You Can DIY!: High-End Class-D Audio Board for the Arduino MKR Family

Arduino boards are extremely popular among DIY enthusiasts and a number of add-ons or “shields” exist, particularly for audio players. Now, the Arduino MKR family has expanded the possibilities even more. This article details an Infineon amplifier board featuring integrated MERUS MA12070P proprietary multi-level Class-D ICs, which create an exciting platform for advanced wireless audio projects — including full-fledged Alexa-powered DIY smart speakers. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2020.

This project is a great suggestion for a new affordable high-end 2 x 40 W Class D audio amplifier implemented with a Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) board to connect onto a Raspberry Pi Zero platform, creating a solution ideally suited for DIY audio projects. On the other hand, this is a very clever way to promote the Merus amplifiers from Infineon and get a great number of developers and enthusiasts to actual use it, get to know it, and understand its advantages in a real audio project. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2020.

This article shares a new important insight on modern Class-D amplification from the experienced perspective of Jens Tybo Jensen - part of the founding team at Merus Audio, and now head of Class D Audio Marketing and Applications at Infineon. The author states that it may be time to rethink Class D audio design and measurement practices, and he details what multilevel Class D amplification can do for new product designs. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2019.