Nothing Ear (a) earbuds is equipped with a customized 11mm dynamic driver, support bass enhancement algorithm and LDAC codec, and have passed Hi-Res AUDIO certification. They support adaptive ANC function, automatically switch noise cancelling mode according to ambient noise, and the maximum noise cancelling depth is 45dB. They support call noise cancelling and ensure clear calls through clear voice technology.
It also supports in-ear detection, multipoint connection and low-latency mode. The single battery life is up to 9 hours and the total battery life is up to 42 hours. It supports fast charging, charging for 10 minutes to listen for 3 hours. Via the Nothing X APP, you can customize EQ, customize controls, find earphones, and set the noise cancelling mode, etc.
We have previously teardown the Nothing products including: Nothing CMF Buds, Nothing CMF Buds Pro, Nothing Ear (2) and Nothing Ear (stick). Let’s take a look at the detailed teardown report of Nothing Ear (a).
01/ Nothing Ear (a) Charging Case Teardown
Disassemble the charging case and remove the bottom shell. The left side is the bottom structure of the charging bin, and the FPC is fixed by a white cover. The right side is the internal structure of the cavity, the motherboard is fixed by screws, and the battery is fixed by double-sided tape.
The inner structure of the Type-C charging port is fixed by a bracket.
Remove the screws and bracket, and take out the motherboard and battery inside the cavity.
The circuit on one side of the charging case motherboard.
The circuit on the other side of the charging case motherboard.
The LY ICP1106 power management chip integrates switch charging, Boost synchronous boost, power path management, earphone independent detection, two-way communication, OVP, OCP protection functions – with powerful performance, high integration, and simple peripheral circuits.
The charging voltage, charging current, and output voltage of the ICP1106 can be flexibly configured through I2C, which can easily realize TWS fast charging. At the same time, it supports power line carrier two-way communication and UART two-way communication mode, which can meet the information interaction needs of the charging case and earbuds. Supports transport mode, and the lowest standby power consumption can be 1uA. Supports multiple voltage output standby modes such as 0V, 2.4V, and battery voltage.
2.2μH power inductor, works with power management chip.
The FPC connector.
The APTCHIP APT32F102 microcontroller is a 32-bit high-performance, low-cost microcontroller developed based on the T-HEAD Semiconductor CPU core for charging case control.
Prisemi P14C1N overvoltage and overcurrent protection IC has an input withstand voltage of up to 32V and a fixed overvoltage protection point of 6V. The overcurrent protection point can be set by external resistors, with a minimum accuracy of 10mA. Moreover, the overcurrent protection response time can be adjusted by the capacitor components to meet the overcurrent protection requirements of various adapters and various projects.
The TVS tube with silkscreen 23P is used for input overvoltage protection.
The charging case has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a charging limit voltage of 4.4V, which is wrapped with high-temperature insulating tape for protection. Tear off the insulation protection, and the silkscreen information on the battery cell is – Model: M801535, Nominal voltage: 3.85V, Rated capacity: 500mAh 1.925Wh.
The battery protection board circuit is equipped with a lithium battery protection IC, MOS tube, and thermistor.
Remove the charging bin cover, and fix the FPC structure below with hot melt columns, and connect the charging connector, indicator light, bluetooth pairing button and Hall element respectively.
Remove the FPC at the bottom of the charging bin. There are three magnets to fix the charging case lid and earbuds.
The circuit of charging case FPC.
Two LED indicators of different colors for feedback on bluetooth pairing and charging status.
The Hall element with silkscreen qH 4C is used to sense the change in magnetic field when the charging case is opened/closed, and then notify the charging case MCU and earbuds to pair or disconnect with the connected device.
Function button for bluetooth pairing.
Pogo Pin connector for charging earbuds.
02/ Nothing Ear (a) Earbuds Teardown
Remove the cover on the back of the earbud-stem. The bluetooth antenna is set on the inside of the cover.
Pick up the connector and take out the motherboard inside the earbud-stem. The circuit on one side of the earbud motherboard.
The MEMS microphone of the laser engraving G057A is a call microphone, which is used to pick up human voice during voice calls. The one on the right is the BTB connector for connecting the pressure-sensitive button FPC.
The metal dome connected to the bluetooth antenna.
LY ICP1205 is a linear charging IC that supports bidirectional power line communication. It is an earbud end analog front end designed for the TWS earbuds system. ICP1205 integrates programmable linear charging, power path management, carrier and transparent communication, transportation mode and other functions – with extremely low operating power consumption and standby function. The chip supports multiple complete protection functions, bluetooth master firmware upgrade and data transmission functions.
At the same time, ICP1205 is paired with ICP1106 to support efficiency charging mode. The charging case output voltage can be adjusted according to the headphone battery voltage, which increases the charging case battery capacity conversion rate by about 20%, providing support for TWS earbuds to have ultra-long standby time, reduce the size of the charging case, and save battery costs.
The second G057A feedforward noise cancelling microphone is used to pick up external environmental noise. The one on the right is the BTB connector used to connect the FPC of the components in the earbud head.
The circuit on the other side of the earbud motherboard.
BES BES2600Z bluetooth audio SoC. Supports Bluetooth 5.3, hybrid ANC and AI call noise cancelling, providing stable wireless connection and rich functions for headphones.
Bluetooth chip peripheral crystal oscillator, used to provide clock.
IC with silkscreen NS 5.
AWINIC AW86862 pressure sensing IC, with pressure sensing signal acquisition, amplification and processing functions. It integrates 1 I2C communication module, 1 system control module, a power management module and 1 AFE module (including 2 analog input differential channels and multiplexers, 2-stage PGA, 11-bit offset calibration DAC, 14-bit ADC and intelligent press logic processing module). The size of AW86862 is as small as 1.41mm×1.41mm, which is 67% smaller than the previous generation, and is very suitable for use in the small space of TWS earbuds.
Two Sunlord SDCL0603Q series multilayer ceramic inductors. The product achieves high Q value and high self-resonant frequency (SRF) through carefully designed coils and electrodes. Made by laminated dry process, it can provide high-precision and high-consistency products to meet the stringent requirements of precision electronic components.
Take out the FPC inside the earbud-stem. There are charging contacts on the FPC.
The circuit on one side of the FPC. On the left is the BTB connector connecting the FPC to the motherboard. In the middle is the pressure sensor, which provides precise operation control.
Disassemble the earbud cavity. There is an in-ear detection sensor on the left cavity wall.
The rear cavity is isolated from the front cavity by a cover plate, and a battery is set inside.
Take out all the components inside the cavity.
The FPC and components inside the earbud head, including: speakers, microphones, batteries, in-ear detection sensors.
The BTB connector connecting the FPC to the motherboard.
The backfeed noise cancelling microphone with a printed QR code is used to pick up noise from inside the ear canal to further eliminate noise.
Disconnect the battery. A lithium battery protection IC is set on the back FPC, which is protected by black hard glue.
The earbuds have a built-in steel shell button battery.
The front of the earbud speaker uses a composite diaphragm.
On the back of the speaker, the tuning hole is set on the edge bracket and protected by a silk screen.
All components of Nothing Ear (a) true wireless noise cancelling earphones.
03/ Summary
The Nothing Ear (a) has a very recognizable appearance – the charging case and earbuds are both transparent. The earbuds have a rounded and full curve, fitting comfortably with the auricle. With three different sizes of silicone eartips, it can provide a comfortable and stable wearing experience.
The charging case has a built-in 500mAh lithium battery and uses the LY ICP1106 power management chip to manage charging and discharging. The charging voltage, charging current, and output voltage can be flexibly configured through I2C to facilitate fast charging. It also uses the APTCHIP APT32F102 microcontroller and Hall elements.
The earbud has a built-in 46mAh steel shell button battery and use the LY ICP1205 linear charging IC. The ICP1106 power management chip of the charging case supports the efficiency charging mode, which can increase the charging case battery capacity conversion rate by about 20%, thereby providing longer battery life. The earbuds are equipped with three MEMS microphones for sound pickup, and the main control chip is the BES BES2600Z bluetooth audio SoC. It also uses the Sunlord SDCL0603Q series multilayer ceramic inductor.
PS: Translated from 52audio
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