Featured Product: TI Class-D amps cut car audio costs

Texas Instruments has extended its TAS54xx family of Class-D audio amplifiers with two new devices claimed to offer greater integration and channel flexibility—which the company says can save OEMs up to 50% the system cost of designing automotive head unit and external amplifier applications.

The TAS5412 (single-ended inputs) and TAS5422 (differential inputs) provide improved system design flexibility when combined with TI's existing four-channel amplifier devices, the TAS5414A and TAS5424A. The devices are aimed at allowing car audio designers to better optimize designs that require two or six channels by more efficiently matching the number of speakers while maintaining high levels of integration. The TAS5412 and TAS5422 are designed to operate without a microcontroller, a further cost savings.

Both amplifiers use the same patent-pending technology from the field-proven TAS54x4A, which surpasses CISPR-25 Level 5 and many OEM-specific requirements for EMC performance, to ensure that high-power audio systems do not compromise vehicle operation. The TAS5412 and TAS5422 also support higher voltage and currents, enabling a higher maximum output power for applications where feature densities and system configurations require reduction in heat from the audio power amplifier. Patented PWM provides high power supply rejection in the harsh automotive electrical environment.

The TAS5412 and TAS5422 are now sampling, with volume production scheduled for Q1 of 2009. The TAS5412 is $5.30 and the TAS5422 is $5.80 in 1000-piece quantities. For more information, visit www.ti.com/tas5412 or www.ti.com/tas5422. Both amplifiers are scheduled for AEC-Q100 qualification.