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Introduction to VisualDSP++
Development Tools
Here are some development tools that you can use with
Visual DSP++:
Plot Utility
Timer Utility
Profile Utility
Library Utility
TCL Utility (Link not yet active -
information is forthcoming)
VDK Utility
BTC Utility
Plot Utility:
(Numerical
Lab) (String
Lab)
The Plot Utiliy can be used to visually display an array of values
in a plot window. This tool comes built into Visual DSP++. For example,
you can see the contents of an array in graphical format, and even
a string (the numbers are the ASCII values of each character in
the string). Click on the links above for the correct lab to see
more.
Timer Utility:
(Numerical
Lab) (String
Lab)
The Timer Utility can be used to determine how many
clock cycles a certain section of code takes. This is usually used
for a function, but works equally well for a segment of code. It
is very useful in applications where speed is a factor and it can
help you find out if a particular algorithm or function is faster
than others. Click on the links above for the correct lab to see
more.
Profile Utility:
(Numerical
Lab) (String
Lab)
The Profiler is another useful tool for finding out
how much time your program spends in specific functions. This tool
is built into Visual DSP as well, but you must have a full license
to use it. It will tell the percentage of run time that your program
spends in particular functions, and will display it. Click on the
links about for the correct lab to see more.
Library Utility:
(Both Numerical
and String Lab)
The Library utility involves writing a program that
is compiled not into an executable, but into a library file. This
library file can then be used in other programs. This is a standard
function of Visual DSP. To find out more about this function, click
the link above (there is no difference between the two labs)
TCL Utility: (Link not
yet active - information is forthcoming)
TCL (Tool Command Language) allows you to set up your
program so that it can take information, such as data in memory,
while the program is still running. A useful example of this is
creating a plot like the one done in the Numerical Lab's plot utility,
and then updating it while the program is running instead of only
at the end of runtime.
VDK
(Visual DSP Kernel) - multi-threading utility:
VDK is a tool available with VisualDSP++. It allows
multi-threading to be set up by the user in order to run several
separate functions 'simultaneously' (not quite, but close). The
main VDK page has more information and some powerpoint presentations.
BTC
(Background Telemetry Channel) utility:
BTC is a tool that allows a processor (such as the
Blackfin) to communicate with a host computer while the processor
is still running. BTC can be particularly useful if you have an
array of data that you want to be able to watch changing while your
program is running. Previously, the program would have to halt each
time you wanted to view data, but with BTC that is not necessary.
This feature is currently available only on certain processors,
such as the Blackfin, but the list of processors that can use BTC
is growing.
This page is common for Analog Devices SHARC,
BlackFIN and TigerSHARC processors
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