LAPIS Semiconductor has recently announced the development of a low power microcontroller that has an integrated 8-bit low power MCU core, speech synthesis circuit, highly efficient Class-D speaker amp, non-volatile memory and oscillator circuit on a single chip, making audio playback possible by simply wiring up a speaker.

The ML610Q304 has a typical audio power output of 450 mW operating at 3 V or 1 W at 5 V. The controller includes four 8-bit counters which can be combined to make two 16-bit timers, a three channel 10-bit A/D converter, a two channel SSIO, UART and I2C peripheral interfaces. The memory capacity of the ML610Q304 includes a 96 KB program flash, 2 KB data flash and 1 KB RAM. The dedicated hardware-based audio playback helps reduce CPU loading. Two suggested audio playback formats are 16 kHz 16-bit PCM and 16kHz HQ-ADPCM. The Class-D amp reduces current consumption during audio playback by approx. 40% compared to conventional solutions, making it a good choice for incorporation into mobile battery-powered devices. In recent years a growing number of electronic products are adding voice playback functionality, particularly battery-driven devices that require increased miniaturization and lower power consumption for longer operating life.

In addition, improvements in sensor technology along with greater awareness for safety and security have resulted in the increased adoption of alarm equipment that demand redundant safety measures such as advanced detection of abnormal audio playback in order to ensure reliable performance during emergencies and other unforeseen events.
The ML610Q304 is available in a 28-pin WQFN package measuring 5 mm square.