Linkplay Wireless Smart Audio
Module (A98ML)
User Manual
Revision 0.4
September 10, 2019
Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
HISTORY
Number
WMB20180515
Revision
0.1 05/15/2018 Datasheet Release
0.2 05/08/2019 Dimension and screw holes update
0.3 07/31/2019 Add I/O Power Domain Information
0.4 08/02/2019 Update Bluetooth Version
Date Description
Document No.: WMB20180428 Page 2 of 19
Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
WMB20180515
INDEX
1. Overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1. Parameter ................................................................................................................................................. 5
2. Hardware Description .......................................................................................................................................... 6
2.1. Description of Hardware Interface .......................................................................................................... 6
2.2. Mechanical Dimension .......................................................................................................................... 10
2.3. External Antenna ................................................................................................................................... 13
2.4. Typical Application ................................................................................................... 错误!未定义书签。
2.5. Power on Sequence ................................................................................................................................ 14
2.6 USB OTG Port ....................................................................................................................................... 14
3. Software Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 15
3.1. Feature List ............................................................................................................................................ 15
3.2. APP Support .......................................................................................................................................... 16
3.3. Certifications.......................................................................................................................................... 16
4. Module Environmental and Package ................................................................................................................. 16
4.1. Environmental Ratings .......................................................................................................................... 16
4.2. Electrostatic Discharge Specifications ................................................................................................... 16
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
WMB20180515
1. Overview
Linkplay Wireless Smart Audio module–A98ML, is our 3rd generation smart audio modules developed to be
used in the connected speaker, sound bar and other connected audio devices. It integrates the low power Broadcom
BCM43438 Wi-Fi/BT chip and Amlogic A113X application processor. A113X is an advanced application processor
designed for connected audio applications. It integrates a powerful CPU subsystem, advanced multi-format audio
processing unit, a secured running environment and all major peripherals to form the low power audio AP.
The main system CPU is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU with L1 instruction/data cache for each core and
a large unified L2 cache to improve system performance. Each Cortex-A53 CPU can run up to 1.5GHz (DVFS +
hot plug) and has a wide bus connecting to the memory sub-system. When the system is suspended, the main CPU
can be powered off and the Cortex-M3 in the always-on power domain can resume the system from multiple
interrupt sources.
The audio processing engine (APE) is based on ARM® NEONTM general-purpose SIMD architecture which
works seamlessly with main CPU to accelerate the multimedia processing algorithms, enhancing the user
experience. It is able to decode all major high resolution audio formats including MP3, AAC, WMA, RM, FLAC,
Ogg, etc and with the flexibility to support future audio standards.
A113X integrates all standard audio input/output interfaces including multiple TDM, PCM, I2S and SPDIF
digital audio input/output interfaces, and 8 channel far-field PDM digital microphone (DMIC) inputs. Audio input
has power detector to wake up from low activity states and hardware assisted synchronization blocks for multiple
room audio applications. Audio input data can be restricted to trusted memory space to protect always-on audio
privacy.
A98ML module supports IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz. It also supports BT4.1 with EDR and BLE.
A98ML module also provides USB, I2S, I2C, PDM, SPI, UART etc. interfaces.
The firmware is fully compatible with Apple AirPlay and digital living network alliance (DLNA) streaming
standards. It supports Hi-Fi audio up to 192KHz, 24-bit with most popular audio formats. It supports multi-room
and multi-channel audio streaming with perfect synchronization.
With this module, you can play the music on your speaker wirelessly from iPhone, iPad , iPod touch, Android
devices or PC. More important, it enables the traditional speaker system to become the Internet enabled device
through the wired or wireless connection provided by the module. Thus, you could freely playback any Internet
audio contents such as music, podcast, radio or either the accompany audio in the movie directly from the Internet.
Features
Amlogic A113X application processor
128MB DRAM
128MB NAND FLASH
Support IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Support BT4.1 with EDR and BLE
Application
Connected speaker, Sound Bar
Connected audio devices
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
1.1. Parameter
Type Items Performance
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi (2.4G)
Bluetooth
Certification TBD
WLAN Standard IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi compliant
Frequency Range 2.400 GHz ~ 2.483 GHz (2.4 GHz ISM Band)
Number of Channels Ch1 ~ Ch13
Modulation
Output Power
SISO Receive Sensitivity
(11b,20MHz) @8% PER
SISO Receive Sensitivity
(11g,20MHz) @10% PER
Receive Sensitivity
(11n,20MHz) @10% PER
Maximum Input Level
Antenna Reference External: I-PEX with 0~2 dBi peak gain
Certification
Bluetooth Standard Bluetooth V4.1 of 1, 2 and 3 Mbps
Antenna Reference External: I-PEX with 0~2 dBi peak gain
Frequency Band 2402 MHz ~ 2480 MHz
802.11b : DQPSK, DBPSK, CCK
802.11g/n : OFDM /64-QAM,16-QAM, QPSK, BPSK
802.11b /11Mbps : 16 dBm ± 1.5 dB @ EVM≤-9dB
802.11g /54Mbps : 15 dBm ± 1.5 dB @ EVM≤-25dB
802.11n /MCS7@HT20 : 14 dBm ± 1.5 dB @
EVM≤-27dB
- 1Mbps PER @ -96 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 2Mbps PER @ -90 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 5.5Mbps PER @ -88 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 11Mbps PER @ -86 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 6Mbps PER @ -90 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 9Mbps PER @ -88 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 12Mbps PER @ -87 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 18Mbps PER @ -85 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 24Mbps PER @ -83 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 36Mbps PER @ -80 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 48Mbps PER @ -76 dBm, ± 2 dB
- 54Mbps PER @ -73 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=0 PER @ -89 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=1 PER @ -85 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=2 PER @ -84 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=3 PER @ -80 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=4 PER @ -77 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=5 PER @ -75 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=6 PER @ -72 dBm, ± 2 dB
- MCS=7 PER @ -70 dBm, ± 2 dB
802.11b : -10 dBm
802.11g/n : -20 dBm
Number
WMB20180515
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number of Channels 79 channels
Modulation FHSS, GFSK, DPSK, DQPSK
Output Power
Hardware
(Output power can be
configured by HCD
firmware)
Sensitivity @ BER=0.1%
for GFSK (1Mbps)
Sensitivity @ BER=0.01%
for π/4-DQPSK (2Mbps)
Sensitivity @ BER=0.01%
for 8DPSK (3Mbps)
Maximum Input Level
Working Voltage 3.5-5.5V
Working Current 200 ~ 240mA (STA mode)
Standby Current 5mA
Operating Ambient
Temperature
Storage Temperature -5℃ ~ 45℃
Wi-Fi Working Distance 2.4G 80 meters
IO Extension USB, I2S, I2C, PWM, SPI, UART
Dimension NGFF golden fingers 67PIN
Table1-1 A98ML Module Parameters
10 dBm (Max.)
-86 dBm, typical
-86 dBm, typical
-80 dBm, typical
GFSK (1Mbps): -20dBm
π/4-DQPSK (2Mbps) : -20dBm
8DPSK (3Mbps) : -20dBm
0℃ ~ 40℃
Number
WMB20180515
2. Hardware Description
2.1. Description of Hardware Interface
A98ML provides the option to connect with customer board through its 67-pins NGFF golden finger. The detail is
as follows.
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
WMB20180515
Figure 2-1 A98ML Interface Pins
Pin Description:
Pin No.
1, 3, 5,
16, 23,
25, 27,
28, 34,
46, 50,
53, 54,
58, 63,
64, 74,
75
2，4，6 VDD_5V Power Power supply input > 800mA 3.5 - 5.5V
7 GPIOZ_7 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
17 I2C1_SCL
19 I2C1_SDA
21 GPIOZ_3
Pin Name Type
Description Power Domain
GND Supply Digital ground GND
I/O I2C bus1 clock 3.3V
I/O I2C bus1 data 3.3V
I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
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0.4
29 GPIOZ_6 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
31 PWM_B O Pulse Width Modulation B 3.3V
33 PWM_D O Pulse Width Modulation C 3.3V
35 PWMAO_C O Pulse Width Modulation AO_C 3.3V
37 PWMAO_D O Pulse Width Modulation AO_D 3.3V
39 UART0_RXD I UART0 receive 3.3V
41 UART0_TXD O UART0 transmit 3.3V
43 GPIOAO_7
45 GPIOAO_6
47 PWMAO_A
49 I2C0_SDA
51 I2C0_SCL
I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
O Pulse Width Modulation AO_A 3.3V
I/O I2C0 bus data 3.3V
I/O I2C0 bus clock 3.3V
55 GPIOA_19 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
57 ADC_CH0 I/IPU ADC input 1.8V
59 MCLK_C O Master clock C 3.3V
61 GPIOAO_13 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
65 GPIOA_20 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
67 USB_DM I/O USB data minus 3.3V
69 USB_DP I/O USB data plus 3.3V
71 USB_VBUS I USB voltage detection 5V
73 USB_ID I USB ID 1.8V
18 GPIOZ_5
I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
20 GPIOZ_1 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
22 GPIOZ_0 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
24 PWM_C I/O Pulse Width Modulation C 3.3V
26 GPIOZ_2 I/O General purpose input output 3.3V
30 UART1_RXD I UART1 receive 3.3V
32 UART1_TXD O UART1 transmit 3.3V
36 PDM_DIN3 I PDM input data 3 signal 3.3V
38 PDM_DIN1 I PDM input data 1 signal 3.3V
40 PDM_DIN2 I PDM input data 2 signal 3.3V
42 PDM_DCLK O PDM output clock 3.3V
44 PDM_DIN0 I PDM input data 0 signal 3.3V
48 TDMB_DIO1 I/O TDM B input and output data1 3.3V
52 TDMB_SCLK I/O TDM B bit clock 3.3V
56 TDMB_DIO0 I/O TDM B input and output data0 3.3V
60 TDMB_FS I/O TDM B L/R clock 3.3V
62 TDMC_DIO1 I/O TDM C input and output data1 3.3V
66 TDMC_DIO0 I/O TDM C input and output data0 3.3V
68 TDMC_FS I/O TDM C L/R clock 3.3V
70 TDMC_SCLK I/O TDM C bit clock 3.3V
Number
WMB20180515
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
72 MCLK_B O Master clock B 3.3V
Table 2-1 A98ML Module Pin Description
WMB20180515
Notes:
1. I：Input
2. O：Output
3. P：Power
4. IPU：Internal Pull Up
5. IPD：Internal Pull Down
2.2. Mechanical Dimension
A98ML module has the dimension of 50mm x 40.33mm. The detailed layout will be given shortly below.
Unit: mm
PLUG PCB dimensions:
NGFF connector dimensions:
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Top View
Number
WMB20180515
TOP Components Height Limit
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
WMB20180515
Bottom Components Height Limit
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
WMB20180515
Figure 2-2 A98ML Physical Dimension
2.3. External Antenna
A98ML uses the external antenna for the best Wi-Fi performance. To use external antenna, please choose the
antenna type that meets the requirement of IEEE 802 b/g/n Wi-Fi standard running at 2.4GHz frequency. The
detailed parameters are shown in the table below.
Item Parameter
Frequency range 2.4 ~ 2.5GHz
Impedance 50 Ohm
VSWR 2 (Max.)
Reflection loss -10dB (Max.)
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Connector I-PEX or populate directly
Table 2-5 External Antenna Parameters for A98ML
2.4. ower on Sequence
Number
WMB20180515
2.6 USB OTG Port
Please follow the design rule below to populate the USB host interface:
Item Parameter
Signal Group USB
Topology Differential Pair Point-to-Point
Reference Plane Ground Referenced
Characteristic Trace Impedance (Zo) 90 Ω ±10%
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
WMB20180515
Trace Width 4 mils
Serpentine Spacing (center to center) 8.5 mils
Minimum Isolation Spacing to Clock Signals 50 mils
Minimum Isolation Spacing to Low-Speed Signals 20 mils
Minimum Isolation Spacing to other USB Pair 20 mils
Total Length (with package length) < 8000 mils
Maximum Recommended Via Count 2 (per side)
DM to DP Length Matching (with package length) Match total length to within ±10 mils
Table 2-2 A98ML USB Design Rule
3. Software Introduction
3.1. Feature List
“Easy Setup” to setup your network, with the help of one button of your device, you can connect the device to
your home router quickly.
Music stream protocol
Support Spotify Connect, Airplay, DLNA and QPlay protocol
Amazon Alexa
Music content
Support iHeartRadio, Napster/Rhapsody, Tidal, Deezer, vTune, Qobuz, Audible, Radio.de, NPR，Ximalaya，
Qingting FM, QQ FM, Douban FM inside, with the help of App, you can search, stream, playback and preset
the musics of the above music services.
Multiroom
Support multiroom.
Support Airplay, Spotify, Bluetooth, Aux-in multiroom playback.
Music format
HTTP/HTTPS/RTSP/MMS/TS protocol
HLS/ASX/M3U playlist format
MP3/AAC/FLAC/ALAC/WMA/APE/OGG codec
BT
Support 4.1：A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HID profiles
Support BLE
Support EDR
Preset
With the help of App, you can store the music account token and playlist in the A98ML. Then the end user can
play the playlist by the button/voice or timer even without the App.
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Number
WMB20180515
3.2. APP Support
iOS App
≥ iOS6.1，suggest iOS10 and above
Android APP
≥ Android 4.3.3
Quick Customization
With the help of the Linkplay compile server, you can change the brand and some strings, change the logo and
some pictures to get a customization App.
3.3. Certifications
Linkplay can help you to finish follow certifications:
Wi-Fi Logo
BQB
Amazon Alexa
MFi
Spotify Connect
DLNA
QPlay
4. Module Environmental and Package
4.1. Environmental Ratings
The environmental ratings are shown as following table.
Characteristic Value Units Conditions/CommentsA
Storage Temperature -5 ~ 45 ℃
Relative humidity
4.2. Electrostatic Discharge Specifications
Extreme caution must be exercised to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage. Proper use of wrist and heel
grounding straps to discharge static electricity is required when handling these devices. Always store unused
material in its antistatic packaging.
ESD Specifications
Type Symbol Condition ESD Rating Unit
Less than 60 % Storage
Less than 80 % Operation
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Human Body Model Contact
ESD Handling ESD_HAND_HBM
Discharge per
JEDEC EID/JESD22-A114
Machine Model
(MM)
ESD_HAND_MM Machine Model Contact 30 V
Charged Device Model Contact
CDM ESD_HAND_CDM
Discharge per
JEDEC EIA/JESD22-C101
Number
WMB20180515
1000 V
300 V
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Number
Version
0.4
WMB20180515
Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Single Module
FCC Statement
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept
any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Any Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the
user's authority to operate the equipment.
The modular can be installed or integrated in mobile or fix devices only. This modular cannot be installed in any
portable device.
FCC Radiation Exposure Statement
This modular complies with FCC RF radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This
transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. This
modular must be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 20 cm between the radiator and user body.
If the FCC identification number is not visible when the module is installed inside another device,then the outside
of the device into which the module is installed must also display a labelreferring to the enclosed module. This
exterior label can use wording such as the following:“Contains Transmitter Module FCC ID: 2ANOG-A98XLXX Or
Contains FCC ID: 2ANOG-A98XLXX”
When the module is installed inside another device, the user manual of the host must contain below warning
statements;
1. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference.
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
2. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for complianc could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
The devices must be installed and used in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions as described in
the user documentation that comes with the product.
Any company of the host device which install this modular with Single modular approval should perform the test
of radiated emissionand spurious emission according to FCC part 15C : 15.247 requirement,Only if the test result
comply with FCC part 15C : 15.247 requirement，then the host can be sold legally.The module complies with FCC
Part 15.247
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Doc Title Wireless Smart Audio Module-A98ML Specification
Version
0.4
Trace antenna designs: Not applicable.
Antenna type Antenna gain
PIFA
1.6dBi
Number
WMB20180515
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