C6EZFlo
From Texas Instruments Embedded Processors Wiki
Contents |
Introduction
| C6EZFlo is a free graphical development tool from TI that creates working C6000 DSP applications from an intuitive block diagram view. C6EZFlo is available for as a plug-in for the latest version of Code Composer Studio IDE. C6EZFlo provides optimized processing algorithms and peripheral I/O support for a growing set of DSP-only devices. This page serves as the online documentation for C6EZFlo; it includes installation instructions and other helpful information. |
C6EZFlo Version 1.0
C6EZFlo 1.0 was released as a stand-alone tool in 2010. For more information on that release, including installation instructions and block documentation, please refer to the following page.
C6EZFlo Version 2.0
The second major release of C6EZFlo represents a major improvement over version 1.0, including bug fixes, new features, and new content. While C6EZFlo 1.0 was a stand-along application, C6EZFlo 2.0 is an Eclipse plug-in that integrates directly with Code Composer Studio IDE v5. The major differences between versions are summarized below.
Other improvements in C6EZFlo 2.0 include:
- Easier Installation and Setup
- Generate code with a single button click
- Improved block palette to reduce clutter
- Explicit thread definition and configuration
- Dozens of new blocks, including:
- Optimized C674 filter blocks
- Audio application blocks
- Power & energy application blocks (coming soon)
- Bug fixes and enhancements for existing blocks
- Creating your own blocks is easier than ever
C6EZFlo 2.0 is a free software tool that anyone can download and use. For more information on how to install the software and how to get additional support, continue on to the subsequent sections of this page.
Getting Started
Prerequisites
Before you can use C6EZFlo 2.0, you must download and install Code Composer Studio IDE v5. Please visit the CCS v5 page on the TI Embedded Processors Wiki for more information and installation instructions.
If you use CCSv5.1, then C6EZFlo comes with the standard installation. If you use CCSv5.0, then you will need to follow the procedure explained in the next section of this page.
Note: C6EZFlo is incompatible with older releases of CCS v5.1. If you do not see C6EZFlo in your CCSv5.1 installation, then you may need to update to the latest version.
Note: To use C6EZFlo, your PC must be able to run .NET applications. Linux PCs can use the Mono platform to satisfy this requirement.
Download and Installation (CCS 5.0 Only)
To download and install C6EZFlo 2.0, use the following procedure.
- Launch Code Composer Studio IDE v5
- Click Install New Software in the Help menu
- In the Install dialog, click the Add... button
- In the Add Repository dialog, specify the following location:
http://software-dl.ti.com/dsps/dsps_public_sw/sdo_ccstudio/c6flo - In the Install dialog, check the box next to C6Flo and click the Next button to proceed with installation
- After installation completes, restart CCS
Creating Your First C6EZFlo Diagram
Once the C6EZFlo 2.0 plug-in has been installed by CCS v5, you're ready to create your first DSP system. Check the C6EZFlo Getting Started Guide inside the CCS help contents for detailed information on how to add a C6EZFlo diagram to an existing CCS project or create a new CCS project from a C6EZFlo template. See the section on accessing C6EZFlo help contents in CCS v5 for more information on how to access the getting started guide.
Support and Frequently Asked Questions
Accessing C6EZFlo Help Inside Code Composer Studio IDE
To access C6EZFlo help contents inside CCS, simply click the Help->Help Contents menu command. Click on the C6Flo category to find several general help pages for general C6EZFlo concepts and block-specific information. If you're new to C6EZFlo, the Getting Started Guide offers step-by-step instructions to create your own DSP system using C6EZFlo.
Once you've mastered the basics, additional help pages are available for other topics. The Thread Placement and Configuration page describes how C6EZFlo organizes the system diagram into DSP application threads. If you want to control your DSP application at run time, the Host Control page describes C6EZFlo's host control system. There are also pages dedicated to explaining the structure of the Generated Source Code and how C6EZFlo blocks handle Complex Numbers. For advanced users, one final page describes all of the steps necessary to Create Custom Blocks.
Finally, you can access block-specific help by right clicking any block in your system and selecting Help in the context menu. Contents of each block's page include:
- Equations and diagrams to explain algorithm concepts
- Allowed connections and data types
- Parameters
- Host control arguments
Getting Support on the TI E2E Forums
The C6EZFlo graphical development tool is supported on the Code Composer Studio IDE forum on the TI E2E community site. Click the Support button at the top of a C6EZFlo system diagram to open the appropriate forum in your web browser. You can also reach the E2E forum via the following link.
Before posting a question to the E2E forum, please first check to see if your question has already been answered in an existing thread.
Developer Feedback
C6EZFlo is still under active development, and the development team is always interested to hear your feedback and ideas to improve the tool. Feel free to send feedback or bug reports directly to the C6EZFlo developers' mailing list:
For general questions, please post on the E2E forums so that others can participate in and benefit from the discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I download the C6EZFlo 2.0 installer?
Unlike version 1.0, C6EZFlo 2.0 is an Eclipse plug-in that integrates directly with Code Composer Studio IDE. Therefore, you do not download and install C6EZFlo 2.0 as a stand-alone application. Instead, you install the C6EZFlo 2.0 plug-in directly from the CCS Help menu. For more information on how to install the C6EZFlo 2.0 plug-in (or how to install CCS v5), please see the getting started section of this page.
Known Issues
Block Palette is Empty
Description
When creating a new (blank) C6EZFlo diagram, the block palette appears completely empty. No blocks can be added to the diagram.
Cause
This issue is caused by a conflict between two or more installed versions of the XDC tools. To verify that this is the root of the problem, go to About Code Composer Studio in the Help menu. Click Installation Details and navigate to the Installed Software tab. Normally, only one version of RTSC/XDCtools should appear in this list. If you see two versions listed, the older version was likely installed by Code Composer Studio v4 or a stand-alone XDC tools installer. This is a known issue with the XDC tools that will be fixed with a future update. For the time being, follow the workaround below.
Workaround
- Uninstall the C6EZFlo plug-in from CCSv5
- Highlight C6Flo Feature in the Installed Software list
- Click the Uninstall button and click through the uninstallation process
- Close CCSv5 (after saving any other open work)
- Delete the older version(s) of the XDC tools that appeared in the Installed Software list
- Typically located in folders like C:/Program Files/Texas Instruments/xdctools_3_16_xx_xx
- Open CCSv5
- Install C6EZFlo plug-in using normal procedure
Template Diagrams Fail to Load
Description
When creating a CCS project from a C6EZFlo template, the system diagram fails to open. The diagram view is replaced with a screen stating that an exception has occurred trying to open the file.
Cause
See above text for Block Palette is Empty. This is another manifestation of the same underlying issue.
Workaround
See above text for Block Palette is Empty. The same workaround procedure will solve this issue.
See Also
| For technical support please post your questions at http://e2e.ti.com. Please post only comments about the article C6EZFlo here. |
