How to use a Sigma Processor in a product
I recently emailed technical support and they asked that I post my inquiry on the forum:
Inquiry Description:
Hi,
My name is Justin and I'm new to the DSP world. My expertise is analog audio electronics, so digital development is very new to our company.
We have the ADAU1446 evaluation kit and have learned how to do some cool stuff with it. We have a product in development with some DSP involved. I have just about finished with a Sigma Studio design that we really like. We are now moving to the prototyping phase of this project and need some guidance on how to move forward.
My general question is how can I take the Sigma Studio file I have generated and develop it into an actual standalone circuit? We have no idea how to use this chip outside of the evaluation kit (programming, initialization, clocks, interfacing, etc).
Specifically, we are looking to create a very basic daughter board that we can simply insert in an analog signal path. Here are the input and outputs
1) Inputs: Power, GND, analog signal in
2) Output: Analog signal out
3) There will be one external switch to control the intensity of the effect
We are still researching and listening to different codecs, but the processor will need to interface with that as well.
Does Analog Devices consult in product development? If not, are there any resources (consultants, sample circuits, etc.) that you can point us toward to help us develop this product? We would really like to move forward with this chip, but are not sure where to begin or how to do so.
We appreciate any help that you can give us. Thank you.
-Justin
Audio Signal Processors
adau1446
SigmaDSP Audio Processors
ADI does maintain a list of third-party developers, I thought there used to be a list specifically for SigmaDSP but I can't find it (since ADI's website redesign I have trouble finding things). The general entry screen is here:
http://www.analog.com/en/design-center/processors-and-dsp/third-party-developers.html
I have seen a few developers post on this forum in the past, maybe one of them will see your inquiry.
You can probably try it yourself though. If you are coming from analog design experience, a good starting point is the board images for the eval kit, you can simply copy the relevant parts and leave out the bits you don't need. It sounds like your project will use the selfboot mode, so you need the ADAU, a crystal, an EEPROM, and a codec, and the associated passives (you might want to try a pot to control your effect rather than a switch, for example). You can pick nearly any codec you like because just about all of them can interface via I2S. Add to that your power supply and monitoring, and analog I/O (follow the codec datasheet for recommended I/O circuits).
You will also need a header on the board to mate with the USBi tool, then you can program your board with SigmaStudio the same way you do with the eval board. Or for a large run you can order the EEPROMs already programmed, but I'd still try to include a header so you can update your firmware when required.
Hello Justin,
Contact me directly and I can help you with the hardware and firmware portion of your product.
Jon outlined a good starting point and has some good suggestions. Have a look at the user guide for the evaluation board. We do include the schematics for your reference. The only caveat is that the eval board is designed to be flexible and have things like many clock sources so a real product would be simpler and some tradeoffs are made in the PCB layout for the same reasons.
We can offer some support and help to develop your product but my time is limited. Should you want more assistance and more of a turn-key solution then perhaps I can find a contractor willing to take on a project. The link that Jon provided does not have the Sigma DSP third party developers. So I would have to inquire within the SigmaDSP group for suggestions.
So contact me directly.
Dave T
Jon and David,
Thank you guys very much for your help. The customer service on this forum is top-notch! I am going to do some research with the information you guys have given me and go over it with our project manager.
David, thank your offer and depending on what direction the project goes, I will contact you about moving forward.
Thanks!
Justin,
The first thing to realize is that what you are asking is not rocket science. With the launch of Sigma, Analog Devices has made guys like you and me, with a good grounding in analog audio (and other) design, into DSP designers. And I can't thank them enough.
My firm is now using Sigma chips in at least four of our products, and a couple of us are currently working on a couple more. It's truly amazing what you can do with this family of parts, and once you graduate from Sigma, other families like the Blackfin and Sharc allow even more ambitious undertakings.
I am an oldtimer and not a digital/DSP kind of guy. Others at the plant take my .dspproj files and turn them into functioning circuit boards. Some of these use PICs for loading the code, housekeeping, display-driving, etc., and one of our boxes actually runs some version or other of Linux in a relatively complicated application.
But the bottom line is that making the transition from a development platform on the end of a USB hose to a standalone product must be relatively simple. The guys at our plant who are doing this are recent 4-year EE graduates with little or no previous experience with DSP. It all comes down to what's being taught in universities these days. You'll easily find someone who can develop your DSP 'block diagram' into working code, but the same guy might not be able to design a flawless analog I/O (balanced line drivers, etc.) or even the power supply to run the device. "Electronics" ain't what it used to be. Mostly math now, and I slept through that.
This question has been assumed as answered either offline via email or with a multi-part answer. This question has now been closed out. If you have an inquiry related to this topic please post a new question in the applicable product forum.
Thank you,
EZ Admin
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