Wireless Audio Access

As part of a digital music system that distributes and amplifies audio music files, a secure wireless network extends the range of control to anywhere inside or outside the home. Sonos' Controller accesses the Sonosnet peer-to-peer wireless mesh network to select songs, control the volume, and, in general, provide freedom from the proximity to the PC-, Mac-, or Network-attached Storage box. The Controller has other innovative features including a movement sensor that automatically turns the Controller on when it is moved and a light sensor that limits backlighting to a minimum to conserve battery power. Design engineers choose Xilinx Spartan-3 field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to implement advanced capabilities in digital consumer audio products for their flexibility, features, and low cost per gate. The Spartan-3 Evaluation Kit from Avnet provides an affordable prototyping environment with tested demonstration designs to accelerate the design process.