Mechanical engineering companies facing the world of digital signal processing, or DSP, for the first time are understandably nervous. DSP programming is a complex and mathematically exact science, involving specialised embedded firmware and system software that is easy to get wrong. This is why firms often outsource DSP work to us at Enventure Technologies. DSP programming is just one of the high value engineering services we offer.
Digital Signal Processing involves the analysing or manipulation of digital information which originated as analogue signals from the real world. A telephone conversation is a good example of DSP technology at work; it is also used in digital TV, sonar and radar systems, fax machines, audio equipment and industrial process control plants.
The important thing to remember is that speed is of the essence; the analogue signals must be converted quickly to numbers (digital format) by the embedded firmware so they can be utilised. DSP relies on discreet signals, meaning any data between samples is lost. The embedded firmware used in DSP technology is extremely fast and powerful.
A digital signal processor is a form of embedded firmware, i.e. a computer program embedded into a hardware system. It requires a device driver, which is a computer programme that allows system software and hardware to interact with each other. This is done via the computer bus, a subsystem which transfers data between computer components. The driver is OS (operating system) specific and hardware dependent.
As you can see, digital signal processing is not for the faint-hearted. However, with our manufacturing support options covering everything from firmware development to your engineering BOM, it’s a journey you’ll be glad you made.
