INTRODUCTION

Digital signal processing (DSP) technology has become an important technology with
applications ranging from mobile phones, fax machines, multimedia computers, CD players, and
will soon replace analog circuitry in TV sets and telephones. It is important that the electronics
engineering technology students at the undergraduate level should be exposed to the DSP
technologies. The purpose of this paper is to present our efforts in discussing DSP such as the
TMS320C6745 Fixed/Floating-Point Digital Signal Processor. The paper will also be a reference
material for digital signal processing education.
Digital signal processing (DSP) has come a long way in 20 years. As late as the early 1980s, it
still needed to be done on mainframe computers. Research work was done by digitizing signals
for analysis in complex computer analysis runs that might return a result a day later. Scientists
wrote their own programs or used libraries of programs written specifically to do analysis with.
In fact, digital signal processing was used as a way to test filter designs for new electronic
circuits. At that time, no one expected that computers would get faster and smaller as quickly as
they did.
DSP OPERATION
If we strip away the DIGITAL from Digital Signal Processing, we are left with something
that weve been doing in electronics since it was first invented, Signal Processing! Signal
processing is all about taking a signal, applying some change to it, and then getting a new signal
out. That change might be amplification or filtration or something else, but nearly all electronic
circuits can be considered to be signal processors. Looked on in this way, the signal processor as
a black box might be composed of discrete components like capacitors and resistors, or it could

be a complex integrated circuit with many circuits to accomplish a more complex task, or it
could be a digital system which accepts a signal on its input and outputs the changed signal. So
long as it accomplishes its defined task, it doesnt matter how the box works internally.
Digital signal processors require several things to work properly. First, a processor fast
enough and with enough precision to support the mathematics it needs to implement. Next, is a
supporting memory to store programming, samples, intermediate results, and final result. Then,
an Analog-to-Digital (A/D) and Digital-to-Analog (D/A) Converters to bring real signals into and
out of the digital domain. And lastly, programming to do the job.
Digital signal processors, even single chip DSP systems, are built from these elements.
Twenty years ago, anyone using DSP had to be quite a mathematician to be able to implement
and use the algorithms. Today, DSP can be incorporated into devices so simple that they can be
mass-produced and operated with as little as the press of a button.
HISTORY OF DSP

First Generation (1982)

In 1982 Texas Instruments (TI) introduces its first programmable digital signal processor

(DSP), the TMS320C10. It was a 16-bit fixed point type of DSP. It was built using the Harvard
architecture. Some of its features are specialized instruction set, an accumulator and operating at
5 MIPS (millions instruction per second).

Second Generation (1987)

In 1987 Texas Instruments (TI) introduces the second generation of their digital signal

processor (DSP), the TMS320C50. It was a 24-bit fixed point type of DSP. The TMS320C3x is

the first floating point DSP which is introduced on 1988. Some of its features are 3 memory
spaces (X, Y, P) and modulo addressing.

Third Generation (1995)

In 1987 Texas Instruments (TI) introduces the third generation of their digital signal

processor (DSP), the TMS320C5416. It has enhanced conventional DSP architecture. Its
operating voltage is 3 or 3.3 volts. Some of its features are application-specific function units in
data path or as co-processors, more on-chip memory and more sophisticated debugging and
application development tools.

Fourth Generation (1998)

In 1998 Texas Instruments (TI) introduces the fourth generation of their digital signal
processor (DSP), the TMS320C6713. It was a 32-bit floating point type of DSP. Its operating
core voltage is 1.8 V. Some of its features are designed for real time processing easily, VLIWlike architectures, achieve top performance via high parallelism and increased clock speeds.

Current Generation DSPs

In current times, Texas Instruments has three families of DSPs. The first is the C2000 family
which offers the lowest cost and application for control systems such as storage and motor
control. Next is the C500 family which offers the highest efficiency. It has the best MIPS per
watt/dollar/size ratio. Its application is for wireless clients, modems or telephony and VoIP
(Voice over Internet Protocol). Lastly is the C6000 family which offers the highest performance.
It offers multi channel and multi function features. Its application is for communication
infrastructures, xDSL, video and imaging. This is where the TMS320C6745 DSP belongs.

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According to current sales of DSPs, the market sales for the programmable digital signal
processor (DSP) hit more than $3 billion in 1997, $14 billion by 2002, and estimated to hit $22
billion by last year. Much of this growth is driven by the use of digital signal processors (DSPs)
in modems for cellular telephony and data communications over the public switched telephone
network. Its use is increasing as the demand for internet access has exploded due to its
applications in business, work and entertainment. As standards and protocols in these
applications continue to change and new features are continually added with higher data rates,
the use of programmable DSPs ensures the equipment is upgraded simply by loading new
software. Manufacturers of programmable DSP chips are employing new architectures to
improve performance and adding support for high-level languages in order to shorten
development times.