Depending on the application design requirements of the product, the amount of memory can be reduced. This can include reducing the number of flash memory components or the memory size of the flash memory component.

As depicted in Figure 6-8, the firmware resides in CS1, and the amount of memory the firmware occupies is usually less than 128 kilobytes. With this in mind, the design engineer can conclude that memory is only required to be present on CS1 if no images are needed for the design.

For example, if the application design only requires the DLPC900 to operate in Video Mode, then the flash memory components on CS0 and CS2 are not required and can be left out. Moreover, since the firmware only occupies about 128 kilobytes of memory, then a smaller density flash memory component can be used such as a 4-megabyte rather than a 16-megabyte component. One 4-Megabyte Flash Memory shows the memory space for this example.

Figure 6-8 One 4-Megabyte Flash Memory

The same memory space shown in One 4-Megabyte Flash Memory also applies to Video Pattern Mode. In this mode, the images are streamed from an external video source directly in to the internal memory of the DLPC900. Another operating mode that can use this same memory configuration is Pattern On-The-Fly Mode because the images are streamed over the USB or I²C interfaces directly into the internal memory of the DLPC900. These three operating modes are excellent opportunities for minimizing flash memory because they don't require images to be stored in flash memory.

However, there exists one mode that can require additional memory because this mode requires images to be stored in flash memory. When the DLPC900 is operating in Pre-Stored Pattern Mode, the DLPC900 reads all the required images from flash memory into its internal memory when the pattern sequence is started. The amount of flash memory depends on the needs of the application.

For example, if the application design requires only a few images, and the images and firmware can fit in one 4-megabyte flash component, then the memory space in One 4-Megabyte Flash Memory can be used. However, if more memory is needed, then one 8-megabyte or one 16-megabyte flash component can be used, as shown in One 8-Megabyte Flash Memory and One 16-Megabyte Flash Memory.

Figure 6-9 One 8-Megabyte Flash Memory

Figure 6-10 One 16-Megabyte Flash Memory

When the memory requirement is greater than 16 megabytes but less than 32 megabytes, then two 16-megabyte flash components can be used as shown in Two 16-Megabyte Flash Memory Components. Use CS1 and CS2 when using only two flash components.

Figure 6-11 Two 16-Megabyte Flash Memory Components

When the memory requirement exceeds 32 megabytes, use the flash memory space shown in Figure 6-11 or use a single large flash device as described in Section 6.3.5.5.2. Notice that in all examples, there is a 1-megabyte space reserved at the end of the Firmware space. The default and maximum size of this reserved space is 1 megabyte; however, depending on the operating mode, the reserved space is customizable and can be reduced by the design engineer when configuring the firmware. Whatever size is chosen, this reserved area must be taken into consideration when calculating the required amount of memory.