Voice Over Power Line Communication

Utilizing Renesas' third generation of market-leading power line communication (PLC) modem technology, this design effectively transmits voice over low-voltage power lines. The microphone and speaker are controlled by an MCU, which communicates with the CPX3/CPX4 modem IC. A synchronous step-down buck controller converts an unregulated rectified input voltage to produce a 12V bus for the line driver. Additionally, a 500mA synchronous buck regulator reduces the 12V to 3.3V to power the MCU and modem IC. An LDO generates a very low noise power rail for the codec, while a quad op amp is used for microphone amplification and output level indication.

System Benefits:

• Compatible with any PLC protocol standard, such as PRIME 1.3.6/1.4 and G3
• Low-power design ensures high efficiency in a compact space
• MCU operates up to 120MHz with low power usage and features up to 2MB of on-chip flash and 640KB of RAM