Silicon Labs' new digital audio bridge chip fuels iOS accessory innovation

     Silicon Labs, a leading provider of microcontrollers, wireless connectivity, analog and sensor solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), has introduced a digital audio bridge chip and evaluation kit designed to simplify the development of accessories for iOS devices. The new CP2614 interface IC provides a complete turnkey audio bridge solution for a wide range of MFi(Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad) devices using fully digital lightning connectors. Target applications include a variety of audio accessories, such as guitars, microphone recording adapters, audio docking stations, and headsets. The CP2614 IC also provides built-in support for communication between iOS apps and peripheral hardware, which enables a variety of IoT accessories to work well with iOS apps.

     Silicon Labs' CP2614 bridge chip and MFI-SL-CP2614-EK evaluation kit provide iOS accessory developers with a complete and cost-effective development platform that dramatically reduces time to market with support for specific functionality MFi. The CP2614 solution does not require firmware development, which helps developers get their MFi accessory designs up and running quickly. Developers can choose their customization options through easy-to-use GUI-based configuration tools.

     The CP2614 bridge chip effectively manages and minimizes power consumption for ultra-low power consumption in both active and idle modes. The CP2614 chip's excellent energy efficiency makes it the best choice for device-powered accessories. The CP2614 also includes an integrated 5V low voltage drop regulator (LDO) to reduce material (BOM) costs and footprint for self-powered accessories. The highly integrated CP2614 chip operates without an off-chip crystal or EEPROM, and all configuration options are stored on the chip. The crystal-free architecture and integrated EEPROM further reduce BOM costs and printed circuit board (PCB) area, allowing developers to design smaller, leaner, and more cost-effective accessories.

     Rob Jenkins, Director of product engineering at Focusrite, a leading manufacturer of audio recording equipment and owner of the world's No. 1 selling audio interface brand, said, "When designing our compact iTrack Pocket stereo recording product, We needed a bridge chip solution with minimal form factor, low power consumption and high-quality audio to meet the needs of our device-powered iOS accessories. The perfect integration of CP2614 chip in small package and low power consumption well meets our design needs. The hardware and software of our audio products make music production easy, and the CP2614 makes the design of our iTrack Pocket audio products even easier."

     The CP2614 audio bridge chip supports 24-bit unidirectional and 16-bit bidirectional digital audio streaming, enabling developers to design high-quality, high-performance "quasi-professional" audio accessories. CP2614 is capable of establishing communication channels with iOS applications, which enables iOS applications to interact directly with accessory hardware via generic input/output (GPIO) read/write, and provides UART access services for custom data streams. GPIO can be configured for key input, LED output, remote access from iOS apps, or for controlling audio playback.

     Daniel Cooley, vice president and general manager of Microcontrollers and Wireless products at Silicon Labs, said, "To succeed in today's competitive iOS accessory market, accessory design developers need a turnkey solution - a development kit that includes silicon chips, firmware, and evaluation boards. This helps them simplify designs, reduce power consumption, cut costs, and reduce time to market. Our new CP2614 audio bridge chip and evaluation kit enables customers, such as Focusrite, to focus on designing more innovative and differentiated iOS audio accessories for end users."