Communications: GPS System-On-A-Chip Shrinks Cost And Complexity Of Auto Navigation

July 21, 2005

The SiRFstarIIA GPS system-on-a-chip lets designers build affordable automotive navigation and telematics systems. Integrated on the chip are the company's SiRFstarII GPS engine, a 32-bit ARM 720T CPU, and virtually all the peripheral interface circuits required by in-vehicle navigation and telematics systems. Peripherals included on the chip comprise UARTs; a CANbus interface; USB, SPI, and ATAPI/EIDE ports; a four-channel 16-bit analog-to-digital converter; a 16-bit Hi-Fi audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC); a 14-bit precision DAC; and 34 general-purpose I/O pins to support the man-machine Interface and audio functions, as well as all other connection and control of system functions. A suite of system development support tools, including GPS and dead-reckoning applications (SiRFDRive 2.0), is available. Third-party partners provide a full software development kit and real-time operating system. The tools and applications help reduce product development effort and cost while trimming time-to-market. Contact the company for chip pricing.

SiRF Technology Holdings Inc.www.sirf.com

About the Author

Dave Bursky

Technologist

Dave Bursky, the founder of New Ideas in Communications, a publication website featuring the blog column Chipnastics – the Art and Science of Chip Design. He is also president of PRN Engineering, a technical writing and market consulting company. Prior to these organizations, he spent about a dozen years as a contributing editor to Chip Design magazine. Concurrent with Chip Design, he was also the technical editorial manager at Maxim Integrated Products, and prior to Maxim, Dave spent over 35 years working as an engineer for the U.S. Army Electronics Command and an editor with Electronic Design Magazine.