High Performance Audio Sub-System And Touchscreen Controller Drives PDA, Smartphone And Handheld Consumer Devices

Edinburgh, UK, 20 January, 2003 – Wolfson Microelectronics today expanded its mobile device IC offering with the introduction of an ultra low-power, single-chip design that combines a streaming data touchscreen interface with the company’s leading audio sub-system codec capability. The highly integrated WM9712L IC builds upon the existing features of previous generation products, cutting power consumption by more than half. It also adds new features, including an on-chip speaker driver, graphic equalizer, GPIO pins and 5-wire touchscreen support

Running from supply voltages between 1.8V and 3.6V and core voltages down to 1.42V, the WM9712L reduces power consumption by up to 50% over previous generations. This has been achieved through the use of low power silicon technology and power efficient design of the analogue circuit blocks.

“The increasing need for high-performance audio and touchscreen ergonomics in mobile applications is driving power requirements to new extremes and creating a new set of challenges for consumer device manufacturers,” commented David Milne, managing director of Wolfson Microelectronics. “Wolfson has solved this problem by engineering a highly integrated codec that reduces power consumption, software overheads and component count, thus providing consumers a superior value for their mobile devices.”

The WM9712L is compatible with the AC’97 standard, carrying audio, touchscreen and control data on a single serial interface. Variable-rate support is built into the WM9712L, making it easy to support all of the audio sample rates used in WinCE systems. This removes the need for power-hungry Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuits or sample rate conversion algorithms that slow down the CPU. In contrast, the majority of audio + touchscreen interface ICs on the market today cannot simultaneously play and record audio at different sample rates.

The continuous-mode touchscreen interface has been designed to reduce CPU loading, as data can be written directly to a DMA buffer at a pre-programmed rate. This eliminates time-consuming polling routines to access touchscreen data, reducing CPU loading to as little as 5% of that used by polling techniques.

Wolfson’s WM9712L is the first audio codec to provide all the audio functions for a smartphone, mixing voice with other audio signals like MP3 music, and connecting directly to stereo headphones, a phone receiver, and a separate 8 Ohm loudspeaker. It is also the first audio + touchscreen interface IC to support 5-wire touchscreens, an important feature for large screen applications, such as tablet PCs, where superior reliability and accuracy are critical.

Availability
The WM9712L operates on 1.8V to 3.6V supplies and is supplied in a leadless, chip-scale QFN package with 7 x 7mm body size. It is available now and device drivers for selected platforms and operating systems are also available.

About Wolfson Microelectronics
Wolfson Microelectronics plc is a privately held, award winning, fabless semiconductor company based in Edinburgh, UK.  Wolfson develops and markets high performance mixed signal semiconductors for multimedia and communications applications worldwide.  The company currently has sales offices in the USA, Japan and Taiwan.  For further information please contact: sales@wolfsonmicro.com

 

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