This paper describes the DSP implementation and design of new trellis coded quantisation (TCQ) schemes based on the unit memory (UM) and partial unit memory (PUM) codes. We show that the minimum square quantisation error (MSQE) of the proposed scheme is very close to the conventional scheme, but the bit error performance of the proposed technique is better. In addition we prove that the block structure of the (P)UM code allows a reduction in the error propagation effect that makes it particularly attractive for the use in noisy channels. This technique is implemented using the DSP32C board and its performance is evaluated in conjunction with the magnetic recording channel.