4
Radio IC:
Radio functionality is achieved through the use of the Silicon Labs SI4735
broadcast radio receiver IC (integrated circuit).
The SI4735 is a digital CMOS AM/FM/Shortwave radio receiver IC that
integrates the complete tuner function from antenna input to audio output.
USB Audio Codec:
The utilization of the PC or Laptop sound system without the requirement of
drivers to be installed is achieved through the Texas Instruments PCM2906C
stereo audio codec with USB interface.
The PCM2906C is a single-chip, USB, stereo audio codec with a USB-
compliant full-speed protocol controller. The USB protocol controller
requires no software code.
The PCM2906C is fully compliant with the USB 2.0 Specification
Microprocessor Control of Radio:
The Silicon Labs SI4735 IC is controlled utilizing a Microchip PIC18F2550
microprocessor
The existing preloaded software program can be modified or replaced by the
user with user’s own version of software. This allows users to experiment
and write their own program to take advantage of the capabilities of the
SI4735 IC
A new microprocessor program can be compiled and then downloaded to the
microprocessor using a Microchip Pickit 2 programmer and the in-circuit
Programming Header on the PCB without having to remove the PIC18F2550
(the LCD display does have to be unplugged to re-program the PIC)
