Abstract: A RAMDAC circuit drives a display device so as display multiple modes of color depth and display resolution in a single display frame without sacrificing resolution of the higher-resolution mode, and adjusts the output pixel rate to match that of the display mode being display on a pixel-by-pixel basis. The RAMDAC circuit switches between two graphics modes on-the-fly on a pixel-by-pixel basis in accordance with mode control bits stored in the pixel data. Furthermore, the RAMDAC circuit switches between two output pixel rates such that the amount of video memory used for any predefined screen area remains constant even though the output pixel rate and resolution are dynamically adjusted.

Abstract: A phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit, manufacturable using standard integrated circuit technology, includes a sampled-data phase detector, a sampled-data loop filter for filtering the output of the phase detetector, a voltage controlled oscillator driven by the output of the loop filter, and a frequency divider in the feedback loop. A clock circuit generates reference signals needed by the other circuit components. The sampled-data phase detector, under the control of two clocks of differing frequencies, derives a phase error signal through the use of discrete-time analog integration of its input signal. When the PLL is in lock, this phase detector outputs valid phase error signal at discrete time intervals. The gain of the phase detector is proportional to a ratio of capacitor values, a ratio of frequencies, and a reference voltage, all of which can be made substantially independent of variations in temperature and semiconductor processing.