Software boosts performance of embedded systems
To boost the performance of embedded systems, Segger has introduced Smashv2, a lossless compression algorithm tailored to resource constrained systems. The software allows both compression and decompression on any embedded system, in real time, even with no work RAM available, says Segger. In comparison to SMASHv1, SMASHv2 delivers better compression, is easier to use, with only one parameter for compression and smaller code.
Typically, most microcontroller-based applications cannot use compression because available algorithms require too much memory or computing power, explains Segger. emCompress-ToGo, however, has the performance, efficiency and flexibility to be used for storing firmware images or FPGA bitstreams compressed with Smashv2 to reduce ROM requirements. It can also allow wireless updating through compression and reduce the size of stored data for data loggers and thus the required bandwidth for transferring the data to the processing servers. It can also compress streams of data.
The application programming interface (API) is flexible, with compression and decompression directly to and from memory or via application-provided functions to achieve great compression rates even on small blocks of data.
The compressor requires only about 1kbyte of ROM, and decompression requires half of that. Trial versions for Windows as well as any Cortex-M based target system are available for download.
All code has been developed by and can be licensed from Segger. It is not encumbered by any Open Source license, adds Segger.