Danville Introduces the New Snowbird™ Audio Processing Module

Danville Signal Processing are taking part in the 2016 NAMM event in Anaheim, California from 21st to 24th January. You can meet Dennis and the team on Booth 154, located in the lobby area.

If you do stop by the stand you will be among the first to see a demonstration of the brand new Snowbird™ Audio Module, a High-Performance Programmable DSP Hardware and Software Platform, designed to let you easily incorporate sophisticated audio DSP features into any product.

If you are interested in setting up a private meeting at NAMM please email Denis Labrecque at dlabrecque@danvillesignal.com

The Snowbird™ Digital Audio Processing Board is a stand-alone, high performance audio platform
designed to let you quickly and easily integrate sophisticated Audio DSP into a product. Featuring a powerful Analog Devices’ SHARC DSP, high quality I/O with an AKM stereo codec, and a custom software interface, the Snowbird™ Audio Module is the ideal platform for a variety of audio applications, including Guitar effects/Stomp Boxes, Amplifiers, Keyboards, Mixers, Eurotrack designs & more.

The Snowbird™  is for everyone - from experienced digital designers who want a flexible processing solution to analog experts that are considering a digital alternative.

You can use any of the pre- built audio functions - EQs, crossovers, mixers etc - or combine them with your own custom processing to create exactly what you need. The Snowbird Audio Module is also supported by a custom version of DSP Concepts’ Audio Weaver™ programming software. Audio Weaver is a powerful graphical design package that lets you create your signal processing chain by simply dragging and dropping highly optimised audio processing modules. Once the design is complete, the file can be saved and run stand-alone on the Snowbird Audio Module.

 

Danville Signal is targeting Spring 2016 for release. Please contact Sarsen Technology for more information.

Sarsen Technology is here if you need us, Santa!

Things are ramping up at the North Pole....

On the run up to Christmas Eve, Santa has to go through his list of names, and check it twice, to see who has been naughty and who has been nice. He then has to decide which toy each child deserves. It’s a long process, and it could be much simpler, using BLITzEN – the BittWare Low latency Intelligent Toy Evaluation Network.

It’s based on the Altera Stratix V FPGA, provides CPU offload, the highest performance transceivers , and with maximum processing performance per watt to minimize energy and thermal requirements it’s perfect for Santa’s busy Workshop, as it helps him to determine not just what children want but rather what they deserve.

Those Reindeer are an essential part of the process, and Santa knows he needs to make sure they are happy and performing at their best. The UEI Cube is small and rugged, and can be used to measure the tension on their specially adapted harnesses using its strain gauge layers, so Santa knows the second there are any problems. That sleigh is heavy!

Flying around the world in a reindeer-drawn sleigh would be made much easier with a display system running on the Copperhead Core i7 EBX board from VersaLogic. Its performance level allows for the integration of multiple high-bandwidth functions, such as digital signal processing and real-time video processing. The Copperhead features a high-speed memory interface, up to 16 GB on-board RAM capacity, and three independent display outputs, so Santa can check his route, run his aforementioned naughty-or-nice list, and still video-chat with the sleigh-port, an underground facility run by Elves that serves as a command and control centre. 

Phew! Its a busy time for the guys and girls at the North Pole, but don't worry Santa, Sarsen Technology is here to help. Give us a call on +44 1672 511166 or drop us an email!!

Altera's 28-nm Variable-Precision DSP Block Architecture Wins the 2011 DesignVision Award

San Jose, Calif., February 2, 2011—Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) today announced that its variable-precision digital signal processing (DSP) block architecture won the DesignCon 2011 DesignVision Award in the Semiconductor and IC category. Altera's variable-precision DSP block architecture was recognized by DesignVision Award judges for its ability to enable high-precision, high-performance digital signal processing in FPGAs that efficiently supports many different precision levels. This unique architecture is implemented within Altera's portfolio of 28-nm FPGAs to increase system performance, reduce power consumption and reduce architecture constraints for DSP algorithm designers. Altera was presented with the 2011 DesignVision Award at a ceremony held at the Santa Clara Convention Center during DesignCon 2011.

Altera developed the industry's first variable-precision DSP block architecture to meet the industry's demands for higher precision signal processing. This innovative architecture allows each DSP block in the FPGA to be configured at compile time to three 9x9, two 18x18 or a single 27x27 or 18x36 multiplier mode. Additional higher precision modes are available using multiple DSP blocks. This architecture supports, on a block-by-block basis, various precisions per block, ranging from low resolution fixed point video up to single-precision floating point within a single DSP block, and even double-precision floating point with minimal external logic. To learn more about Altera's variable-precision DSP block architecture, or to view a white paper or webcast on the architecture, visit www.altera.com/dsp-variable-precision.