User manual

ECE 477 Final Report Spring 2004
In contrast to the design to be made, it does not offer a bi-directional communication link
nor does it allow the guest to receive menus and other information. In order to achieve this, an
LCD, buttons, and a unique menu system will have to be developed for the handheld device.
The integration with a display and simple user interface could greatly increase its usefulness in
the restaurant industry.
The NTN Playmaker [7-6]:
Figure 7-3: NTN Playmaker System
The NTN Playmaker (figure 7-3) is a game board that allows users to play in a
community within an establishment. Users can read questions on a TV screen and send and
receive data through a handheld unit to a computer. It uses a 900 MHz transceiver to
communicate data between the units and the system computer. The LCD screen that the
Playmaker uses is an 8-line back-lit LCD. Along with this, the Playmaker has a 14-hour
battery life allowing for units to be played all day before having to be recharged.
The large LCD screen with a back light is a good feature. Running the device at 900
MHz transceiver frequency allows the Playmaker to have a wide range of service while still
allowing a long battery life. On the bad side, the Playmaker is large because of its need to
have a QWERTY keyboard type of inputs as well as its other input buttons. It also is not a
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