Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas (EMA), a business region of Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT), along with MathWorks and Texas Instruments (TI), is offering a new series of workshops focusing on digital signal processing (DSP) system design using Xilinx FPGAs with high-speed data converters. These workshops are being offered to design engineers beginning September 21, 2010, and will be taking place in locations throughout North America.

Engineers from Avnet and TI will present at the two-day, hands-on workshops covering data converter architecture, analog signal conditioning, high-performance clocking, high-speed interfaces, and FPGA-based digital signal processing. Attendees will learn about TI’s portfolio of high-speed data converters and ways to integrate them into Xilinx Targeted Design Platforms based on Virtex-6 and Spartan-6 FPGAs. Hands-on labs, featuring TI’s data converter EVM bundle, Xilinx DSP design tools/IP and MathWorks’ MATLAB and Simulink model-based design, will introduce engineers to system-level concepts that are powerful and intuitive.

“Today’s high-speed converters present significant system-level design challenges that we have captured in this advanced two-day workshop,” said Jim Beneke, VP of global technical marketing at Avnet Electronics Marketing. “Our design experience in bridging the converter, FPGA and DSP functions has enabled us to create this necessary training course for designers involved in wireless, military, radar, test and measurement, and medical applications.” Designers will leave with a greater understanding of ways to incorporate FPGA-based solutions for high-speed data converters with FPGAs and will uncover new ways optimize system performance.

“Combining the analog signal chain with high-speed digital signal processing is becoming increasingly challenging,” said Amnon Gai, MathWorks manager, corporate development and partner programs. “Model-based design with MATLAB and Simulink allows engineers to quantify and visualize the performance of their analog and digital simulated systems and leverages automatic code generation to bring more accurate FPGA-based high-performance designs to market faster and more cost-effectively.”

“During the workshop, TI will demonstrate how to maximize high-speed data converter performance when working with FPGA platforms – a key enabler for our customers to continue pushing the limits of what’s possible,” said Ed Fullman, GM of High Speed Products at TI. “For example, attendees will work with our new TSW4200 system kit with optimized on-chip clocking, analog front end and power solutions. The platform connects to the Xilinx Virtex-6 platform through the FMC connectors, enabling system designers to rapidly prototype platforms for communications, defense, and test and measurement applications.”