**ADSP-21062LCSZ-160: A Technical Overview of SHARC's Flagship DSP**

The ADSP-21062LCSZ-160 stands as a defining processor in the history of digital signal processing. As a pinnacle member of Analog Devices' **Super Harvard Architecture (SHARC)** family, this DSP set a high bar for computational performance, integration, and flexibility in the 1990s, with its influence still felt in modern designs. Operating at **160 million instructions per second (MIPS)**, this device was engineered to tackle the most demanding real-time signal processing tasks.

At the core of the ADSP-21062LCSZ-160 is a **32-bit superscalar computation engine** capable of executing multiple instructions in a single cycle. Its hallmark feature is the single-cycle instruction execution, powered by an on-chip instruction cache, which ensures that the core computing units are consistently fed with data and instructions. The processor boasts two **data address generators (DAGs)** that facilitate seamless circular buffering, a critical operation in algorithms like FIR and IIR filtering.

A key differentiator of the SHARC architecture is its sophisticated memory system. The '21062 integrates a substantial amount of on-chip SRAM, configured as two blocks, which can be designated as either program or data memory. This dual-ported nature allows for simultaneous access by the core and I/O controllers, maximizing throughput. This memory is strategically placed to enable the core to **access two operands and an instruction in a single cycle**, a fundamental requirement for sustained high performance.

Beyond raw compute power, the ADSP-21062LCSZ-160 is renowned for its **integrated multiprocessing support**. Its unique feature set includes distributed bus arbitration logic and on-chip mailboxes, allowing up to six such DSPs to be connected directly onto a shared parallel bus without any external glue logic. This creates a powerful and elegant multiprocessing system ideal for large, complex applications like medical imaging, sonar array processing, and professional audio mixing consoles.

The peripheral set of this DSP is equally impressive. It includes a **high-speed serial port**, a programmable timer, and a full-featured DMA controller that operates independently of the processor core, offloading data transfer tasks to minimize processing overhead. The inclusion of an IEEE JTAG test access port facilitates easy system debugging and emulation.

In application, the ADSP-21062LCSZ-160 became the processor of choice for applications where precision and determinism were non-negotiable. It provided the computational muscle for complex algorithms like **fast Fourier transforms (FFTs)** and matrix operations, which are foundational to radar, speech recognition, and high-fidelity audio processing.

**ICGOOODFIND**

The ADSP-21062LCSZ-160 remains a landmark DSP, embodying the power of the SHARC architecture through its balanced blend of high-speed computation, intelligent memory design, and built-in multiprocessing capabilities. It successfully delivered the deterministic performance required for a generation of advanced real-time systems.

**Keywords:**

SHARC Architecture

Multiprocessing Support

32-Bit Superscalar Core

On-Chip SRAM

Real-Time Signal Processing