From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,fd27e49d2299ccb4 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: John McCabe Subject: Re: Much 16 bit Ada useage? Date: 1998/10/15 Message-ID: <704rnj$9m@gcsin3.geccs.gecm.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 401339555 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit References: <3623BB46.75B5@jps.net> <701opu$avh@gcsin3.geccs.gecm.com> <3624E849.5BBC285F@icon.fi> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Organization: Avatar Computer Consultants Limited Mime-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-10-15T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Niklas Holsti wrote: >John McCabe wrote: >> >> Mike Silva wrote: >> >Question from a non-Ada (but curious) type: is there much use of Ada >> >in the 16 bit world? My specific interest (today) is the Siemens >> >C167, but I don't want to limit the question to that chip. I'm >> >asking because I've only run across references to 32 bit chips so >> >far. Thanks. >> >> There is fairly significant use of Ada on projects using MIL-STD-1750A >> 16-bit processors such as the GPS MA31750, PACE1750A etc. The European >> Space Agency's Envisat program has the MA31750 listed as the >> recommended microprocessor, and Ada (from TLD :-( has been mandated >> for it. >Just a note that several other ESA satellites use the MA31750, >including XMM (X-ray science), INTEGRAL (gamma-ray science), MetOp >(operational meteorology), ROSETTA (probe to comet Wirtanen), >and no doubt others as well. Thank you for that. It is now over a year since I left the european space industry and I kind of lost touch with what was going on. >However, it seems that the European production of the MA31750 will >stop, That is correct. In actual fact I thought it had already happened. GPS, manufacturers of the MA31750 were sold off to Mitel of the US in February this year, and I can't see them continuing with the MA31750. There was talk about GPS producing a space qualified ARM processor, but I don't know what happened to that. >so new projects are likely to use the European and space >qualified implementations of the SPARC (ERC-32) or the ADI 21020 >DSP. (A port of GNAT for the latter would be nice. Does it exist?) I don't know if it exists, but Tartan were working on Ada for the SHARC (AD 21060) before being bought by TI, so I don't know what's happened to that. I can still see a market for 16-bit processors in space applications, and I'm sure they'll be supported by Ada compiler - although maybe not Ada95. One of the last jobs I worked on used the MA31750 because of its low power consumption and size, the availability of Ada (83) compilers, and the fact that you didn't need a lot of support circuitry. The problem with ERC-32 is that it's a multi-chip affair which uses masses of power. With the 21020 it has a form of Harvard architecture with quite wide address and data busses so could end up using a lot of real estate. -- Best Regards John McCabe --------------------------------------------------------------------- Marconi Electronic Systems Simulation & Training Division ===================================================================== Not necessarily my company or service providers opinions. =====================================================================