Non-Volatile Data Storage

The steady rise of processing power has been accompanied by the requirement for increasingly large non-volatile data storage solutions such as hard disk drives. This parallel applies to desktop PC's as much as it does to DSP boards; a key difference is that DSP boards are often more resource-limited. In an environment where size, cost, and power requirements rule, adding support for non-volatile data storage is often impractical and expensive.

The embedded storage API provides users with the means to add large amounts of non-volatile storage to their existing DSP applications without having to completely reinvent them. The API is provided as a C-callable function library, which is utilized in conjunction with the Texas Instruments Code Composer Studio software development environment for TMS320C6000 DSP processors.

Easy-to-Use Interface

The embedded storage API relies on the underlying FireWire capabilities of the C6713Compact. It is capable of communicating with a FireWire-enabled hard drive or CompactFlash device connected to it. No prior knowledge or understanding of FireWire technology is required to use the API.

The API supports the FAT32 file system, which is recognized by nearly all modern operating systems. This means that files written to a disk by the DSP can later be read back on a PC, and vice-versa.

Writing a file to the storage device from the DSP is done with a straightforward function call:

Performance

Disks formatted with the FAT32 filesystem can have up to four partitions, each of which can be 32GB in size. If desired, a user can connect multiple drives and connect to any one of those drvies as needed.

Supported Hardware

The embedded storage API is supported on the following micro-line DSP boards: