Feb 18, 2005
AnadigmDesigner�2 version 2.5 introduces a range of new features that give designers greater flexibility in designing and prototyping FPAAs. Shrinking the code size of configuration datasets by 90 percent, this newest AnadigmDesigner�2 allows the use of lower-end microcontroller companion devices in FPAA implementations, significantly reducing the cost of software-controlled analog solutions. A new Visual C++ Prototyping Tool makes it easier than ever to prototype dynamically reconfigurable FPAAs using the Anadigmvortex development system. A streamlined user interface features significant improvements to the CAM browser and handler, and enhancements to the supporting AnadigmFilter tool include the ability to create custom filters by manually moving pole and zero positions.
�We�ve demonstrated a continued commitment to enhancing our AnadigmDesigner�2 EDA tool suite, making it increasingly easy to use and flexible enough to handle a wide variety of applications in the audio, RFID, industrial, and medical industries, to name a few,� said Bill McLean, CEO of Anadigm�. �From our customers� point of view, this new version of AnadigmDesigner�2 represents a major advance for both prototyping FPAAs and reducing cost of ownership for production designs.�
AnadigmDesigner�2 version 2.5 includes a significant update to the generation of application programming interfaces that allow dynamic device configuration from a microcontroller. The facility can now reduce configuration code by a factor of 10-to-1 by pre-calculating wide ranges of circuit states and presenting the ready-made configuration datasets in a compact form to the microcontroller. This makes it possible to use lower-end devices that have limited memory and computing power.
The new AnadigmDesigner�2 Visual C++ Prototyping Tool makes it much easier for designers to exercise the full reconfiguration strength of an FPAA in the prototype environment. Generating a ready-made complete project for Visual C++ and Microsoft .NET, this new capability allows users to quickly and easily generate a program on a PC that can dynamically update the FPAA device provided on the Anadigmvortex evaluation board. As a result, designers can test and adjust dynamically reconfigurable FPAA implementations in real time and observe exactly how they will work in real-world applications.
The AnadigmDesigner�2 user interface has also been enhanced, with simplified libraries that can list CAMs either by device type or function. The new CAM handlers provide support for the wide variety of Anadigmvortex FPAAs and are forward-compatible with future FPAA families for audio, RFID, and other applications. The CAM most appropriate to a device family under test is automatically selected while the others are grayed out. Additional interface improvements include an improved clock settings dialog and a new chip selection guide.
The supporting AnadigmFilter filter synthesis tool has been improved to communicate better with the updated AnadigmDesigner�2 version 2.5. A new pole/zero edit window enables users to move pole and zero positions manually to create custom filters.
Any manual changes to the filter CAM parameters in AnadigmDesigner�2 are now reflected back to the AnadigmFilter response. Multiple filters are supported within a single design, and achieved CAM parameters are reinterpreted to derive the achieved filter response, which is now displayed on top of the requested filter response.
Anadigm� FPAAs are used to replace discrete components and ASICs in real-world interfaces, where the devices greatly reduce the length of design cycles while bringing analog functions under digital control. Dynamically reconfigurable FPAAs allow on-the-fly, real-time control of analog functions by the microprocessor in an embedded system, giving the designer the flexibility to implement new features such as auto-ranging and auto-calibration, and also to have the device change functionality sequentially over time to support multiple operating modes. Statically reconfigurable FPAAs require a reset before reloading a new configuration bitstream.
An evaluation copy of AnadigmDesigner�2 version 2.5 is available for download from http://www.anadigm.com. A complete evaluation kit with a development board, entry-level software, and updated documentation is now available at a promotional price of $199. Pricing for the FPAA family of silicon products ranges from $3.15 to $7.69 in 10,000-piece quantities.
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About Anadigm�
Anadigm� brings platform-based design to the analog world with pre-qualified software and hardware components that allow complex analog circuits to be implemented in an analog equivalent to the FPGA. Designed to implement signal conditioning, filtering, data acquisition, closed-loop control, and other analog functions in a wide range of embedded systems, Anadigm� FPAAs are the first programmable analog ICs that can adapt on the fly to perform multiple functions, adjust to different environmental conditions, or compensate for aging equipment. Founded in January 2000 as a venture-backed technology spinoff from Motorola, Anadigm� maintains U.S. headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., and European headquarters in Crewe, UK. For further information, visit Anadigm� on the Web at http://www.anadigm.com.
Anadigm� and AnadigmDesigner� are registered trademarks of Anadigm�. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
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