Computer Hardware

1
Computer Hardware

• Tech Ed
• Mrs. Fluth
• Last Modified 6/21/2004

2
Computer Types

• Desktop
• Sits on a flat surface
• Perfect for someone who works from the same desk
  all the time
• Laptop
• Designed to sit on your lap
• Perfect for the person on the go

3
Terminology

• Hardware anything on the computer you can
  physically touch
• Example monitor, processor, motherboard
• Software anything on the computer you cant
  touch, but makes it work
• Example Internet Explorer, Word, operating
  system, Solitaire

4
More Terminology

• Input Any hardware that gets information into
  the computer
• Example mouse, microphone, keyboard
• Output Any hardware that sends information out
  of the computer
• Example monitor, printer, speakers
• Some devices can be both
• Example floppy disk, CD-RW

5
Safety

• ESD Electro-static Discharge
• Static electricity that can damage computer
  components
• EMI Electro-magnetic Interference
• Electrical interference that occurs from having
  devices too close together.

6
Monitors

• Most common output device
• Screen sizes are measured diagonally
• Attaches to the computer through a video port
• 2 types
• LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
• Flat ones
• CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
• Big bulky ones

7
Keyboards

• Most common input device
• Key arrangement called QWERTY
• Attaches to the computer with a 6 pin mini DIN,
  USB connection, or wireless

8
Mouse

• An extension of your hand
• 3 types
• Rolling ball wheel
• Optical
• Track ball
• Attaches to the computer through a 6 pin mini
  DIN, USB, or wireless

9
Ports

• Serial
• Parallel
• USB
• 6 pin mini DIN
• Video
• Audio
• Network

10
Serial Ports

• Also called COM ports
• Male in gender
• Oldest connection
• Transfer data 8 bits at a timeSLOW
• 9 25 pin configurations
• Used today by GPS cords, some joysticks

11
Parallel Ports

• Also called LPT ports
• Faster than Serial
• Transfer data 16 bits at a time
• Female in gender
• 9 25 pin configurations
• Used by some printers today

12
6 pin mini DIN ports

• Used by keyboard and mouse
• Not interchangeable
• 1 is for the keyboard
• 1 is for the mouse

13
USB ports

• Stands for Universal Serial Bus
• Fastest ports
• Automatically recognized when plugged in
• No need to restart computer for the device to be
  recognized
• Used by mouse, printer, scanner, etc.

14
Video Port

• Male in gender
• 15 pins
• Only port with 3 rows of pins
• Used by the monitor

15
Audio

• Plug speakers, microphone, headphones into

16
Network

• Plug in a modem or a network line
• Allows access to the Internet and a local network

17
Peripheral

• Defined as any device that externally connects to
  a computer.
• Example scanner, MP3 player, digital camera

18
Motherboard

• AKA main board
• All devices attach to the computer here
• Largest board in the computer
• Has copper traces which transmit data to various
  locations on the board

19
Processor

• AKA CPU (Central Processing Unit)
• The brain of the computer
• Traffic controller tells all the other devices
  what to do and when to do it

20
Processor

• 2 types
• Slot
• Looks like a card
• Socket
• Contains pins
• Use ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) when placing on
  the motherboard

21
Processors

• Because of all the activity they get hot
• Heat pulled away by
• Heat sync
• Processor fan
• Thermal grease between heat sync and processor

22
Memory

• ROM
• Read Only Memory
• Permanent (not upgradeable or erasable)
• RAM
• Random Access Memory
• Upgradeable
• Erased when power is cut

23
RAM

• Allows the computer to multitask--do more than
  one thing at a time
• Sits in slots called Banks on the motherboard
• Bank 0 should be filled first

24
RAM

• 3 form factors
• SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module)
• Old slow
• DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module)
• Middle ground
• RIMM (Rhombus Inline Memory Module)
• Newest fastest

RIMM
SIMM
DIMM
25
Slots

• ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
• Black ones
• slow
• PCI (Peripheral Component Interface)
• White ones
• faster

26
Slots

• ISA
• Becoming obsolete
• PCI
• Used for network cards, sound cards, etc

27
Slots

• AGP
• Accelerated Graphics Port
• Video cards plug in here
• Usually brown

28
Power Supply

• Converts AC power (from an outlet) to DC (for the
  computer to use)
• Powers the motherboard and all devices that
  attach to it.

29
Power

• 2 types of connections
• Mini connects to floppy drive
• Molex connects to hard drive, CD-Rom, DVD-ROM

molex
mini
30
Power

• CMOS Battery
• Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
• Keeps track of the date and time even when the
  computer is shut off
• Looks like a watch battery

31
Data Connections

• Data Cables or Ribbon Cables
• Connects storage devices to the motherboard
• Pink/Red wire denotes pin 1 which must be lined
  up properly on both the motherboard and the device

32
Data Connections

• Floppy
• contains a twist
• 34 wires
• Pin 1 furthest from power
• CD, hard drive, DVD
• No twist
• 40 wires
• Pin 1 closest to power

33
Daisy Chain

• Connecting two or more devices to one data cable.
  
• Example Connecting a CD and a CD-RW both to the
  same data cable.

34
Storage Devices

• Hard drive
• Known as the C drive
• Stores all the software to make the computer
  function
• Gets power from a molex
• Attaches to the motherboard with a data cable
• Hooks to the primary IDE on the motherboard
• magnetic media data held on device by magnetic
  force

35
Storage Devices

• CD-ROM
• Compact Disc
• Used for songs, installing software, etc
• Gets power through a molex
• Attaches to the motherboard with a data cable
• Attaches to the secondary IDE on the motherboard
• Often known as the D drive
• Optical media data will not be lost or degraded
  over time

36
Storage Devices

• Floppy Drive
• 3 ½ floppy disk drive
• Always the A drive
• Gets power through a mini
• Attaches to the motherboard through a data cable
  that has fewer pins than those for the CD and
  hard drive
• Data cable unique because of a twist
• Attaches to the motherboard in the slot labeled
  floppy disk
• magnetic media data will be lost over time and
  use

37
Storage Devices

• DVD
• Digital Video Disk
• Gets power through a molex
• Attaches to the motherboard with a data cable
• Attaches to the secondary IDE on the motherboard
  or daisy chained to other devices
• Useful for movies or larger files
• Optic media data will not degrade over time

38
Storage Devices

• CD-RW DVD-RW
• RW Rewritable
• Capable of saving information to these devices
• Save to CD or DVD through a process known as
  burning
• Uses same hookups as CD and DVD

39
Storage Terms
40
Lets Convert! ?
41
Storage Comparisons

• 3 ½ inch floppy disk 1.44 MB
• CD 720 MB
• Equivalent to 500 floppy disks
• DVD 4.7 GB
• Equivalent to 3,263 floppy disks
• Equivalent to 6 ½ CDs

42
Configuring Storage Devices

• Hard drive, CD, DVD, CD-RW, DVD-RW can be
  configured in 2 ways
• Master In charge of the devices
• Slave Does only what the master requests
• Used only if more than one similar device
• Done with a jumper

43
ReCap
44
Boards

• Video Card
• Network Card
• Sound Card

45
Video Card

• Monitor plugs into
• Sits in an AGP slot on the motherboard
• Expensive to support PC gaming

46
Network Card

• Also called NIC (Network Interface Card)
• Used to get online or into a network
• Attaches to the motherboard through a PCI slot
  (perhaps ISA)

47
Sound Card

• Speakers, microphone, etc plug in here
• Attaches to a PCI slot (perhaps ISA)