flow from algorithm development through deployment and testing
• Automatic code generation from LabView dataflow diagram
• Access to full range of analysis and signal processing functions, integrated I/O
• Interactive graphic/command line debugging
• Graphical control over fundamental processor properties: cache, JTAG/serial/TCP/Ip communications
• Access to VisualDSP++ compiler options via graphical interface
• Wide range of example applications
• Easy connectivity to NI test and measurement hardware

Applications

• Audio processing
• Control
• Power monitoring
• Communications

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