DSP driven from embedded Linux

Boulder Amplifiers, Inc. is a Boulder, Colorado based manufacturer of high performance audio electronics for home entertainment. Many internationally known musicians, as well as those who simply appreciate ultra-high-quality sound for their music, choose this equipment.

In March, 2006, Boulder Amplifiers commissioned Boulder Labs to help them develop a new-generation CD player that would provide listeners with a clarity and resolution never heard from their music collections, along with a user interface absent in similar products.

Boulder Labs used agile programming techniques to build a simulation of the interface and system software within four weeks. In addition to developing software to drive the disc player, process sound, and offer a visual display, Boulder Labs helped its client choose a processor, design communication paths, circuit boards and other hardware components.

Since agile programming involves the development of an initial prototype and then ongoing refinement based on customer input, the early version of the disc player featured a large visual prototype of the user interface. Once the client saw the prototype, they were able to refine the information for display on the product's LCD.

For the highest possible sound quality, the product uses a dedicated Analog Devices SHARC digital signal processor with custom oversampling and interpolation audio algorithms. The host processor communicates with the DSP through a custom-developed Linux kernel module.

Within 18 months, all hardware and software came together allowing the product to make its debut at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2008.