Thread View: comp.sys.transputer
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Started by Alan "D." Culloch
Wed, 19 Aug 1992 16:20
Mixed C40/transputer networks & 3L Parallel C
Author: Alan "D." Culloch
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 16:20
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 16:20
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> I have a new (Transtech) transputer-based system here, and would like > to think about mixing in C40's in the future. However, I don't know > how various vendors are making this feasible. Does TI have any info on > its third-party supporters that would be mailable, or should one > contact individual vendors first? Our 3L Parallel C product supports mixed networks of transputers and C40s. Tasks can be booted onto C40s through a network of transputers, and vice versa. A transputer task can talk to a task running on a neighbouring C40 using the same chan_out_message/chan_in_message functions as usual. These facilities obviously depend on the transputer links being mated to the C40 communication ports via a hardware interface as described in Steve Bradshaw's posting. I have an application note from Mark Bell at Hull University which describes the design of such a link bridge. They have used it to connect two TIM-40 C40 modules on a Hunt Engineering motherboard to an existing T800-based measurement and control system. The C40s were used to speed up the control loop processing. The paper describes some pretty impressive performance gains. It has been submitted for publication in TI's upcoming C40 Application Databook; contact me if you would like a copy of the paper. Another mixed C40/transputer application I know of uses Hema Elektronik's DSP1 C40 board, which has an on-board C40 comms port to T800 link adapter. Their client's application was optical surface inspection in manufacturing quality assurance. This application and several others are described in a paper on "Initial Applications of 3L Parallel C for the C40" which I will be presenting at PACTA'92 in next month in Barcelona. Again, contact me if anyone wants a copy. > Is there a list of current vendors who are offering support (hardware > and software) for the C40? 3L Parallel C for the C40 currently supports these development boards: * ASPI Vortex * DSP Research TIGER-40 * Hema DSP1 * Hunt Engineering HEPC2 * Loughborough Sound Images/Spectrum DPC/C40 * Transtech TDB416 Support is under development for, among others: * Ariel V-C40 Hydra * Sang Computersysteme Mega-Link C40-AT
Re: Mixed C40/transputer networks & 3L Parallel C
Author: & Stevens
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 20:39
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 20:39
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Just thought I would add my two pence worth to debate. Since 3L Parallel(ha ha) C never did support fine grained parallelism I guess it doesn't matter too much what you run it on. Transputer, C40, even 680x0 using semaphores and shared memory: it would all be much the same. At least Inmos just call a C with a process library "ANSI C" and make no claims for its parallel nature. Never having used a C40 (this being comp.sys.transputer) the following questions come to mind. 1. Its a newer chip then a T8 and clearly faster, but it an actual multiprocessing system do you get more bang per buck? 2. Is the architecture up to the job? Context switch time is just as important as comunications speed. To get the much sort after linear increase in performace Performance | / | / | / |/ |-------- No of processors each processor must be able to fill up all its available time. To do this it must be able to quickly do something else while it waits for other processors i.e. Context switch -- Michael Stevens, Robotics Research Group,Dept of Engineering Science,Oxford,UK INTERNET: michael@robots.oxford.ac.uk
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