SAN JOSE, Calif. – Sept. 9, 2009 – Nuvoton Technology, a leading worldwide provider of semiconductors for consumer and computing applications, today announced the first in its family of next-generation Pro-X Series (Programmable Extended) CODEC/SLCC devices. The new N681386 supports one foreign exchange station (FXS), combining programmable CODEC, SLCC (subscriber line control circuit) and DC-to-DC controller on a single CMOS circuit. Pin-to-pin-compatible N681387 adds wideband capability (16kHz) operation, unleashing VoIP audio advantages over traditional telephony systems.
These next generation CODECs are the industry's first to feature an innovative new architecture designed to reduce power consumption across all operation states - particularly, in the On-Hook state - by as much as 65% of the previous generation. This reduction enables designers to develop more energy-conscious customer premises equipment (CPE) with longer battery lifetimes. Additionally, the new architecture distributes temperature evenly across the design, ensuring that no hot spots develop within end-user systems, keeping the complete FXS solution below 30 degrees C for a typical configuration - even in the most demanding operating mode. As a result, designers struggling to incorporate FXS ports into products with minimal ventilation will realize significant advantages by using the N681386 or N681387.
These advantages, however, have been achieved without sacrificing audio performance. Nuvoton's industry-leading audio performance benchmarks include typical idle channel noise (ICN) as low as 4dBRNC and typical return loss of 40dB, which directly translate into superior voice quality test (VQT) scores for end-user systems.
The N681386 and N681387's introduction will be followed within weeks by two more members of Nuvoton's next-generation CODECs: the N682386 and N682387. The N682386 and N682387 provide narrowband and wideband operation, respectively, and support two FXS ports each. All four devices can operate with an external low-cost discrete front-end or be combined with Nuvoton's forthcoming N681622 SLFC device (subscriber line feed circuit), which will integrate all front-end transistors into a single low-cost package.
"By developing a unique architecture that enables the combination of dramatically lower power consumption and temperature with impeccable audio performance, Nuvoton is empowering designers to create highly efficient yet powerful systems to meet stringent demands of their end-user customers," said Saleel Awsare, president, Nuvoton Technology America. "These next-generation solutions will enable those designers to achieve their design targets quickly and cost-effectively."
N681387, N681387, N682386 and N682387 will support programmable worldwide impedance matching and trans-hybrid balancing. The DC-to-DC controller features power tracking features in On-Hook, Off-Hook and Ringing states to help minimize power consumption. Enhanced diagnostics for metallic loop testing/GR-909 implementation, as well as system level control features - such as tight system and chip temperature monitoring - facilitate extensive remote diagnostics and reduce the total cost of ownership.
Evaluation boards for performance testing, along with low-level device drivers for rapid prototyping and easy migration, are available now. The N681386 and N681387 are available in LQFP-48 and QFN-48 packages, while the dual-channel N682386 and N682387 will be available in a TQFP-64 package. Pricing for all four begins at US$1.30 per channel in volumes of 10K.
