TI intros breakthrough $1.95 DSP and $55 development kit

BANGALORE, INDIA: Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) opened order entry for the TMS320C553x ultra-low-power DSPs on Friday, Aug. 26, enabling developers to add sophisticated signal processing to consumer audio and voice applications, portable medical equipment, biometric security, voice-activated home automation and flow meters — at an unprecedented price.

The C553x DSPs offer the lowest price DSP in the industry starting at $1.95 and are supported by the $55 C5535 eZdsp development kit. The DSPs also offer up to two times lower active power consumption and up to six times lower standby power consumption than the nearest DSP competitor.

“It won’t be long before cost-sensitive audio applications offer same-room voice clarity and surround-sound functionality, your fingerprint will give you access to your home and workplace, and your voice will activate your garage door,” said Matt Muse, general manager, C5000 ultra-low-power DSP business unit, TI.

“These incredible advancements can only be achieved with real-time signal processing. With TI’s new C553x ultra-low-power DSPs, developers can add sophisticated digital signal processing to devices at the price point of a microcontroller and at the lowest active and standby power consumption rate in the industry. This enables superior consumer audio solutions with low BOM cost and long battery life.”

TI software and tools: Enabling easy development and product differentiation, TI offers a free software framework for USB audio class and human interface device (HID) applications, enabling quick and easy implementation of real-time, reliable audio systems such as headsets, speakers and voice recorders. With this extensive software, developers can build solutions that will plug into a USB port, generate full duplex audio and allow control of audio volume via a USB HID interface.

Developers can begin working today with the C5535 eZdsp development kit for a one-time C55x promotional price of $55 for the next 55 days (normally priced at $99). The kit includes a credit-card-sized development board by Spectrum Digital, a free, full-featured version of Code Composer Studio (CCStudio) integrated development environment (IDE) ($495 value), headphones with microphone, a micro-SD card and an on-board emulator (up to $500 value). It also comes preloaded with the USB audio class and HID demo for an easy and comprehensive out-of-the-box experience.

Customers can easily migrate between the C553x DSPs and also to the software-compatible C5515, C5514, C5505 and C5504 ultra-low-power DSPs to rapidly create multiple unique end products that maximize R&D investment and existing software base. In addition, devices within the C553x DSP generation are also pin-to-pin compatible, enabling easy scalability to add varying functionality to a customer’s product portfolio.