ARM Wrestling
Surak Perera,
VisSim Product Manager
As well as support for ARM processors, VisSim/ECD can generate efficient fixed point C code for a range of targets including TI MSP430, C2000, Intel x86 and more, offering an impressive breadth of application.
Visual Solutions have long been the developers of our favourite suite of products for real-time systems simulation. Their flagship product, VisSim, has a streamlined block-diagram interface, and has won plaudits for its ease of use and shallow learning curve. Engineers have used VisSim to simulate everything from turbogenerators to heart-rate monitors.
VisSim/Embedded Controls Developer (VisSim/ECD) is perhaps the most compelling product in their range. It lets you develop a control system and plant model, and generate fixed-point C code for a variety of targets including the TI MSP430, C2000, Intel x86 and more. VisSim/ECD also supports LCD displays for the MSP4390, and state transitions.
VisSim/ECD has gained many enthusiastic users, many motivated by the consistency and reliability from the automatically-generated C code.
The code uses a compact set of language features, and eliminates the errors that could be introduced by human programmers. The software generates highly efficient, high sample rate, low jitter target executables, and as a third-party TI partner, the developers have fine-tuned VisSim/ECD to optimally work with TI processors.
Target support for VisSim/ECD has now been extended with new support for ARM processors, including the Concerto ARM Cortex/C28 Piccolo.
The release of VisSim/State Charts added much-requested OMG UML-compliant state chart capability. This add-on lets you develop and generate code for finite state machines, all within the same environment used to develop your control algorithms.
VisSim’s breadth is also broadened by a new Digital Power Design block set. The add-on includes blocks for Bridgeless PFCs, multi-phase converter models, three-phase AC/DC sources, compensators and filters and more. Additionally, tools to calculate compensator analogue s-coefficients, poles and zeroes and digital z-coefficients are provided.
All blocks can be converted to the clean, efficient C code that VisSim is already known for.
The new Digital Power blocks already have many enthusiastic users. Anthony Boon, for example, is a Senior Design Engineer at CEG Elettronica. He remarks, “The new VisSim/Digital Power Design Suite provides an easy and intuitive method of developing digital power systems. This is a great add-on especially for analogue design engineers.”
Click here to find out more about VisSim, VisSim/ECD and VisSim/State Charts, or download the latest datasheets and brochures.
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