About UsRevolutionary Audio Amplifier Delivers 5x the Power to Micro Speakers
NXP’s TFA9887 offers a louder, higher quality audio sound for mobiles
Small speakers can be easily damaged when overdriven with loud volume or constant bass frequencies. At high volume output, the speaker temperature can rise quickly and result in the voice-coil of the speaker to melt. Similiary, constant low frequencies for bass sounds, result in large movements of the speaker membrane, this will strain and crack the speaker. The new TFA9887, is designed to overcome these problems and allow the speaker to reach its full potential. The TFA9887 IC measures the speakers behaviour in real-time and uses a sophisticated embedded algorithm to maximize the audio output. The IC provides accurate measurements of voice-coil temperature, membrane excursion and amplifier clipping. The algorithm also monitors the DC-to-DC Power Converter to ensure the sound quality is good, even when the battery is nearly flat.
“Digital natives have come of age taking poor mobile sound quality for granted. As speakers have become smaller, the quiet, tinny sound we've come to associate with mobile devices has got even worse,” said Shawn Scarlett, director of marketing, mobile audio product line, NXP Semiconductors. “Our new audio system transforms the listening experience, enabling louder, richer sound quality from virtually any mobile device. The improvement is so striking that consumers, handset makers and operators will immediately hear the difference.”
No Need to Cut Bass Frequencies
Speaker makers have to balance competing demands for good sound, small size and reliability.
As micro speakers have shrunk, phone, media player and tablet designers have been forced to limit output power and sound quality.
Amplifiers could easily deliver enough power to destroy the speaker at one frequency, while under-powering it at others.
Until now, it has been impossible for system designers to know for sure when it was safe to apply extra power.
The rule has therefore been to cut out bass frequencies and limit output power to avoid blowing the speaker - a common cause of failures in mobiles.
By incorporating circuits that monitor speaker performance and prevent damage, the NXP TFA9887 IC allows designers to break this rule. Adaptive excursion control measures the actual excursion of the speaker membrane to ensure that it never exceeds its rated limit. Real-time temperature protection measures the voice-coil temperature directly to prevent thermal damage.
Boosting Audio Performance
Because the speaker is fully protected, the system can deliver significant levels of additional power to make the sound louder and better than before.
The TFA9887 optimizes the audio signal based on the movement of the speaker, something no other system is capable of, using the full capabilities of the speaker without pushing beyond the limits.
An advanced clip avoidance algorithm monitors audio performance and prevents clipping, even when the power supply begins to sag.
Bandwidth extension increases the low frequency response well below speaker resonance.
And an intelligent DC-to-DC boost converter maximizes audio headroom from any supply level despite battery undervoltage.
The TFA9887 automatically adapts to any changes in the speaker - including ageing, damage to the enclosure,
and blocked speaker ports - helping to optimize performance and maintain the desired sound quality.
The entire system is integrated into a single chip with digital interfaces for portable devices. The IC incorporates NXP's CoolFlux audio DSP, a high-efficiency class-D amplifier with current sensing, and a DC-to-DC boost converter. The advanced, embedded algorithms require no separate licensing. Additional tools allow designers to customize audio sound quality and choose how to optimize mobile device performance.
The NXP website address is www.nxp.com
[Reprinted with kind permission from NXP]