Audio device needs no MCU, enhances sound

The ISD2360 ChipCorder device from Nuvoton Technology Corp. feature three-channel mixing playback and general-purpose input/output (GPIO) parallel processing. Targeted for automotive, medical-alert, instrumentation and point-of-purchase applications, the ISD2360 enables louder speaker output (1.0W at 5V) than comparable devices and allows designs to use audio-grade digital playback of voice and/or music for up to 64 seconds—all without the need of a microcontroller.

The three-channel mixing playback in the ISD2360 has the ability to add background sounds to forefront audio, enabling designs to feature a deeper, richer, multi-level sound experience, along with versatility in how audio is used. Additionally, the ISD2360's parallel GPIO allows designs to feature complementary effects, such as driving LED lights to complement an application's audio, without the need for additional circuitry.

The ISD2360 reduces overall product costs and conserves designs' "real estate" through its ability to operate independently of a microcontroller, along with its built-in digital compression, flash storage for non-volatile audio playback of up to 30 seconds, a speaker driver, and digital audio signal paths. The very-low-power (less than 10 microamps), easily programmable device features a vastly improved sampling rate (up to 32Khz) and a higher signal-to-noise ratio (60dB) than previous-generation digital-audio ICs.

The ISD2360 also complements the emerging use of touch sensors in industrial and consumer products. The device can be activated immediately by touch sensors, thus providing alerts or other audio feedback while the full system is waking up.

More information

This article originally appeared on EDN.