The Digital Audio Platform integrates dedicated microcontrollers, evaluation kits and firmware IP. The firmware IP includes control and streaming interfaces for a selection of popular smartphones and portable media players as well as MP3, WMA and AAC decoders to allow designers to decode compressed music files; USB protocol stacks; and a complete file system to allow designers to navigate through mass storage devices such as USB Flash disks or SD cards. The platform uses a ready-to-go commercial licensing model for firmware IP that enables designers to keep their firmware code confidential, unlike many audio license agreements today that require the firmware code to be open. The Digital Audio Platform is ideal for applications including docking stations, USB mass storage, SD card playback, car stereos, USB speakers, microphones, and various voice and music equipment. Other applications include mobile accessories (accessories connected to smartphones or tablets) that use the same underlying technology.
With all the benefits of the Atmel AVR UC3 microcontrollers, the Digital Audio Platform offers designers a system that is highest in performance and lowest in power. The AVR UC3 microcontrollers also support the Atmel QTouch Library for easy implementation of elegant, differentiating user interfaces for capacitive touch buttons, sliders and wheels.
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, said Ingar Fredriksen, sr. director of AVR products, Atmel Corporation. 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.
To help accelerate a designer’s audio application development, evaluation kits (EVK) are also available with the Digital Audio Platform. Evaluation kits include a board with an Atmel AVR MCU and free downloadable source code.