Conexant adds Keterex audio playback IC to launch new product line

Conexant has announced the launch of a new audio playback product line, starting with the addition of the KX1400, which the company has acquired from Keterex. Keterex designed the KX1400 to play 8KHz audio data directly to an external speaker via an on-chip digital audio processor and class-D amplifier that is capable of driving an external 8Ω speaker.

The on-chip digital audio processor in the KX1400 supports audio data sampled at 8 kHz and encoded in the International Multimedia Association (IMA) adaptive differential pulse-code modulation (ADPCM) or 12-bit pulse-code modulated (PCM) uncompressed formats. With a Nyquist limit of approximately 4KHz and 12-bit sampling, Conexant is positioning the device for applications that do not require high-resolution audio, such as vending machines, toys, pedestrian crossing signage, appliances and interactive kiosks.

You can operate the KX1400 in a standalone mode to stream audio data from an external serial memory, or under control of an external microcontroller (MCU). In stand-alone mode the KX1400 plays a single phrase from external memory upon reset, and then returns to a stand-by power-saving state. According to the Keterex data sheet, in host-controlled mode, you connect a MCU via a 4 or 5-wire host interface. You can then send audio data directly to the KX1400 audio processor, select one of 4096 different phrases to play from an external memory, or play tones using an on-chip tone generator.