TI Extends Battery Life in Portable Systems with New Low-Power DSP’s

New C5506 DSP Enables New Markets through USB Connectivity and Generous On-Chip Memory at an Affordable Price

Texas Intruments has released a new lowest-power version to its line of ultra low-power programmable digital signal processors (DSPs). The new TMS320C5506 DSP requires just 0.12 mW of power in standby mode and includes other power-efficient features that make it the lowest-power processor in its class. A full 128 KB of on-chip memory makes for greater programming ease, and a full-speed USB 2.0 interface supplies cost-efficient wired connectivity. Among the many high-volume applications that can benefit from the C5506 DSP’s low-power, memory, connectivity and affordability are touch screen controllers, USB headsets, cordless phones and hands-free car phone kits.

In a Forward Concepts survey included in its recent report, “DSP Strategies: Embedded Chip Trend Continues,” the results clearly indicated that DSP designers named development tools and power consumption as the top two considerations when selecting the optimal DSP chip for their designs, such as portable devices. Will Strauss, President of Forward Concepts said, “TI's attention to the needs of their customers is certainly reflected in the new C5506 DSP, which delivers the industry's lowest standby power consumption.” He went on to say, “With its current comprehensive power management tools, TI empowers developers to drive down power consumption to levels that are hard to beat.”

A New Option in TI’s Low-Power Programmable DSP Portfolio
TI’s new C5506 DSP joins a feature-rich line of extremely low-power multimedia processors that includes the TMS320C5509A, C5507 and C5503 DSPs. With the introduction of the C5506 DSP, system developers have a low-voltage, lower cost option that reduces power consumption even further to minimize the drain on batteries and prolong time between charges.

Features of the C5506 DSP include:

Other integrated features that simplify design and help reduce system costs include a USB 2.0 full-speed port for PC connectivity, three MCBSP ports, three timers, I2C bus, six-channel DMA, 16-bit EMIF, and 36 GPIO. The large number of I/O ports aid in peripheral device connectivity. This also gives a good low power, low cost roadmap to customers migrating from the TMS320C54x DSP generation with needs for USB connectivity, higher performance or SDRAM memory connectivity. The success of the C5000 DSP platform means that hundreds of off-the-shelf algorithms are available for TMS320C5506 DSP designers to save valuable time-to-market.

New Markets for Small Multimedia Systems
The C5506 DSP is an excellent solution for mass-market applications that require real-time signal processing performance yet need to keep power consumption low. Touch screen controllers are moving to DSP-based control for greater precision, lower cost and greater functionality. PC-connected USB headsets require plenty of processing for noise reduction, echo cancellation and audio streaming. Hands-free car phone kits and cordless handsets used in wireless LANs, VoIP phones, deck phones, and other portable applications need a modem signal processor with low standby power for extensive ultra low power idle modes. In each of these cases, the C5506 DSP provides the right combination of low power consumption, MIPS, memory, connectivity, small form factor and affordability for the application. The C5506 DSP’s advantages allow developers of these and other portable systems to create more robust, less expensive products with enhanced appeal for consumers.

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[Reprinted with kind permission from Texas Instruments]