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 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software » Microcontrollers and Programmable Logic
$5 processor has potential for music
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slabman



Joined: Sep 01, 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:23 am    Post subject: $5 processor has potential for music Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
'The XS1-L family of chips are designed to emulate hardware through software programming ... the chips can emulate USB interfaces, audio processors, Ethernet adaptors, display drivers or other electronic circuits ... The single-core version of the chip will cost under $5 (£3) ... this technology is as accessible to people in their garden sheds as it is to the consumer electronics industry'


Story here - http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39666690,00.htm

Sample code for a midi synth here - http://www.xlinkers.org/node/122
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State Machine
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Looks nice. it's like the Parallax Propeller chip concept except they call their processing elements "cogs" instead of cores.

I think more and more MCU/Processor companies are jumping on the multi-core bandwagon ! Gone will be the days of writing assembler code for embedded system because it would just be plain too hard to manage all those CPU's and coherency among memories. Not that his is bad, it's progress as even hand held devices are demanding very complex, fast, programs to run on them like phones and media players ..

Just an aside. I found it odd that the company explicitly states that it can emulate hardware though software but this has been a given for several years on processors, for example, like the Scenix SX series and their software MODEM examples.

On another plus, I also see that there are web based tools to work with this which is makes it completely platform independent.

If one wants, they can download the Eclipse based "IDE" Cool

I have not heard any samples from the synthesizers that were created from these as the projects came with no samples. If there are any, I would like to hear them.

Thanks for posting this Cool

Bill
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slabman



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:19 pm    Post subject: emulating hardware thru software Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I guess digital synthesizers have been emulating hardware through software since the 60s and 70s! I think this chip has potential for some modular synth applications though.
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blue hell
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Just had a glance over the instruction set, seems very interesting, and it made me think of the transputer ... wonder if there is a relation.
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blue hell
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ah there is Laughing David May did both the transputer and this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_May_(computer_scientist)

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State Machine
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Jan, yes, good find. I also found May's law interesting:

May's Law States

Software efficiency halves every 18 months, compensating Moore's Law.

David May's Homepage:
http://www.cs.bris.ac.uk/~dave/index.html

The picture below is one of David May's Transputer designs.

Bill


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slabman



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:44 am    Post subject: The Transputer is back Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I love the idea that the Transputer lineage continues. Given that we've had InMos, and now XMos (X meaning out), the next Transputer-related company will have to be called Shake-it-all-aboutMos. (Sorry about that).

Seriously, I see that one of the built-in strengths of the XMos chip is creating networked audio machines. This could lead to something along the lines of Buchla using the I2C bus. I'm imagining piping audio and OSC control signals over Ethernet between XMos-based modules.

I note that the example midi synth uses code from code from LOVE, a patchable music enviroment written in Occam (https://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/research/groups/sys/wiki/LOVE). So you could further imagine that there could be an associated software environment too. I wish I had an ounce of the brainpower needed to make some of that happen.

BTW - SID fans - there's an example SID emulator too - http://www.xlinkers.org/node/240
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Tim Servo



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PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:55 pm    Post subject: Re: The Transputer is back Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

slabman wrote:
I love the idea that the Transputer lineage continues. Given that we've had InMos, and now XMos (X meaning out), the next Transputer-related company will have to be called Shake-it-all-aboutMos. (Sorry about that).


Okay, now THAT'S funny!

Tim (sir laffsalot) Servo
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Tim Servo



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PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:01 pm    Post subject: $5 processor has potential for music Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Speaking of the Hokey Pokey (and being slightly OT):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXNZ4BntQN4&feature=related

Tim (left foot in) Servo
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slabman



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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:14 am    Post subject: Pokey. Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Bill Bailey is the man! Or at least a close approximation of one.

There could be enough constructs in the Hokey-cokey to create a viable programming language -

- Left foot in
- Left foot out
- In out
- Shake it all about
- Do hokey-cokey
- Shout
- Etc.

Well, it worked for LOLcode.

Back to the serious for a minute... no, sorry, it's gone.
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BobTheDog



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PostPosted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I did some work on Transputers in the dim and distant past using Occam it was all pretty neat stuff at the time.

I though it had a great future, wrong again Smile
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