Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

 

Block Diagram

 

 

Design Considerations

 

A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is a portable computing machine. Like a notebook PC (and in contrast to an embedded portable system such as a GPS, medical, test device), the PDA can run a wide variety of applications. The core subsystems include:

 

• Processor/Memory: The processor runs applications stored in memory. The OS is stored in non-volatile memory such as NAND/NOR Flash. Application code and data may be loaded in SDRAM or SRAM.

 

• User Interface: Allows user to input data to the PDA using input commands via touch screen or keypad. Video, pictures, internet, applications are displayed on a small LCD screen or sometimes can be displayed on a larger screen via a TV or projector connection. Audio can be output through the headphone connection, external audio out jacks, or possibly built-in speakers. Newer generation TI audio codecs process sound with better audio quality and longer battery life.

 

• Connectivity: Allows PDA to connect to other peripherals, such as PCs via USB or Wireless LAN, headsets via Bluetooth, TVs or monitors via TV out, S-Video, or HDMI transceivers, memory cards via MMC/SD.

 

• Power Management Unit: Integrates an audio/video codec, a High-Speed USB transceiver, a keypad controller, battery management, and an on-board power manager that monitors use of various functional blocks and shuts down or reduces power per application demand.