VEC Chips Boost Density And Performance

Claiming to set new records, the 288-channel ZL50212 and the 256-channel ZL50211 voice echo cancellation (VEC) ICs are said to be the highest- capacity and lowest-power VEC chips in the industry, while the ZL50232 32-channel VEC chip boasts of delivering best-in-class voice quality. The devices are fully compliant with the ITU-T’s G.168 (2000) standard for digital echo cancellers and G.164/165 standards for fax/modem transmissions. The ZL50212 and ZL5021 can process a full Digital Signal 3 interface operating at 44.7 Mb/s. The ZL50232 can be configured to offer 32 channels of echo cancellation at 64 ms, 16 channels at 128 ms, or other combinations of channel density and echo delay. All three VECs consume 4.68 mW per channel, reportedly three times less than the per-channel consumption of VEC modules and at least six times or 80% less than comparable devices. The ZL50212 and ZL50211 are offered in 535-pin BGA packages and the ZL50232 is available in 100-pin LQFP or 208-pin LBGA packages. Prices are $286.49, $254.66, and $48.44, respectively, each/10,000. ZARLINK SEMICONDUCTOR, Ottawa, Canada. (613) 592-0200.