Atmel digital audio platform enables highest performance and lowest power

According to the microcontroller specialist, Atmel Digital Audio Platform offers a hardware and firmware solution that simplifies the task of designing high quality digital audio equipment. The platform is implemented with Atmel AVR UC3 mcus tailored for audio applications such as smartphone and media player docking stations. It integrates dedicated mcus, evaluation kits and firmware IP that includes control and streaming interfaces for a range of smartphones and portable media players. The Digital Audio Platform uses a commercial licensing model for firmware IP that enables designers to keep firmware codes confidential, unlike many audio license agreements that require the firmware code to be open. The platform is suitable for applications such as docking stations, USB mass storage, SD card playback, car stereos, USB speakers and music equipment. According to Atmel, the system enables the highest performance and lowest power, while the AVR UC3 microcontrollers also support the Atmel QTouch Library for easy implementation of differentiating user interfaces for capacitive touch buttons, sliders and wheels. Ingar Fredriksen, Atmel's senior director of AVR products, said: "Designing digital audio applications has historically been a complex, cumbersome task of finding the required firmware IP, licensing it and finally stitching it together in a working application. The Atmel Digital Audio Platform offers an 'out of the box solution' to enable designers to develop today's audio applications with minimum engineering effort spent on getting the core design working." Evaluation kits are available with the platform including a board with an Atmel AVR mcu and free downloadable source code.