Cirrus Logic has announced a development kit for hardware developers to make Lightning versions of audio hardware designed for the analog 3.5mm tip/ring/sleeve (TRS) or tip/ring/ring/sleeve (TRRS) connector, reports Apple Insider.

The development kit, named the Cirrus Logic CS42L42, is aimed at hardware developers wanting an easy way to quickly develop Lightning-native headsets. The kit includes a reference design circuit board, suitable for embedding into an inline remote or similar, that combines a 114dB digital-to-audio converter (DAC) with a 35mW headphone driver and supports microphone input. The kit also provides a development board that has headers for logic probes, a 3.5mm audio jack for use with existing analog hardware, and remote buttons to aid debugging and development. As well as the hardware, it also includes a sample iOS application.

The kit is available to developers registered in Apple's MFi ("Made For i-device") program.

The next generation iPhone is widely believed to not include a traditional 3.5mm TRRS jack, a change that will leave it incompatible with the hundreds of millions of headphones and headsets already on the market. It's believed that Apple will ship Lightning-native headphones with the device and that adapters to allow the use of existing 3.5mm hardware will also be available.

Hardware such as this Cirrus Logic part should enable straightforward conversions of current designs to make them Lightning native. This hardware also offers hints at how Lightning headphones will work: specifically, Lightning will remain a digital interface, requiring the use of an external DAC, rather than offering the ability to put analog audio over the port. This will enable the iPhone's internal DAC to be used. Even with Lightning headphones, the iPhone will have to retain its own DAC for its internal speakers.