Wolfson’s world-leading power management solution selected by ZiiLABS

The Zii Development Kit is a universal hardware and software platform for the evaluation and rapid development of handheld and embedded products based on the ZiiLABS ZMS media-rich applications processor family.

As part of Wolfson’s successful portfolio of power management solutions, the WM8352 features a power management subsystem and an integrated high fidelity audio codec, which delivers high performance audio, significantly reduced power consumption and extended battery life, all at a reduced system cost. As well as reducing manufacturing complexities and time-to-market, the WM8352 also delivers savings of up to 25 percent on the device bill of materials (BOM) and up to 50 percent on the board footprint.

Last year, Wolfson announced that its WM8350, a stereo codec with integrated power management, was selected by ZiiLABS for inclusion on both its ZMS-05 System Module for embedded devices and its Zii EGG StemCell Computer, the first handheld Plaszma platform.

Dr Jess Brown, Power Management Product Line Manager at Wolfson, said: “We are delighted to extend our working relationship with ZiiLABS through their ZMS-08 System Module and new Zii Development Kit.

“ZiiLABS’ selection of the WM8352 for inclusion on the ZMS-08 System Module, having previously selected the WM8350 for the ZMS-05 System Module and Zii EGG StemCell Computer, reinforces Wolfson’s position as a world-leading provider of innovative solutions for some of the world’s most advanced applications and processors.”

The ZiiLABS ZMS-08 is a flexible, media-rich application processor that delivers Blu-ray quality 1080p video, 3D graphics and multimedia capabilities within a low-power environment. The ZMS-08 is a complete System on Chip (SoC) solution for driving the next generation of media-rich portable and embedded products including connected TV devices, portable media players, mobile internet tablets, smart phones and video conferencing systems. The single chip solution is capable of full H.264 HD 1080p video playback, 720p video conferencing, 1080p encode, OpenGL® ES 2.0, Xtreme Fidelity™ X-Fi Audio and 1GHz ARM® Cortex™ application acceleration.
“We selected the WM8352 because of Wolfson’s world-class expertise in audio and power management mixed-signal design and the excellent application support they have provided throughout the project”, comments Tim Lewis, Marketing Director at ZiiLABS. “The WM8352 and ZMS-08 processor form a powerful combination that will help designers differentiate their products, shorten system design times and reduce the requirement for additional components.”

The WM8352 is a high performance, low power audio codec with advanced mixing capability that delivers excellent 98dB SNR performance. The device also features on-chip clock generation, six DC-DC converters, four LDO voltage regulators, a lithium battery charger, two white LED drivers and an auxiliary analogue to digital converter (ADC), all inside a compact 7x7mm BGA package.