Single-Chip Voice Recording & Playback Device
60-Second Duration
Page 1
Features
• Single-chip, high-quality voice recording & playback
solution
- No external ICs required
- Minimum external components
• Non-volatile Flash memory technology
- No battery backup required
• User-Selectable messaging options
- Random access of multiple fixed-duration messa
g
es
- Sequential access of multiple variable-duration
messages
• User-friendly, easy-to-use operation
- Programming & development systems not required
- Level-activated recording & edge-activated play
back switches
• Low power consumption
- Operating current: 25 mA typical
- Standby current: 1 uA typical
- Automatic power-down
• Chip Enable pin for simple message expansion
General Description
The APR9600
devi
ce offers true sin
g
le-chip voice recordin
g
,
non-volatile stora
g
e, and playback capability for 40 to 60 sec-
onds. The device supports both random and sequential
access of multiple messa
g
es. Sample rates are user-select-
able, allowin
g
desi
g
ners to customize their desi
g
n for unique
quality and stora
g
e time needs. Inte
g
rated output amplifier,
microphone amplifier, and AGC circuits
g
reatly
si
mplify sys-
tem desi
g
n. the device is ideal for use in portable voice
recorders, toys, and many other consumer and industrial
applications.
APLUS integrated
achieves these hi
g
h levels of stora
g
e capa-
bility by usin
g
its proprietary analo
g
/multilevel stora
g
e tech-
nology implem
ented in an advanced Flash non-volatile
memory process, where each memory cell can store 256 volt-
a
g
e levels. This technolo
g
y enables the APR9600 device to
reproduce voice si
g
nals in their natural form. It eliminates the
need for encodin
g
and compression, which often introduce
distortion.
Pinout Diagram
Figure 1 APR9600 Pinout Diagram
/M1_Message
/M2_Next
/M3
/M4
/M5
/M6
Osc
/M7_E D
/M ption
/Busy
BE
VSSD
VSSA
SP+
VCCD
/RE/RE
ExtClk
MSEL2
MSEL1
/CE
/Strobe
Ana_Out
Ana_In
AGC
MicRef
MicIn
VCCA
SP-
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
11
14
APR9600
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS INC.
/M2_Next
/M3
/M4
/M5
/M6
OscR
/M8_Option
/M7_END
/Busy
BE
VSSD
VSSA
SP+
/RE
ExtCIK
MSEL2
MSEL1
/CE
/Strobe
Ana_Out
Ana_In
AGC
MicRef
Micln
VCCA
SP-
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Update:2002/11/05
Page 2 Single-Chip Voice Recording & Playback Device for Multiple 40- to 60-Second Messages
Functional Description
The APR9600 block dia
g
ram is included in order to
g
ive
understandin
g
of the APR9600 i i nternal architecture. At the
left hand side of the dia
g
ram are the analo
g
inputs. A differ-
ential microphone amplifier, includin
g
inte
g
rated AGC, is
included on-chip for applications re
q
uirin
g
its use. The ampli-
fied microphone si
g
nal is fed into the device b
y
connectin
g
the Ana_Out pin to the Ana_In pin throu
g
h an external DC
blockin
g
capacitor. Recordin
g
can be fed directl
y
into the
Ana_In pin throu
g
h a DC blockin
g
capacitor, however, the
connection between Ana_In and Ana_Out is still re
q
uired for
pla
y
back. The next block encountered b
y
the input si
g
nal is
the internal anti-aliasin
g
filter. The filter automaticall
y
ad
j
usts
its response accordin
g
to the samplin
g
fre
q
uenc
y
selected so
Shannon’s Samplin
g
Theorem is satisfied. After anti-aliasin
g
filterin
g
is accomplished the si
g
nal is read
y
to be clocked into
the memor
y
arra
y
. This stora
g
e is accomplished throu
g
h a
combination of the Sample and Hold circuit and the Analo
g
Write/Read circuit. These circuits are clocked b
y
either the
Internal Oscillator or an external clock source. When pla
y
-
back is desired the previousl
y
stored recordin
g
is retrieved
from memor
y
, low pass filtered, and amplified as shown on
the ri
g
ht hand side of the dia
g
ram. The si
g
nal can be heard
b
y
connectin
g
a speaker to the SP+ and SP- pins. Chip-wide
mana
g
ement is accomplished throu
g
h the device control
block shown in the upper ri
g
ht hand corner. Messa
g
e man-
a
g
ement is controlled throu
g
h the messa
g
e control block rep-
resented in the lower center of the block dia
g
ram. More detail
on actual device application can be found in the
Sample
Applications
section. More detail on samplin
g
control can be
found in the
Sample Rate and Voice Quality
section. More
detail on messa
g
e mana
g
ement and device control can be
found in the
Message Management
section.
Figure 2 APR9600 Block Diagram
Internal
Oscillator
Anti-Aliasing
Filter
Sample & Hold
Circuit
Low Pass
Filter
Analog Write &
Read Circuits
256k Cell
Flash EPROM
Analog Storage
Array
Message Decoders
Message Control
Power Supplies
Automatic Gain
Control (AGC)
Pre-
Amp
Amp
Mux
OscR
ExtClk
Ana_In
Ana_Out
MicIn
MicRef
AGC
VCC VCCA VSSD VSSA /M1_Message
/M2_Next
/M3 /M4 /M5
/M6
/M7_END /M8_Option
MSEL2
MSEL1
SP+
SP-
BE
/Busy
/Strobe
/CE /RE
Device Control
APR9600
APLUS
Single-Chip Voice Recording & Playback Device for Multiple 40- to 60-Second Messages Page 3
Message Management
Message Management General Description
Pla
y
back and record operations are mana
g
ed b
y
on chip cir-
cuitr
y
. There are several available messa
g
in
g
modes
dependin
g
upon desired operation. These messa
g
e modes
determine messa
g
e mana
g
ement st
y
le, messa
g
e len
g
th, and
external parts count. Therefore, the desi
g
ner must select the
appropriate operatin
g
mode
before
be
g
innin
g
the desi
g
n.
Operatin
g
modes do
not
affect voice
q
ualit
y
; for information
on factors affectin
g
q
ualit
y
refer to the
Sampling Rate & Voice
Quality
section.
The device supports three messa
g
e mana
g
ement modes
(
defined b
y
the MSEL1, MSEL2 and /M8_Option pins shown
in Fi
g
ures 1 and 2
)
:
• Random access mode with 2, 4, or 8 fixed-duration mes-
sa
g
es
• Tape mode, with multiple variable-duration messa
g
es, pro-
vides two options:
- Auto rewind
-Normal
Modes cannot be mixed. Switchin
g
of modes after the device
has recorded an initial messa
g
e is not recommended. If
modes are switched after an initial recordin
g
has been made
some unpredictable messa
g
e fra
g
ments from the previous
mode ma
y
remain present, and be audible on pla
y
back, in
the new mode. These fra
g
ments will disappear after a record
operation in the newl
y
selected mode. Table 1 defines the
decodin
g
necessar
y
to choose the desired mode.
An important feature of the APR9600 messa
g
e mana
g
ement
capabilities is the abilit
y
to audibl
y
prompt the user to
chan
g
es in the device’s status throu
g
h the use of “beeps”
superimposed on the device’s output. This feature is enabled
b
y
assertin
g
a lo
g
ic hi
g
h level on the BE pin.
Table 1
Random Access Mode
Random access mode supports 2, 4, or 8 messa
g
es se
g
-
ments of fixed duration. As su
gg
ested recordin
g
or pla
y
back
can be made randoml
y
in an
y
of the selected messa
g
es. The
len
g
th of each messa
g
e se
g
ment is the total recordin
g
len
g
th
available
(
as defined b
y
the selected samplin
g
rate
)
divided
b
y
the total number of se
g
ments enabled
(
as decoded in
Table1
)
. Random access mode provides eas
y
indexin
g
to
messa
g
e se
g
ments.
Functional Description of Recording in Random Access
Mode
On power up, the device is read
y
to record or pla
y
back, in
an
y
of the enabled messa
g
e se
g
ments. To record, /CE must
be set low to enable the device and /RE must be set low to
enable recordin
g
. You initiate recordin
g
b
y
appl
y
in
g
a low
level on the messa
g
e tri
gg
er pin that represents the messa
g
e
se
g
ment
y
ou intend to use. The messa
g
e tri
gg
er pins are
labeled /M1_Messa
g
e - /M8_Option on pins 1-9
(
excludin
g
pin 7
)
for messa
g
e se
g
ments 1-8 respectivel
y
.
Note:
Messa
g
e tri
gg
er pins /M1_Messa
g
e, /M2_Next,
/M7_END, and /M8_Option, have expanded names to
represent the different functionalit
y
that these pins
assume in the other modes. In random access mode
these pins should be considered purel
y
messa
g
e tri
g
-
g
er pins with the same functionalit
y
as /M3, /M4, /M5,
and /M6. For a more thorou
g
h explanation of the func-
tionalit
y
of device pins in different modes please refer
to the pin description table that appears later in this
document.
When actual recordin
g
be
g
ins the device responds with a sin-
g
le beep
(
if the BE pin is hi
g
h to enable the beep tone
)
at the
speaker outputs to indicate that it has started recordin
g
.
Recordin
g
continues as lon
g
as the messa
g
e pin sta
y
s low.
The risin
g
ed
g
e of the same messa
g
e tri
gg
er pin durin
g
record stops the recordin
g
operation
(
indicated with a sin
g
le
beep
)
.
If the messa
g
e tri
gg
er pin is held low be
y
ond the end of the
maximum allocated duration, recordin
g
stops automaticall
y
(
indicated with two beeps
)
, re
g
ardless of the state of the mes-
sa
g
e tri
gg
er pin. The chip then enters low-power mode until
the messa
g
e tri
gg
er pin returns hi
g
h. After the messa
g
e tri
g
-
g
er pin returns to hi
g
h, the chip enters standb
y
mode. An
y
subse
q
uent hi
g
h to low transition on the same messa
g
e tri
g
-
g
er pin will initiate recordin
g
from the be
g
innin
g
of the same
Mode MSEL1 MSEL2 /M8_Option
Random Access 2 fixed duration messages
01
Pull this pin to VCC through 100K resistor
Random Access 4 fixed duration messages
10
Pull this pin to VCC through 100K resistor
Random Access 8 fixed duration messages
11
Becomes the /M8 message trigger input pin
Tape mode, Normal operation
00
0
Tape mode, Auto rewind operation
00
1
APR9600
APLUS
Page 4 Single-Chip Voice Recording & Playback Device for Multiple 40- to 60-Second Messages
messa
g
e se
g
ment. The entire previous messa
g
e is then
overwritten b
y
the new messa
g
e, re
g
ardless of the duration
of the new messa
g
e. Transitions on an
y
other messa
g
e tri
g
-
g
er pin or the /RE pin durin
g
the record operation are i
g
nored
until
after
the device enters standb
y
mode.
Functional Description of Playback in Random Access
Mode
On power up, the device is read
y
to record or pla
y
back, in
an
y
of the enabled messa
g
e se
g
ments. To pla
y
back, /CE
must be set low to enable the device and /RE must be set
hi
g
h to disable recordin
g
& enable pla
y
back. You initiate pla
y
-
back b
y
appl
y
in
g
a hi
g
h to low ed
g
e on the messa
g
e tri
gg
er
pin that representin
g
the messa
g
e se
g
ment
y
ou intend to
pla
y
back. Pla
y
back will continue until the end of the messa
g
e
is reached. If a hi
g
h to low ed
g
e occurs on the
same
mes-
sa
g
e tri
gg
er pin durin
g
pla
y
back, pla
y
back of the current
messa
g
e stops immediatel
y
.
If a different messa
g
e tri
gg
er pin pulses durin
g
pla
y
back,
pla
y
back of the current messa
g
e stops immediatel
y
(
indi-
cated b
y
one beep
)
and pla
y
back of the new messa
g
e se
g
-
ment be
g
ins. A dela
y
e
q
ual to 8,400 c
y
cles of the sample
clock will be encountered before the device starts pla
y
in
g
the
new messa
g
e.
If a messa
g
e tri
gg
er pin is held low, the selected messa
g
e is
pla
y
ed back repeatedl
y
as lon
g
as the tri
gg
er pin sta
y
s low. A
period of silence, of a duration e
q
ual to 8,400 c
y
cles of the
samplin
g
clock, will be inserted durin
g
loopin
g
as an indicator
to the user of the transition between the end and the be
g
in-
nin
g
of the messa
g
e.
Tape Mode
Tape mode mana
g
es messa
g
es se
q
uentiall
y
much like tradi-
tional cassette tape recorders. Within tape mode two options
exist, auto rewind and normal. Auto rewind mode confi
g
ures
the device to automaticall
y
rewind to the be
g
innin
g
of the
messa
g
e immediatel
y
followin
g
recordin
g
or pla
y
back of the
messa
g
e. In tape mode, usin
g
either option, messa
g
es must
be recorded or pla
y
ed back se
q
uentiall
y
, much like a tradi-
tional cassette tape recorder.
Function Description Recording in Tape Mode using the
On power up, the device is read
y
to record or pla
y
back, start-
in
g
at the first address in the memor
y
arra
y
. To record, /CE
must be set low to enable the device and /RE must be set low
to enable recordin
g
. A fallin
g
ed
g
e of the /M1_Messa
g
e pin
initiates voice recordin
g
(
indicated b
y
one beep
)
. A subse-
q
uent risin
g
ed
g
e of the /M1_Messa
g
e pin durin
g
recordin
g
stops the recordin
g
(
also indicated b
y
one beep
)
. If the
/M1_Messa
g
e pin is held low be
y
ond the end of the available
memor
y
, recordin
g
will stop automaticall
y
(
indicated b
y
two
beeps
)
. The device will then assert a lo
g
ic low on the
/M7_END pin for a duration e
q
ual to 1600 c
y
cles of the sam-
ple clock, re
g
ardless of the state of the /M1_Messa
g
e pin.
The device returns to standb
y
mode when the /M1_Messa
g
e
pin
g
oes hi
g
h a
g
ain.
After recordin
g
is finished the device will automaticall
y
rewind
to the be
g
innin
g
of the most recentl
y
recorded messa
g
e and
wait for the next user input. The auto rewind function is con-
venient because it allows the user to immediatel
y
pla
y
back
and review the messa
g
e without the need to rewind. How-
ever, caution must be practiced because a subse
q
uent
record operation will overwrite the last recorded messa
g
e
unless the user remembers to pulse the /M2_Next pin in
order to increment the device past the current messa
g
e.
A subse
q
uent fallin
g
ed
g
e on the /M1_Messa
g
e pin starts a
new record operation, overwritin
g
the previousl
y
existin
g
messa
g
e. You can preserve the previousl
y
recorded mes-
sa
g
e b
y
usin
g
the /M2_Next input to initiate recordin
g
in the
next available messa
g
e se
g
ment. To perform this function,
the /M2_Next pin must be pulled low for at least 400 c
y
cles of
the sample clock.
The auto rewind mode allows the user to record over the pre-
vious messa
g
e simpl
y
b
y
initiatin
g
a record se
q
uence without
first to
gg
lin
g
the /M2_Next pin. To record over an
y
other mes-
sa
g
e however re
q
uires a different se
q
uence. You must pulse
the /CE pin low once to rewind the device to the be
g
innin
g
of
the voice memor
y
.The /M2_Next pin must then be pulsed low
for the specified number of times to move to the start of the
messa
g
e
y
ou wish to overwrite. Upon arrivin
g
at the desired
messa
g
e a record se
q
uence can be initiated to overwrite the
previousl
y
recorded material. After
y
ou overwrite the mes-
sa
g
e it becomes the last available messa
g
e and all previ-
ousl
y
recorded messa
g
es followin
g
this messa
g
e become
inaccessible. If durin
g
a record operation all the available
memor
y
is used the device will stop recordin
g
automaticall
y
,
(
double beep
)
and set the /M7_END pin low for a duration
e
q
ual to 1600 c
y
cles of the sample clock. Pla
y
back can be
initiated on this last messa
g
e, but pulsin
g
the /M2_Next pin
will put the device into an “overflow state”.
Once the device enters an overflow state an
y
subse
q
uent
pulsin
g
of /M1_Messa
g
e or /M2_Next will onl
y
result in a dou-
ble beep and settin
g
of the /M7_END pin low for a duration
e
q
ual to 400 c
y
cles of the sample clock. To proceed from this
state the user must rewind the device to the be
g
innin
g
of the
memor
y
arra
y
. This can be accomplished b
y
to
gg
lin
g
the /CE
pin low or c
y
clin
g
power. All inputs, except the /CE pin, are
i
g
nored durin
g
recordin
g
.
APR9600 APLUS
Normal Option
Single-Chip Voice Recording & Playback Device for Multiple 40- to 60-Second Messages Page 5
Function Description of Playback in Tape Mode using
Auto Rewind Option
On power-up, the device is read
y
to record or pla
y
back,
startin
g
at the first address in the memor
y
arra
y
. Before
y
ou
can be
g
in pla
y
back, the /CE input must be set to low to
enable the device and /RE must be set to hi
g
h to disable
recordin
g
and enable pla
y
back. The first hi
g
h to low
g
oin
g
pulse of the /M1_Messa
g
e pin initiates pla
y
back from the
be
g
innin
g
of the current messa
g
e; on power up the first mes-
sa
g
e is the current messa
g
e. When the /M1_Messa
g
e pin
pulses low the second time, pla
y
back of the current messa
g
e
stops immediatel
y
. When the /M1_Messa
g
e pin pulses low a
third time, pla
y
back of the current messa
g
e starts a
g
ain from
its be
g
innin
g
. If
y
ou hold the /M1_Messa
g
e pin low continu-
ousl
y
the same messa
g
e will pla
y
continuousl
y
in a loopin
g
fashion. A 1,530 ms period of silence is inserted durin
g
loop-
in
g
as an indicator to the user of the transition between the
be
g
innin
g
and end of the messa
g
e.
Note that in auto rewind mode the device alwa
y
s rewinds to
the be
g
innin
g
of the current messa
g
e. To listen to a subse-
q
uent messa
g
e the device must be fast forwarded past the
current messa
g
e to the next messa
g
e. This function is
accomplished b
y
to
gg
lin
g
the /M2_Next pin from hi
g
h to low.
The pulse must be low for least 400 c
y
cles of the samplin
g
clock. After the device is incremented to the desired messa
g
e
the user can initiate pla
y
back of the messa
g
e with the pla
y
-
back se
q
uence described above. A special case exists when
the /M2_Next pin
g
oes low durin
g
pla
y
back. Pla
y
back of the
current messa
g
e will stop, the device will beep, advance to
the next messa
g
e and initiate pla
y
back of the next messa
g
e.
(
Note that if /M2_Next
g
oes low when not in pla
y
back mode,
the device will prepare to pla
y
the next messa
g
e, but will not
actuall
y
initiate pla
y
back
)
.
If the /CE pin
g
oes low durin
g
pla
y
back, pla
y
back of the cur-
rent messa
g
e will stop, the device will beep, reset to the
be
g
innin
g
of the first messa
g
e, and wait for a subse
q
uent
pla
y
back command.
When
y
ou reach the end of the memor
y
arra
y
, an
y
subse-
q
uent pulsin
g
of /M1_Messa
g
e or /M2_Next will onl
y
result in
a double beep. To proceed from this state the user must
rewind the device to the be
g
innin
g
of the memor
y
arra
y
. This
can be accomplished b
y
to
gg
lin
g
the /CE pin low or c
y
clin
g
power.
Functional Description of Recording in Tape Mode using
On power-up, the device is read
y
to record or pla
y
back,
startin
g
at the first address in the memor
y
arra
y
. Before
y
ou
can be
g
in recordin
g
, the /CE input must be set to low to
enable the device and /RE must be set to low to enable
recordin
g
. On a fallin
g
ed
g
e of the /M1_Messa
g
e pin the
device will beep once and initiate recordin
g
. A subse
q
uent
risin
g
ed
g
e on the /M1_Messa
g
e pin will stop recordin
g
and
insert a sin
g
le beep. If the /M1_Messa
g
e pin is held low
be
y
ond the end of the available memor
y
, recordin
g
stops
automaticall
y
, and two beeps are inserted; re
g
ardless of the
state of the /M1_Messa
g
e pin. The device returns to the
standb
y
mode when the /M1_Messa
g
e pin is returned hi
g
h.
A subse
q
uent fallin
g
ed
g
e on the /M1_Messa
g
e pin starts a
new record operation in the memor
y
arra
y
immediatel
y
fol-
lowin
g
the last recorded messa
g
e, thus preservin
g
the last
recorded messa
g
e.
To record over all previous messa
g
es
y
ou must pulse the /CE
pin low once to reset the device to the be
g
innin
g
of the first
messa
g
e. You can then initiate a record se
q
uence, as
described above, to record a new messa
g
e. The most
recentl
y
recorded messa
g
e will become the last recorded
messa
g
e and all previousl
y
recorded messa
g
es followin
g
this
messa
g
e will become inaccessible.
If
y
ou wish to preserve an
y
current messa
g
es it is recom-
mend that Auto Rewind option be used instead of Normal
option. If Normal option is necessar
y
the followin
g
se
q
uence
can be used. To preserve current messa
g
es
y
ou must fast
forward past the messa
g
es
y
ou want to keep before
y
ou can
record a new messa
g
e. To fast forward when usin
g
the Nor-
mal option
y
ou must switch to pla
y
mode and listen to mes-
sa
g
es se
q
uentiall
y
until
y
ou arrive at the be
g
innin
g
of the
messa
g
e
y
ou wish to overwrite. At this sta
g
e
y
ou should
switch back to record mode and overwrite the desired mes-
sa
g
e. The most recentl
y
recorded messa
g
e will become the
last recorded messa
g
e and all previousl
y
recorded messa
g
es
followin
g
this messa
g
e will become inaccessible. All inputs,
except /CE are i
g
nored durin
g
recordin
g
.
Functional Description of Playback in Tape Mode using
On power-up, or after a low to hi
g
h transition on /RE the
device is read
y
to record or pla
y
back startin
g
at the first
address in the memor
y
arra
y
. Before
y
ou can be
g
in pla
y
back
of messa
g
es, the /CE input must be set to low to enable the
device and /RE must be set to hi
g
h to enable pla
y
back. The
first hi
g
h to low
g
oin
g
pulse of the /M1_Messa
g
e pin initiates
pla
y
back from the be
g
innin
g
of the current messa
g
e. When
the /M1_Messa
g
e pin pulses from hi
g
h to low a second time,
pla
y
back of the current messa
g
e stops immediatel
y
. When
the /M1_Messa
g
e pin pulses from hi
g
h to low a third time,
pla
y
back of the next messa
g
e starts a
g
ain from the be
g
in-
nin
g
. If
y
ou hold the /M1_Messa
g
e pin low continuousl
y
, the
current messa
g
e and subse
q
uent messa
g
es pla
y
until the
one of the followin
g
conditions is met: the end of the memor
y
arra
y
is reached, the last messa
g
e is reached, the
/M1_messa
g
e pin is released. If the last recorded messa
g
e
has alread
y
pla
y
ed, an
y
further transitions on the
/M1_Messa
g
e pin will initiate a double beep for warnin
g
and
the /M7_END pin will
g
o low. To exit this state
y
ou must pulse
the /CE pin low once durin
g
standb
y
to reset the pointer to
the be
g
innin
g
of the first messa
g
e.
APR9600
APLUS
the Normal Option
Auto Rewind Option
