[DSP-10] : Analog Devices ADSP 2181Substitution

[DTX]

Well, Ken, at the time of the orignal DSP-10, there was complete board with
the AD2181 and good enough parts to do the job in mind.  And it was only
$89.  Today AD has much better parts (Sharc, BlackFin) and the parts
themselves are not so terribly expensive, but they don't come on an $89
board ready to run.  And require a software re-write.  And there is the
problem with modern techology that by the time we got converted to BlackFins
and got a standard board of parts kitted up, it will be last month's latest
and greatest and people will be want to use whatever is next on the chain to
infinity <G>  You can't get in front of that curve no matter how hard and
fast you run ;-)

And yes, there are some marvelous FPGA parts out there now which can do
mind-boggling tricks.  They are in the low hundreds of dollars and take some
serious development tools right now, but after some of the developement
costs get amortized and the succeeding generation starts appearing on the
horizon, they will become commodity parts.  But today, even at the $249
price for the ezlite boards, I don't think one could replace all functions
of that board cheaper in any programmable logic that I am aware of.

Noting fundamentally wrong with your idea, just a bit too soon?  OMHO

Gary WA6DTX

PS RRR on being 20 yrs younger <G>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth R Burtchaell" <kburt6@juno.com>
To: <dsp-10@mailman.qth.net>
Cc: <microwave@wa1mba.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2002 5:43 PM
Subject: Re: [DSP-10] : Analog Devices ADSP 2181Substitution


> Hi Mike,as I said in my original e-mail I am not a digital man but if you
> read  KD6OZH's article he cites doing similar circuitry as in the DSP-10
> at lower parts countb and costs. In addition CT1DMK is just announcing a
> GPS controlled oscillator useable to 135MHz that I'm sure is using chips
> in the PLD family.
>
> I would expect that implementing PLDs  in the DSP-10 would probably be a
> major redesign.But to date I have not heard mention of a  suitable
> replacement for the ADSP2181As I read John's article the hardware
> requirements for the replacement of the ADSP2181 and its cost should be
> less.I don't know how to assess the software impact.
>
> In my view I visualize a second generation DSP-10 XCVR  with PLDs doing
> many of the functions with reduced parts count and cost.If I were 20
> years younger, I would jump at the oppurtunity to educate myself to where
> I could particpate in the development of digital circuitry .Unfortunately
> the "Golden Years" have given me other burdens to carry.I wish I spoke
> digital because nowdays some of the most important rf function are being
> handled better with digital solutions rather than with the hardware
> manipulations with which I grew up.
>
> I hope I have not got KD6OZH or CT1DMK in hot water  with my
> interpatations of their ideas
> .
[snipped]