what is your take on evaluation boards and dev kits?

Greetings,
For someone who is a hobbyist trying a thing or two with MCU and
DSP's, would you advise getting the high priced evaluation boards or
development kits or can the chip be programmed in circuit?

Also what is the difference between evaluation board and development
kit?

Thanks for the insight

-- A

On Jul 27, 11:35 am, amerdsp <amer...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Greetings,
> For someone who is a hobbyist trying a thing or two with MCU and
> DSP's, would you advise getting the high priced evaluation boards or
> development kits or can the chip be programmed in circuit?

Certainly the device can most allways be programmed in circuit. It is
the rare MCU that can't be. DSPs are a different matter with few of
them having on chip flash. To program an external flash memory
requires software to control the memory bus signals through the JTAG
connection. Sometimes this is free from the DSP vendor (free with a
$6,000 development package) but others are only available through
third party JTAG tool vendors.


> Also what is the difference between evaluation board and development
> kit?

Mostly the eval boards are built to be low cost while the develoment
boards are built to be fully functional including external devices.
For example you can get a DSK (DSP Started Kit) from TI for under
$100. But the development board has much, much more capability and is
much more expensive. For MCUs the differences are not so dramatic and
there are many third party sources for both types of boards. There
are even boards available that are intended to be used in your final
application such as ARM Stamps (a board about the size of a postage
stamp).

amerdsp wrote:

> Greetings,
> For someone who is a hobbyist trying a thing or two with MCU and
> DSP's, would you advise getting the high priced evaluation boards or
> development kits or can the chip be programmed in circuit?
>
> Also what is the difference between evaluation board and development
> kit?
>
> Thanks for the insight

If we had a clue as to which chip you were considering the evaluation board
for then sensible answers may be forthcoming.

I have used boards from Triangle Digital Services and Microprocessor
Engineering without problems. With these developments can be done with
nothing more than a PC with an editor and a terminal programme (although
both provide more sophisticated tools as well). Both company's offerings
are really project starter boards that can form part of the final product
or give you a flying start for developing your own product around the
devices on their board.

--
************************************************** ******************
Paul E. Bennett ....................<email://>
Forth based HIDECS Consultancy .....<http://www.amleth.demon.co.uk/>
Mob: +44 (0)7811-639972
Tel: +44 (0)1235-811095
Going Forth Safely ..... EBA. www.electric-boat-association.org.uk..
************************************************** ******************

To me, there are two types of boards: the minimum needed to run the
chip (cheap), and the most you can use with the chip (expensive). I
like getting one of the former, so that I have at least one example of
a working circuit to compare to my own designs.

Failing that, I'll probably make a simple breakout board for the chip
so I can wire it up to my solderless breadboard, like this:
http://www.delorie.com/pcb/r8c-1b-adapter/

amerdsp wrote:

> Greetings,
> For someone who is a hobbyist trying a thing or two with MCU and
> DSP's, would you advise getting the high priced evaluation boards or
> development kits or can the chip be programmed in circuit?
>
> Also what is the difference between evaluation board and development
> kit?
>
> Thanks for the insight
>

If you want to start on the cheap: Texas Instruments EZ430 USB kit for
$20, comes with the compiler suite and the whole enchilada. Then buy
some target boards where there is a way to program them and afterwards
"implant" them into your hobby circuit without soldering (for example
where you can install through-hole headers). That way you can take them
back out in a jiffy if you find that the code ain't quite right yet. TI
sells those in 3-packs for $10 a pack. It doesn't get much cheaper than
that:

http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/landing/...Other+OT+ez430

You'll have a 16-bit ALU at your fingertips with these so you can be
quite generous when coding math stuff. Just keep in mind that these are
the lower end devices in the MSP430 series so there won't be a HW
multiplier so keep it simple with filter algorithms.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

amerdsp wrote:

> Greetings,
> For someone who is a hobbyist trying a thing or two with MCU and
> DSP's, would you advise getting the high priced evaluation boards or
> development kits or can the chip be programmed in circuit?
>
> Also what is the difference between evaluation board and development
> kit?

You best path these days are the little USB-Stick development tools.

Newest silicon has debug-on-chip, so you can get very impressive
emulation for a low price.

Look at Silabs [newest ones are 5V drive, great for PowerMOSFETS]

http://www2.silabs.com/tgwWebApp/pub...BToolStick.htm

and also TI's devices,

http://focus.ti.com/mcu/docs/mcuprod...2&toolTypeId=1

and

http://www.infineon.com/uscale

-jg

In article <. com>,
amerdsp <> writes
>Greetings,
> For someone who is a hobbyist trying a thing or two with MCU and
>DSP's, would you advise getting the high priced evaluation boards or
>development kits

The kits are not "high priced" if you think they are find a different
hobby.

Dev kits and eval boards are one and the same. They are sometimes call
reference designs. However what is on them and their cost can vary
from a few pounds to several hundred. It depends on the target processor
and the board.

What target MCU are you thinking of and why?

Given this information the group here can tell you if you have a good
choice and where to get the inexpensive boards.

Though do remember some misguided souls will try and push their
favourite part regardless of your application and ignore Gods Own 8051
:-)


> or can the chip be programmed in circuit?

Don't go this way. You will have to design and build a board which will
be as expensive as buying a kit and far higher risk.

Most modern MCU are no longer in DIL packages and a real bugger to hand
solder.



--
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
\/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills Staffs England /\/\/\/\/
/\/\/ www.phaedsys.org \/\/\
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"rickman" <> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
> On Jul 27, 11:35 am, amerdsp <amer...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> To program an external flash memory
> requires software to control the memory bus signals through the JTAG
> connection. Sometimes this is free from the DSP vendor (free with a
> $6,000 development package) but others are only available through
> third party JTAG tool vendors.

Although JTAG is a good thing to have regardless, it is not absolutely
necessary for the flash memory programming. A serial flash can be programmed
in circuit by a simple 4-wire connection using Altera Byte Blaster. A
parallel flash is little more complex: you have to boot the DSP using
ByteBlaster as a host, and then program the flash by the DSP.

Vladimir Vassilevsky
DSP and Mixed Signal Consultant
www.abvolt.com

On Jul 28, 9:49 am, "Vladimir Vassilevsky"
<antispam_bo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> "rickman" <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news: oups.com...
>
> > On Jul 27, 11:35 am, amerdsp <amer...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > To program an external flash memory
> > requires software to control the memory bus signals through the JTAG
> > connection. Sometimes this is free from the DSP vendor (free with a
> > $6,000 development package) but others are only available through
> > third party JTAG tool vendors.
>
> Although JTAG is a good thing to have regardless, it is not absolutely
> necessary for the flash memory programming. A serial flash can be programmed
> in circuit by a simple 4-wire connection using Altera Byte Blaster. A
> parallel flash is little more complex: you have to boot the DSP using
> ByteBlaster as a host, and then program the flash by the DSP.

Just so that we are clear, when you say "ByteBlaster" you are talking
about a JTAG controller for the DSP, right? Who provides the software
to do this, both on the host computer and on the DSP?

"rickman" <> wrote in message
news: ps.com...
> On Jul 28, 9:49 am, "Vladimir Vassilevsky"
> <antispam_bo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > "rickman" <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> >
> > news: oups.com...
> >
> > > On Jul 27, 11:35 am, amerdsp <amer...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > To program an external flash memory
> > > requires software to control the memory bus signals through the JTAG
> > > connection. Sometimes this is free from the DSP vendor (free with a
> > > $6,000 development package) but others are only available through
> > > third party JTAG tool vendors.
> >
> > Although JTAG is a good thing to have regardless, it is not absolutely
> > necessary for the flash memory programming. A serial flash can be
programmed
> > in circuit by a simple 4-wire connection using Altera Byte Blaster. A
> > parallel flash is little more complex: you have to boot the DSP using
> > ByteBlaster as a host, and then program the flash by the DSP.
>
> Just so that we are clear, when you say "ByteBlaster" you are talking
> about a JTAG controller for the DSP, right?

I am talking about not using JTAG at all. You connect ByteBlaster directly
to a serial flash on your board. Alternatively you can boot the DSP using
ByteBlaster as host.

There are tonns of software available to program just about anything using
ByteBlaster. Developing your own sw. utilities for ByteBlaster is not a big
deal either.

Here is what the byteblaster is:

http://opencollector.org/history/fre...teBlaster!.htm

Vladimir Vassilevsky
DSP and Mixed Signal Consultant
www.abvolt.com






Who provides the software
> to do this, both on the host computer and on the DSP?
>
>