Supercaps improve cell phone performance
Why would a supercapacitor manufacturer travel from Australia to New York to attend the Audio Engineering Society’s 2007 convention? This was the exact question I asked Pierre Mars—a VP of applications engineering for CAP-XX (www.cap-xx.com)—when I sat down with him during the show.
His answer was quite simple: Cap-XX believes supercapacitors can overcome limitations in battery-powered mobile phones to provide “richer, distortion-free music.” After hearing some demos, I think they’re on to something.
Typical cell phone designs feature a Class D amplifier that is driven directly from a battery, which can be problematic for two reasons:
1. Battery voltage will droop while supplying current for the RF data transmission. If this coincides with a music peak, then there will be distortion.
2. Audio noise from peak audio currents drawn from the battery cause significant ripple in the audio amp supply voltage.
The proof, though, was in the hearing, and Mars had some audio samples that he sent through two switchable circuits from his MP3 player including some beautiful guitar music that snapped, crackled, and popped in the battery-driven circuit that was made pristine when run through the supercap-based circuit. Mars also demonstrated the differences in cell-phone camera flashes when using the two circuits. The supercapacitor-based flash design was blinding, while the traditional circuit was barely noticeable in the well-lit room.
One potential drawback could be $2 to $3 cost. All in all, however, I’m fairly sure there’s a market for such a solution. I’ll keep my eyes, and ears, open for any developments. To check it out for yourself, go to www.cap-xx.com.
Electronic Products Magazine , Uniondale , NY
Ralph Raiola 516-227-1381
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