Seiko Epson Corporation has begun shipping a PC tool for creating high-quality voice data in an expanded range of languages for an Epson audio playback microcontroller and IC. The new tool is compatible with Epson’s S1C31D50 (a 32-bit microcontroller with dedicated sound hardware) and the S1V3G340 audio playback IC. The microcontroller and IC support four languages (American English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean), but the new tool provides support for an additional eight languages (American Spanish, British English, Canadian French, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish).


The use of voice guidance has become increasingly common in items ranging from remote-controlled tankless water heaters, home electronics, and health and fitness equipment to alarms in office buildings, shopping complexes, and factories. Epson’s existing sound playback microcontroller and IC have been optimized for these applications and have been well-received by customers. By providing the new tool, Epson enables developers of items such as household equipment, home electronics, health and fitness equipment, and industrial equipment to easily make their products multilingual by embedding an IC.