Wolfson ADCs bring high performance recording to portable consumer electronics

20 June 2005 Wolfson Microelectronics plc (LSE:WLF.L) has extended its ADC range with the addition of two new devices for consumer electronics with record functionality, such as digital still and video cameras, games console accessories and wireless microphones.

The new Wolfson WM8950 and WM8951 offer highly integrated microphone support solutions characterised by low power consumption, compact size and an excellent audio performance with a signal-noise ratio of 90dB at 3.3V.

The Wolfson WM8950 mono ADC supports both differential and single-ended microphones and has microphone pre-amplifiers to reduce external part count. Key features include advanced Sigma Delta Converters, which are used alongside digital decimation filters, to give high quality audio at sample rates from 8kHz to 48kHz. Additional filtering options include a programmable high pass filter, for wind noise and other extraneous noise reduction, a programmable IIR filter and an advanced programmable ALC with noise gate in the ADC path. The WM8950 also supports A-law and µ-law companding for reduced data rates over a
wireless link and an integrated PLL allows support for a wider range of clocking rates. Wolfson offers the WM8950 in a highly compact 4mm x 4mm QFN package, and it can be powered from a 3V supply.

The WM8951 is a high performance stereo ADC which can operate at digital voltages down to 1.42V and analogue voltages of 1.8V. Packaged in a compact 5mm x 5mm QFN, the WM8951 achieves a SNR of 90dB at 3.3V, 85dB at 1.8V, and supports sampling rates of 8kHz to 96kHz. It also features a selectable ADC high pass filter, a serial audio interface and 2/3 wire control interface for software access to all features including volume controls, mute and power management.

Availability
Both the WM8950 and WM8951 are available to sample now.