I FINALLY FOUND A SUPPLIER!!! 
The supplier is AVNET Electronics. On their site it says 540 minimum order, but if you call them, they have 700 for small quantities. They cost $18 each. For credit card orders there has to be a $50 minimum as well. No stupid dolby license required. The uC I want to use is a uPSD3354 from ST Micro. It's a 8051 so it'll be easy to program for me because I only know 8051 assembly. I also want it because I want to use the i2c interface to control it. All I need is the ST19AF08 and I'll have all the parts I need for the XM receiver as well.
The supplier is AVNET Electronics. On their site it says 540 minimum order, but if you call them, they have 700 for small quantities. They cost $18 each. For credit card orders there has to be a $50 minimum as well. No stupid dolby license required. The uC I want to use is a uPSD3354 from ST Micro. It's a 8051 so it'll be easy to program for me because I only know 8051 assembly. I also want it because I want to use the i2c interface to control it. All I need is the ST19AF08 and I'll have all the parts I need for the XM receiver as well.
Very nice! I have found as well you can sometimes manage to order things you shouldn't be able to. If you are interested in working together on this I would be quite happy to go in on some ICs with you. I am not familiar with 8051 assembly so I may be relegated to assisting with testing while you take the development lead, but if you want help in defraying costs (and perhaps a little test assistance) then perhaps I can contribute.
I guess one of the advantages in a cheap 8051 type controller is you could hard-code the delays and LFE mode in the source and just recompile and reflash for settings changes.
Which TQFP adapter are you using?
If you are interested in working together on this I would be quite happy to go in on some ICs with you. I am not familiar with 8051 assembly so I may be relegated to assisting with testing while you take the development lead, but if you want help in defraying costs (and perhaps a little test assistance) then perhaps I can contribute.I guess one of the advantages in a cheap 8051 type controller is you could hard-code the delays and LFE mode in the source and just recompile and reflash for settings changes.
Which TQFP adapter are you using?
The only thing I could find is a simple prototyping board from www.twinindustries.com. It'll fit on a TQFP100 prototyping board. I was looking for a TQFP100 or TQFP80 to PGA or DIP, but I never had any luck. I found a TQFP80 to QFP80, and then I can put that on a QFP to DIP or PGA adapter which is easy to find. Aries electronics has them. If you know any other suppliers, please let me know.
Also, www.nuhorizons.com has a dev kit for the uPSD33xx for $270. ST Micro advertises that you can have a working design and working code in under an hour. The dev kit will make it easier for me to design.
Also, www.nuhorizons.com has a dev kit for the uPSD33xx for $270. ST Micro advertises that you can have a working design and working code in under an hour. The dev kit will make it easier for me to design.
As for prototyping adapters, it seems best to go to isi and have em custom made. I have Pace soldering equipment, so soldering a 144 or 80 pin QFP is easy. If not, you can get a prototyping socket, but that will cost more money, but it beats burning up an IC if you can't solder that well or don't have the right equipment. This site looks good, and from the pictures, seems to do really nice adapters.
I want to add a PLED display with buttons for a menu, if this cut of the STA310 won't autodetect the input (see datasheet). I also want to add volume, etc adjustments as well as display some information as well. I probably can use a PIC, but I have no way to program it, and I've never worked with them before, but I have worked with 8051 uC's before. I also want practice because I want to use this uC to control XM radio IC's, which have lots of configuration. I pay $270 for one dev kit and hopefully get two designs out of it.
Yes! It's that!
Programming a PIC18LF242 in C is about a day of work and it can be programmed in "in-circuit" mode because of the flash type internal memories. The erasing and writing takes only a minute, and the C source is easily reviewable, you should only know to program in C! It's easy! I suggest you to learn a little bit, if you could learn the assembly, C is easy. Microchip provides the developing environment and all of the header files you need, containing fully applicable codes for I2C, SPI, A/D converter, LCD control, I/O ports, serial port, timers' control, interrupt handling, etc... Come on!
Gyula
Programming a PIC18LF242 in C is about a day of work and it can be programmed in "in-circuit" mode because of the flash type internal memories. The erasing and writing takes only a minute, and the C source is easily reviewable, you should only know to program in C! It's easy! I suggest you to learn a little bit, if you could learn the assembly, C is easy. Microchip provides the developing environment and all of the header files you need, containing fully applicable codes for I2C, SPI, A/D converter, LCD control, I/O ports, serial port, timers' control, interrupt handling, etc... Come on!
Gyula
If you need I can give you a working "in-circuit" programmable pcb layout in Protel with source code. It contains an Ethernet sniffer with PIC18. The PIC is connected with an ethernet controller, a 4*20 ch. LCD display, two of EEPROMs, a serial port driver and an RTC. Self design.
I'm envious sometimes with you, Americans! You just should to read the papers of the devices, just imagine if everything would be written in Hungarian!
Gyula
I'm envious sometimes with you, Americans! You just should to read the papers of the devices, just imagine if everything would be written in Hungarian!
Gyula
I ordered 3, they will be on my doorstep tomorrow or Monday. In the datasheet, NOTHING is said about any licenses required. If there were, it would say in the datasheet. Most suppliers will sell me these IC's 540 at a time, with no problems whatsoever. You do NOT need a license for these IC's. I even ordered some samples of a AC3 and DTS decoder from cirrus logic, no license required. Why are you so anal about this? I doubt you contacted ST, because I contacted ST and was told a license was NOT needed and samples were avialable. They won't get in trouble with Dolby because it is ST that determins if you need a license or nor for a semiconductor they sell. ST purchased the licenses from Dolby to use their format. You DO however, need a license from XM radio if you want to order XM IC's, because you are not only buidling receivers to decode their data, but you also have all the information required to decode their stream, which if used the wrong way, can be used to steal their technology or steal their service. It's different for dolby because all they have is an algorithm, XM is a content provider. Are you from Dolby labs or something? Why don't you want the DIY electronics people to have these ICs in possession. Please confess.
That's funny. No, I don't work for Dolby. About a year ago, I tried everything imaginable to get my hands on anything which would decode Dolby stuff. And I got the same answers everywhere I went. And a few of those datasheets did not specifically mention licensing either. I DID call STM. The reason for the discrepancy could be, Dolby changed their licensing policy, or whoever you spoke with was not aware. Perhaps the policy did change and the guy I spoke to was not aware. Look at past threads. It has been said before many times that it is near impossible to get Dolby chips and the best solution was to buy some cheap gear and rip out the chip. The seems to be some decent evidence that this whole licensing thing has changed. But just for this one chip? Or everything which contains Dolby code?
I never said I doubted you. Simply that our experiences are inconsistent. Which most probably means this whole licensing thing is in some kind of transition. Maybe the older Dolby patents expired? That just occured to me. What do they have for patents? Seven years I think...?
I actually applaud you for having the conviction to ignore everyone and try for yourself!
I actually applaud you for having the conviction to ignore everyone and try for yourself!
Probably the license thing is simple:
ST pays the bill.
In most other decoders/dsp's the algorithm isn't in the chip, you have to program the chip yourself. Which means you need to have the dolby algorithms. Hence you need to license it.
This chip is programmed already, you can't change anything, you can't get the program out of it. And this is really great for us diy'ers, programming a dsp is a lot more complicated than just writing some code to setup it's parameters.
Emuman100, please keep us updated! This news is great!
Wish I had the freetime at the moment to do something with this chip.
Also, if you use i2c: look into the bascom basic compiler and an AVR microcontroller. You could write a program to setup this chip in an evening. And the version for 2k avr's is free!
bascom compiler home
ST pays the bill.
In most other decoders/dsp's the algorithm isn't in the chip, you have to program the chip yourself. Which means you need to have the dolby algorithms. Hence you need to license it.
This chip is programmed already, you can't change anything, you can't get the program out of it. And this is really great for us diy'ers, programming a dsp is a lot more complicated than just writing some code to setup it's parameters.
Emuman100, please keep us updated! This news is great!
Wish I had the freetime at the moment to do something with this chip.
Also, if you use i2c: look into the bascom basic compiler and an AVR microcontroller. You could write a program to setup this chip in an evening. And the version for 2k avr's is free!
bascom compiler home
Cameron,
I suppose you just had bad luck then. It was easy for me to get them, just not in small quantities.
filip peters
I only know 8051 asm. Learning an AVR would be time comsuming. Using a PIC is ok, but it has to be LVTTL and LVCMOS, and I've already made an effort to learn the uPSD33xx from ST, I think I'll just stick with that.
Anyway, I woke up this morning and say that they were at my door. I opened the package up and realized I ordered 4 instead of 3. Still good though. Now I'm just waiting for the SMT adapters to get here.
I suppose you just had bad luck then. It was easy for me to get them, just not in small quantities.
filip peters
I only know 8051 asm. Learning an AVR would be time comsuming. Using a PIC is ok, but it has to be LVTTL and LVCMOS, and I've already made an effort to learn the uPSD33xx from ST, I think I'll just stick with that.
Anyway, I woke up this morning and say that they were at my door. I opened the package up and realized I ordered 4 instead of 3. Still good though. Now I'm just waiting for the SMT adapters to get here.
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