mc_cuppa_t wrote:
>
>
> Hey ppl,
>
> Im currently researching into 8051 based mp3 players and you guys have
> overcome the processing power limitiations of the 8051.
>
> Can you tell me what it is in the old mp3 player
> (http://www.pjrc.com/tech/mp3/old_player.html
> <http://www.pjrc.com/tech/mp3/old_player.html>)
> That prevents it from being able to handle anything greater the 192kbit/s
>
> Is it the speed at which it can access the hard drive?
>
> Also would you know the processor loading for each part of the firmware?
>
> i.e. what % is spent hd access, serial transfer to decoder, idle etc
>
> Many Thanks,
> Ryan.

The new design overcomes the limitations of the 8051 by offloading much of the
data transfer (drive->ram, ram->mp3 decoder) in the FPGA. So, for the most part,
the 8051 is kept idle when an mp3 is actually playing. The 8051 is only really
involved when parsing the directory structure and in setting up an mp3 to play.
Once playback is started, the processor doesn't do much other than update the
display.

-Laine Walker-Avina