German company Sonarics Labs has unveiled a high-performance DAB radio reference design that may be a significant step towards more affordable digital radio receivers.
Sonarics Labs CSM1 DAB-ready reference design breaks the DAB module cost barrier of 25 dollars, enabling digital radio manufacturers to advance towards high-performance, cost-effective products. This was possible because of Sonarics’ unique technology for implementing the radio in software on a low-cost general-purpose DSP.
The chip used in CSM1 is from the Analog Devices BlackfinT DSP family and sells for less than US $5. Sonarics software enables key radio features required by modern electronic device consumers, including DAB Band III and L-Band reception, MP3 playback from MMC and digital sound recording.
The design could aid the transition from early-adopter to mass-market, as it is aimed at manufacturers of the next generation of low-cost, high-performance digital radios. It enables swift engineering and production cycle.