New TMS320C6743 DSP from Texas Instruments brings floating-point precision and fixed-point performance to energy-efficient, connected applications

Combining the ease-of-use and precision of floating-point programming with the connectivity and lower-cost options of fixed-point devices, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today announced the availability of the TMS320C6743 digital signal processor (DSP). Based on the TMS320C674x core, the new low-power DSP couples the high precision and wide dynamic range of TI's floating-point TMS320C67x+(TM) core with the higher system performance of TI's fixed-point TMS320C64x+(TM) core. Additionally, the C6743 is object code compatible with all TMS320C6000(TM) devices so developers can easily design a broad range of energy-efficient products by leveraging existing software code. As the industry's lowest-cost networked DSP, it integrates multiple connectivity options, such as an Ethernet MAC (EMAC) and multimedia card/secure digital (MMC/SD) peripherals. This makes the DSP ideal for applications including audio conferencing, power protection systems, industrial monitoring and test and measurement products, such as oscilloscopes (www.ti.com/c6743pr).

C6743 DSP key features and benefits:

- Based on the C674x core, which combines the fixed-point C64x+(TM) instruction set and the floating-point C67x+(TM) instruction set to provide higher fixed-point performance and single-precision/double-precision floating-point for wider dynamic range in a single device

- 100 percent upward code compatible with devices based on the C6000(TM) fixed- and floating-point cores so developers can get to market faster

- Scalable and pin-to-pin compatible with C674x and TI's OMAP-L137 low-power devices allow for the ability to expand an entire product portfolio ranging from low- and high-end designs using the same hardware and software platform

- Wide range of connectivity options with an integrated EMAC and MMC/SD for designs that require high data transfer or Internet access, which also helps reduce cost by eliminating the need to purchase separate components to add network or wireless connectivity

- Efficient EDMA 3.0 engine for higher system performance and better debug with exception handling and cache coherency visibility

- 192 KB of on-chip memory saves both power and cost by removing the need for external memory

- Low power consumption with 490mW total power and 60mW in standby mode gives developers the ability to lower heat dissipation and increase battery life depending on use case scenarios

Pricing, availability and tools

The TMDX320C6743 DSP is available for sampling and is priced at USD $7.85 for quantities of 1,000 units. To jumpstart designs, developers can use the OMAP-L1x/C674x Starter Kit, TMDXOSKL137BET, which is priced at USD $395, includes a board-specific Code Composer Studio(TM) IDE and supports DSP/BIOS(TM) kernels. TI also provides complementary power management and analog signal chain solutions, including high-efficiency DC/DC converters, LDOs, battery charger ICs, ADCs, DACs and touch screen controllers.

Find out more about TI's C6743 DSP by visiting the links below:

- C6743 product folder: www.ti.com/c6743pr
- C6743 product brief: www.ti.com/c6743prod
- C6743 tools and software: www.ti.com/c6743kits
- C674x home: www.ti.com/c674xpr
- C674x videos: www.ti.com/c674xvids
- DSP selection tool: www.ti.com/dsptoolc674x
- High-performance data converters: www.ti.com/dataconverters
- Power management reference design: www.ti.com/c6743power
- TI E2E community and support: www.ti.com/lowpowercommunity
- Follow TI on Twitter: www.ti.com/txinstumentstwitter