Latest version of TI's Code Composer StudioT Platinum IDE Saves Time for DaVinciT Technology and DSP Customers

Long recognized as the most comprehensive IDE available for DSP development, CCStudio continues to introduce innovations that give programmers greater control, helping streamline debugging and analysis

consistent with TI's offering of eXpressDSPT software and development tools. The new CCStudio v3.3 IDE meets the needs of increasingly complex DSP embedded systems that employ multiple processors and run very large programs, often with hundreds of thousands of lines of code. Such systems, representing a rapidly growing segment of the overall digital signal processing market, require sophisticated tools that enable developers to track memory utilisation, detect and correct problems in

code execution, and work from a unified interface that supports all system processors. CCStudio v3.3 addresses these requirements, enabling developers to analyze and debug system operation more efficiently so that they can create more robust, more reliable products while saving

time and development costs.



The new Code Composer Studio Platinum, version 3.3, provides the in-depth development support needed for building high-performance, power-efficient applications using TI's advanced TMS320 DSPs and DaVinci technology digital video processors, said Lori Vidra, eXpressDSP tools

manager, TI. The release of CCStudio v3.3 enables TI DSP customers to build feature-rich multiprocessing systems that meet the rapidly evolving demands of markets today and in the future.



The software installs in a single step and handles multiple processors in a single session. With the same look and feel as previous Code Composer Studio releases, CCStudio v3.3 keeps learning time to a minimum and is easy to update and maintain. For ease of migration, CCStudio v3.3 can be opened alongside older versions of the software.



The new software offers greater integrated value for SoC multiprocessing systems than has been previously available. In addition to its support of TI's TMS320C6000T, TMS320C5000T and TMS320C2000T DSP platforms, CCStudio v3.3 also provides improved visibility into the use of memory

by ARM processors-a feature that is particularly useful for developers using multiprocessor systems like those based on DaVinciT technology. The ARM memory management unit (MMU) table display provides views for both physical and virtual addresses, along with protection information,

to reveal complete address mapping. Filtering and sorting functions allow programmers to focus on domains, processes or memory areas for detailed analysis.



New and enhanced features make CCStudio v3.3 a more robust, more comprehensive DSP development tool. A unified breakpoint manager (UBM) combines existing and new tools for setting breakpoints into one easy-to-use interface that is tightly integrated with the rest of the IDE. The UBM identifies breakpoints, indicates when they have been triggered and allows for easy editing of properties such as what action to take when triggered. With a new simulation feature, the UBM allows

programmers to set watchpoints or data breakpoints. Watchpoints can be used for debugging tasks such as isolating an area in code that is corrupting cache or memory, halt processing when illegal or unexpected data writes happen to specific memory locations, and set independent

breakpoints on cache and memory changes. Using the UBM's watchpoint capabilities, developers can identify and correct problems that are obscured by the mass of code in very large programs. Watchpoints are available now for TMS320C64xT DSP functional simulators, with support

for other DSP simulators to follow.



Another simulator feature, the interrupt latency checker, helps developers meet real-time deadlines by providing a deterministic measure of the worst-case interrupt latency of the code. The non-intrusive

checker monitors interrupt disablers in CPU and characterizes the ranges in code execution where interrupts cannot be taken, thus providing a deterministic measure of latencies inherent in an algorithm.



For greater visibility into cache coherency, an enhanced memory window allows users to examine where program instructions and data are being obtained by the core. For greater usability, cache memory locations can also be highlighted in the window. Users can switch the processors they

are observing on the fly to understand more about processor interaction and obtain greater insight into cache and memory operations at the system level. New features such as in-place editing, copying to

clipboard and printing make it easier to manipulate data inside and outside of the program. Additional cache visibility comes from a tag RAM viewer that displays cache lines with attributes.



Similar visibility is provided for core and peripheral registers by dedicated windows that support features such as bit field editing, decoding and customized grouping of registers, as well as analysis and

usability features like those offered by the enhanced memory window.



A free evaluation tool for Code Composer Studio Platinum, version 3.3, is available now at www.ti.com/ccstudionew. CCStudio v3.3 is priced at $3595 per seat with a $600 annual maintenance fee. Also available from the same sources is a version of CCStudio v3.3 that supports only C2000T

DSPs. Pricing for this version, CCStudio 2000 v3.3, is $495 per seat with an annual maintenance fee of $495.