Product category: Analogue and Mixed Signal ICs
News Release from: National Semiconductor
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 25 March 2003
Technology promises digital voice in a
microphone
National Semiconductor has developed technology to put digital voice quality directly inside electret condenser microphones (ECMs).
National Semiconductor has developed technology to put digital voice quality directly inside electret condenser microphones (ECMs) Previously, the large size and high cost associated with this effort kept manufacturers from implementing digital voice technology in consumer products
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 5 Jan 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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National overcame the size and cost barriers by putting the digital modulation and gain inside the microphone to dramatically improve sound quality.
By integrating several components and simplifying routing, National's "digital voice in a mic" technology reduces overall system cost and enables the smallest possible form factor.
"Today's announcement furthers National's amplifier strategy of providing leading-edge innovation in signal conditioning", said Erroll Dietz, Product Line Director for National Semiconductor's amplifier products group.
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"With mixed-signal capability so small that it fits inside existing ECMs, this technology is the next step in integrating digital voice directly inside microphones".
The introduction of National's digital voice technology follows the company's recent announcement of its analogue "amp in a mic" products, the LMV1012 and LMV1014.
These products transformed the market by replacing the decades-old junction field effect transistor (JFET), dramatically improving audio performance and sensitivity in two- and three-wire ECMs.
Integrating digital output into the microphone is the next step in amplifier technology, delivering the world's first digital output capability to enable built-in gain inside four-wire ECMs.
Applications using this technology are microphones in mobile handsets, PDAs and other portable microphone applications.
"National brings digital sound quality to consumer communications and computing", said Dietz.
"To achieve this goal, we're partnering with major microphone suppliers to facilitate digital ECMs, and we intend to release customized products utilizing this technology by the end of the year".
Integrating the digital output into the microphone improves signal integrity for ease of design with regard to RF immunity.
The end products developed using National's digital voice technology will be less sensitive to noise for ease of implementation, resulting in faster design cycle times.
With digital modulation integrated into the ECM, the base band partition is now optimised for better audio performance, consumer features, and lower overall system cost.
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