Audio test specialist Audio Precision has announced the availability of the PDM I/O option for its APx500 series of audio analysers.
PDM (pulse density modulation) is a one-bit, high-clock-rate data stream used with the digital MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) microphones used extensively in smartphone design. The APx PDM option allows APx500 series audio analysers to connect directly to any device with a PDM input or output, enabling comprehensive testing of audio in the telecom industry.
In addition to all the standard audio measurements, the APx PDM Interface provides variable DC supply voltage, variable sample rate, and a PSR (power supply rejection) measurement to test the device’s full operating parameters. PDM (mono or stereo) can be selected for both the analyser inputs and outputs simultaneously, and PDM can be paired with any of the other available I/O formats: analogue, AES, SPDIF, Bluetooth, HDMI, or serial digital.
Semiconductor R&D engineers working on digital MEMS designs can take immediate advantage of the APx PDM option, generating modulated PDM bitstreams and sending them directly to decimation stages with no further conversion or hardware. Smartphone and tablet manufacturers working on new designs can interface directly with MEMS microphones and PDM decimation stages to tune and verify performance. A special acoustic response suite of measurements makes MEMS transducer testing fast, easy and efficient, even in non-anechoic environments.
‘Good design demands comprehensive testing and AP is always working to make certain that our customers have the complete set of tools necessary to create those designs,‘ says Tom Kite, Audio Precision VP of Engineering. ‘PDM is now a critical element of cutting edge work in the mobile industry, and AP is bringing world class test and measurement to this arena.‘
Pricing for the PDM option is $4,500 in the US. Upgrade price for existing instruments is US$4,500 until December 2012, when it moves to US$5,500. Price may vary in other countries. All AP Sales Partners are now accepting orders, and the first units will ship early in Q2 2012.
More: http://ap.com
