Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Photo of the Beagle Board and USRP

[Jeff Brower]

Brian-

> On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 9:32 AM, Jeff Brower <address@hidden> wrote:
> >  You are talking about the ARM9 core on the OMAP device, right?  If so then 
> > you can
> >  run Linux on the ARM core but overall processing capability will be 
> > limited compared
> >  to a Xeon or Core2-something PC.  Now if you can migrate signal processing 
> > tasks to
> >  the C55x DSP core on the OMAP, then you're in business.
> >
> >  For anyone who is wondering, OMAP series devices are widely used in 
> > cellphones and
> >  other very low power consumption hand-helds -- the chip series is one of 
> > TI's major
> >  breadwinners.
> 
> The OMAP on the beagle board is one of the new OMAP3530 which have a
> Cortex-A8 and a TMS320C64x+ DSP core.  Features of the OMAP can be
> found here:
> 
>     http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/omap3530.html#features
> 
> The Cortex-A8 has the NEON SIMD co-processing available to it.
> Details can be found here:
> 
>     
> http://www.us.design-reuse.com/articles/11580/architecture-and-implementation-of-the-arm-cortex-a8-microprocessor.html
> 
> Another interesting tidbit is the graphics accelerator (which I
> believe is really just another ARM core?) may also be able to offload
> some of the processing that may want to be done.
> 
> It may not be able to handle 4MHz bandwidth serial-tone equalized
> waveforms, but you should be able to take a couple FFTs in real time
> which is enough for OFDM.

Thanks Brian.  Yes the 64x+ core is TI's top of the line.  The most powerful 
device
they have is a 6-core 64x+ device (look for TCI6486 or TNETV3020) on the web.  
But
64x+ sucks more power... so have to see whether the new OMAPs end up in Nokia 
phones
or not.  In this case TI's target market can probably be described as more 
generic
"wireless terminals".

If TI would come out with native, factory-supported Linux running on their DSP
devices, then they could get in the open source game.  As it stands they're on 
the
sidelines, and people like ADI and Freescale are working their way in.  On 
paper the
Beagle board looks like a good candidate for embedded GNU radio, but taking 
advantage
of the 64x+ core would take substantial DSP work -- a level that only would 
apply for
a commercial product.

-Jeff