NXP Semiconductors has announced the general availability of a low IF tuner for car radio head units. The TEF660x series FM/AM tuner is said to incorporate all critical RF components on a single chip and eliminate the need for manual alignment.
Torsten Lehmann, NXP senior director of marketing and sales for car entertainment, said that set makers will find it easy to apply the tuner on the main board and avoid the need for a tuner module, saving considerable space in the head unit, and significantly reducing system costs.
Tamotsu Komai, senior engineer in the car and audio visual product design group at JVC, said the TEF6601 and TEF6606 tuners “have enabled us to fit more exciting features in a small amount of space in our car radio systems.”
NXP said the TEF6601 and TEF6606 tuners integrate all critical RF components, including VCO, ceramic filters, IF transformer coils, LNA and AGC, leaving only 32 low-cost components external to the chip.
“Over the last 80 years, the car radio has undergone a significant transformation – from the only entertainment device in the car, to the heart of complex in-car infotainment systems,” said NXP’s Lehmann. “Initial response to the TEF6601 and TEF6606 low IF tuners from leading partners such as JVC has been resounding, and we are pleased to bring this product to a broader range of OEM and aftermarket partners.”
Further information is available at: http://www.nxp.com/products/automotive/radio/analog_low_%20if/index.html.