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Hardware
Introduction:
All the elements put together to make up a PC fall into one of two categories Hardware or Software. One of the definitions of 'Hardware' according to Webster's dictionary is 'major items of equipment or their components used for a particular purpose.Hardwarereferstotheelectrical,mechanicalandelectroniccomponentsofa computer e.g. Monitor, keyboard, mouse etc. Software refers to programs or set of instructionsthatenablethecomputertoperformaspecifictaske.g.Antivirus,MSOffice etc.Firmware isacombinationof hardwareandsoftware.Theseareprogramsthat are writtenonReadOnlyMemory(ROM)chips.e.g.BIOS.Thissectionisabouthardware, uponwhich softwareruns.

Objectives
Thischapterwillfocuson ComputerAnalogandDigitalcomputers InputandOutputDevices ComponentspresentinsidethePCcabinet Components of a Motherboard (includes Processor, RAM, ROM, Expansion slots) NICanditstypes ModemsDialup,DSLandCable

WhatisaComputer?
A computer is an electronic device that accepts information in digital or similar form and manipulates it for a result, based on a sequence of instructions given. Computerstypicallyperformtheirworkinthreewelldefinedsteps:(1)Acceptinginput, (2) Processing the input according to predefined rules (programs) and (3) Producing output.

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AnalogandDigitalComputer
An analog computer operates with numbers represented by directly measurable quantities(suchastemperaturechangesorvoltages)whichvarycontinuously,whereasa digital computer works with signals which are either on or off (binary 0 or 1). All ordinarycomputersaredigitalAnalogcomputersareemployedforspecialuses,suchas robotics,whereanexperimentaldesigncanbetestedinrealtime.

Desktopsandlaptops
Desktopcomputerisapersonalcomputermadeforuseonadeskinanofficeor home. Laptop computers, also called a notebook computer or notebook, is a small personalcomputerdesignedformobility.

InputDevices
Inputdevicesaredevicesthatareusedforfeedingdataorinstructionstoacomputer.The followingaresomeofthecommonlyusedinputdevicesusedinourdaytodaylife.

Keyboard
The primary function of the keyboard is to translate keystrokes into letters or numbers. Using a keyboard, a person can type a document, use keystroke shortcuts, access menus, play games and perform a variety of other tasks. Keyboards can have differentkeysdependingonthemanufacturer,theoperatingsystemthey'redesignedfor, and whether they are attached to a desktop computer or part of a laptop. Wireless keyboardsarebecoming increasinglypopular.Thewirelessreceiverusuallyconnectsto thecomputerviaUSB.

Keyboard

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Mouse
Every day, we reach out for our mouse whenever we want to move the cursor or activate something. The mouse senses the motion and the clicks and sends them to the computersoitcanrespondappropriately.Itactsasapointingdevice.

OpticalMouse

There are two basic types of mouse mechanical and optical. Mechanical mouse hasarubberballatthebottomthatcanrollinanydirection.Theballmouseutilizestwo rollersrollingagainsttwosidesoftheball.Onerollerdetectsthehorizontalmotionofthe mouseandotherthevertical motion.Anoptical mouseusesa lightemittingdiode and photodiodestodetectmovementrelativetotheunderlyingsurface.

Scanner
Ascannerisadevicethatcanreadtextorillustrationsprintedonpaperandinterpret theinformationintoaformthecomputercanuse.Largerscannersincludemachinesinto whichyoucanfeedsheetsofpaper.Thesearecalledsheetfedscanners.Asecondtypeof largescanner,calledaflatbedscanner,islikeaphotocopymachine.Itconsistsofaboard on which you lay books, magazines, and other documents that you want to scan. Most scannersofthistypeconnectviaUSBports.

Scanner

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OutputDevices
Anoutputdeviceisanypieceofcomputerhardwareequipmentusedtocommunicatethe resultsofdatprocessingcarriedoutbythecomputertotheoutsideworld

Printer
Printerisanoutputdevicewhichcanbeusedtogetaprintedcopyoftheprocessed textorresultonpaper.Therearedifferenttypesofprintersthataredesignedfordifferent typesofapplications.

Thecommonlyusedprintersare

DotMatrixPrinter

Dot matrix printer is an impact printer that produces text and graphics when tiny wire pins on the print head strike the ink ribbon. The print head runs back and forthon the paper like a typewriter. When the ink ribbon presses on the paper, it creates dots that form text and images. As of today, dot matrix printers are only used in some pointof sales terminals, or businesses where printing of carbon copy multipart forms or data loggingareneeded.

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InkjetPrinter

Inkjet printers are nonimpact printers which print text and images by spraying tinydropletsofliquidinkontopaper.Thecoreofaninkjetprinter,theprinthead containsaseriesofnozzlesthatareusedtospraydropsofink.Dependingonthe manufacturer and model of the printer, ink cartridges come in various combinations, such as separate black and color cartridges, color and black in a singlecartridgeorevenacartridgeforeachinkcolor.

LaserPrinter

Laserprinterusestoner(blackorcoloredpowder)insteadof liquid inks. A laser printerconsistsofthesemajorcomponents:drumcartridge,rotatingmirror,toner

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Cartridgeandroller. Thedrumcartridgerotatesasthepaper is fedthrough. The mirror deflects laser beam across the surface of the drum. Laser beam creates chargethatcausesthetonertosticktothedrum. Asthedrumrotatesandpresses onpaper,toneristransferredfromthedrumtopaper,creatingimages. Rollersthen useheatandpressuretofusetonertopaper.

Monitor
The computer monitor is an output device that is part of the computer's display system.Acableconnectsthemonitortoavideoadapter(videocard)thatisinstalledin the computers motherboard. This system converts signals into text and pictures and displaysthemonaTVlikescreen(themonitor).

Thereare twobasictypesofmonitorsinusetoday CRTbasedwhicharebeingusedasastandarddesktopunitformanyyears. LCDwhichweretraditionallyassociatedwithportablecomputerand nowbeing usedindesktopPCsalso.

CRTMonitor

LCDMonitor

The Cathode Ray Tube is a funnel shaped glass tube that uses electron guns to excitethephosphorelementsonthebackofthe displayglass.The lightenedphosphors blendtoform imagesand movementsthatshowthroughthedisplayoftheCRTforthe usertoview. TheLiquidCrystalDisplayispopularbecauseitisthinner,lighterandrequiresless powerthanCRT.Liquidcrystalsareorganic,rodshapedmoleculesthathaveproperties of both solids and liquids. Light passes through the crystals depending on how the molecules are aligned and applying an electric current to the crystals alters their molecularalignment.LCDmonitorsaremoreexpensivethanCRTmonitorsbecausethey causemoretoproduce.

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AdvantagesofLCDoverCRT
Theyareperfectlyflat. Theydonotusebulky,heavyCathodeRayTube. TheydonotproduceEMI. Theyusefarlesspower.

DependingonthetypeofCRTused,theyareclassifiedas 1. Monochromemonitors 2. Colormonitors Mono meansoneand chrome meanscolor.Monochrome monitorsshowtheir images inonecolor,itmay begreen,amberandwhitephosphor,crimson.Colorofthe display is obtained but different gray levels and different shades in the same color are alsopossible. Forcolormonitors, threeprimarycolorsi.e.,Red,GreenandBlueareused.Hence thecombinationofalltheprimecolorscanbeobtained.

Speaker
Aspeakergivessoundoutputfrom thecomputer. Somespeakersarebuiltinto thecomputerandsomeareseparate.

Speakers

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PCCabinet
The PC cabinet or case is a thin sheet metal enclosure that houses the Motherboard,SwitchModePowerSupply(SMPS)andvariousdrives(HardDiskDrive, Floppy DiskDrive,CompactDiskDriveandDigital VersatileDisk).

InsidethePCTower

Motherboard
Motherboard acts as the spine of the computer, because it aggregates all of the PCs primary system components on a single Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The motherboard of a PC is a home to many of the most essential parts of the computer, includingthemicroprocessor,expansionbus,chipset,memorysockets,parallelandserial ports,mouseandkeyboardconnectors,IDEandfloppydiskdrivecontrollersetc. The SMPS unit, hard disk, CDROM drive, floppy dick drive etc are also connectedtothemotherboard.

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Motherboard

ComponentsoftheMotherboard Processor ashortform for microprocessorandalsooften calledthe CPUorcentral

processing unit, is the central component of the PC. The processor is placed in the processor slot / socket present on the motherboard. All the work that is done on the computerisperformeddirectlyorindirectlybytheprocessor. Twotypicalcomponentsof aCPUare The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations. Thecontrolunit(CU),whichextractsinstructionsfrommemoryanddecodes andexecutesthem,callingontheALUwhennecessary.

ExpansionSlots
Expansionslotsarebuiltinareasforfutureexpansion.Anexpansioncard(likeNetwork Interface Card, Sound card etc.) can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer motherboard toaddadditionalfunctionalitytoacomputersystem.

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InsertinganExpansionSlot IndustryStandardArchitecture(ISA) isanolderbusstandardthatwasmainly

designedforIBMPC.Itcomesasboth8and16bitinterfaces.Theyareblackincolour. ThesearenowadaysreplacedbyPCI.

IndustryStandardArchitecture Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) is a 32 bit interface. It is creamy

whiteincolour.ItisinthisslotwhereweplugintheNetworkInterfaceCard.NICallows thecomputertobe linkedtoacomputernetworkwhere it cancommunicatewithother computers.Alsousedasa meansof accessingtheInternetviaa broadband connection. Soundcard,internalmodem,TVtunnercardcanalsobeconnectedtothisslot.

PeripheralComponentInterconnectExtended(PCIX) is a computer bus

that is designed to supercede PCI. The width of the bus is 64 bit. It is backward compatiblewithPCI.Itmaybecreamywhite,greenororangeincolour.

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PCIExpress PCIandPCIX,are32and64bitparallelbusesrespectivelybutPCI
ExpressuseshighspeedseriallinktechnologysimilartothatfoundinGigabitEthernet, SerialATA (SATA),andSerialAttachedSCSI(SAS).PCIExpressreflectsanindustry trendtoreplacelegacysharedparallelbuseswithhighspeedpointtopointserialbuses. PCIExpresswasdesignedtoreplacethePCI,PCIX,andAGPparallelbusesgradually.

AcceleratedGraphicsPort (AGP) is an interface specification that enables 3D

graphicstodisplayquicklyonordinarypersonalcomputers,enhancingboththelookand speed of the computer's graphics. AGP is designed to convey 3D images much more quickly and smoothly. It is especially useful in conjunction with gaming, three dimensional(3D)video,andsophisticatedscientific/engineeringgraphicsprograms.

AcceleratedGraphicsPort

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Expansionslotsinlaptopcomputers PCMCIA(PersonalComputerMemoryCardInternationalAssociation)
are16bitslotsthatarepresentinlaptopcomputers.Theyarehotswappableandplugn play compatible. The cards that are connected to this slots are called PC cards or PCMCIAcards TherearethreetypesofPCMCIAslots/cards Type TypeI TypeII TypeIII Noofrowsofpins Singlerowofpins Tworowsofpins Fourrowsofpins Usage Formemorycards. FormodemsandLANadapters ForPCcardharddisks.

Cardbus ImprovedversionofPCMCIAiscardbus.Cardbusallowsforallthe
functionsthatarepossiblewithPCMCIA cards,butwiththeseimprovements:

A32bitpathisusedfordatatransfer. Theoperatingspeedisseveraltimesgreater. CardBusworksatlowerbatteryvoltage.

These CardBus cards can only be used with CardBus slots they are keyed to prevent insertion into 16bit slots so that the card and the slot won't be damaged by differing voltage requirements. 16bit cards work in either type of slot, but CardBus cards only workinCardBusslots. ACardBuscardwillhaveagoldgroundingshieldstripacrossit, typicallywith8small metalbumps.Thisstripisnecessarytopreventsignalnoisefrom interferingwithCardBushigh speedbus.

CardbuscardPCMCIAcard

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Connectors
The cables used in PCs terminate in a variety of connectors. Every connector is consideredeithermaleorfemale.Themalehas"pins"whichstickout,whilethefemale hasholes,or"receptacle"contacts.Afamiliarexampleofamaleandfemaleconnectoris apowersocket.Theplug(withthepins)isthemaleconnector,whilethesocket(withthe holesforthepinstogointo)isthefemaleconnector.Inmostcases,amaleconnectoris found on the end of a cable and a female connector on the component it plugs into, althoughthereareafewexceptions.

PS2connectors Thekeyboardandmouseuse"PS2"connectors.ThePS2connectors
arecolorcoded.Thepurpleconnectorisforthekeyboard.Thegreenconnectorisforthe mouse. Earlier 5pin DIN (Deutsches Industries Norms) connector was used for keyboards.PS2connectorsarealsocalledas6pinminiDINconnectors.

MonitorPort isa15pin femaleconnector(arranged in3rowsas(5+5+5))usedfor

connectingMonitor,LCDetc

MonitorCable

GamePortisa15pinconnector (arrangedin2rowsas(8+7)usedforjoystick.

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SerialPort
Serial port is a DB 9 Male connector. Pins will be arranged as 5 & 4 in each row respectively. Data transfer is bit by bit. Devices like external dial up modem, serial mousecanbeconnectedtothisport.

SerialPort

ParallelPort
Parallelportisa25pinFemaleconnector.Pinswillbearrangedas13&12ineachrow respectively. Parallel port transfers number of bits at a time. Printers, Scanners and Plotterscanbeconnectedtothisport.

ParallelPort UniversalSerialBus
USB isastandardfeatureonallPCsandmakesitmucheasierforuserseverywhereto plugineverythingfromdigitalcamerastoMP3playerstotheirPCs.Devicesareeasierto installandcanbedisconnectedandpluggedbackinfreelywithoutrebootingthesystem (hotswappable).USBhasprovidedatenfoldperformanceincreaseindataspeed.Today, newdevicecategoriesincludedigitalcamcorders,digitalstillcameras,USBflashdrives, MP3 players, external DVDRWs, CD burners, external storage and more advanced digitalscannersandspecialtyprinters.

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USB
TherearethreeversionsofUSB

USBVersion

DataTransferrate

1.0(Prototype)

12Mbps

1.1

12Mbps

2.0(HighspeedUSB)

480Mbps

Upto127devicescanbeconnectedaUSBportusingaUSBhub. TherearetwotypesofconnectorsonUSBcables:along,flatrectangleforplugging into computers and hubs called 'USBA', and a smaller, square connector for plugging into devices like external CD and Hard drives, scanners, and printers called'USBB'.

USBA

USB B
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Firewire
Firewire is AppleComputer's versionofastandard,IEEE1394,isaHighPerformance SerialBus,forconnectingdevicestoyourpersonalcomputer.Firewireprovidesasingle plugandsocketconnectiononwhichupto63devicescanbeattached.

Firewire
TheoriginalFirewirespecification,Firewire400(1394A),wasfasterthanUSBwhenit came out. Firewire 400 is still in use today. The following are some of the features of Firewire400 Transferratesofupto400Mbps. Maximumdistancebetweendevicesof4.5meters(cablelength) ThereleaseofUSB2.0featuringtransferspeedsupto480Mbpsandupto5 metersbetweendevicesclosedthegapbetweenthesecompetingstandards.Butin2002, FireWire800(1394B)startedshowingupinconsumerdevices.FireWire800iscapable of a) Transferratesupto800Mbps b) Maximumdistancebetweendevicesof100meters(cablelength) Thefaster1394Bstandardisbackwardcompatiblewith1394A.

MemorySockets
Mostmotherboardstodaycomewithbetweentwoandeightsocketsfortheinsertion of RAM. These are usually either SIMMs (single inline memory modules) or DIMMs (dualinlinememorymodules).Thesecancomeindifferentsizes.

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BasicInputOutputSystem(BIOS)
The BIOS is special software that interfaces the major hardware components of a computer with the operating system. The BIOS is placed in a ROM chip on the motherboard (often called as ROM BIOS). The primary function of the BIOS is to preparethePCsoothersoftwareprogramsstoredonvariousmedia(suchasharddrives, floppies, and CDs) can load, execute and assume control of the PC. This process is knownasbootingup.

BIOS

ManymodernPCshaveflashBIOS,whichmeansthattheBIOShasbeenrecordedona flashmemory chip,whichcanbeupgradedifnecessary. WhenthecomputerispoweredonthefirstthingthattheBIOSdoesiscalledthePower On SelfTest, or POST for short. POST (PowerOn SelfTest) is the diagnostic testing sequence that a computer's BIOS runs to determine if the computer keyboard, random accessmemory,diskdrives,andotherhardwaredevicesareworkingproperly ornot. Ifthenecessaryhardwareisdetectedandfoundtobeoperatingproperly,thecomputer beginsto boot.Ifthehardwareisnotdetectedorisfoundnottobeoperatingproperly, theBIOSissuesanerrormessagewhichmaybetextonthedisplayscreenand/oraseries ofcodedbeeps,dependingonthenatureoftheproblem.

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ComplimentaryMetalOxideSemiconductor(CMOS)
BIOSstores thePCsconfigurationsettingsintheCMOS.Itcontainsinformation suchasbootorder,realtimesystemclock,calendarsettings,hardwarepasswords,hard driveconfigurationsettings,powermanagementsettingsandtheinstalledmemory (RAM).EssentiallytheCMOSchipstoresdatafortheBIOSsothatacomputercanboot upproperly.Thesmalllithiumbatteryonthemotherboardisresponsibleforretaining informationlikethedateandtimeofthesystem,sothatevenifthecomputerisswitched offforalongperiod,thesystemcanstillcomputeandrecallthecurrentdateandtime.

SMPS(SwitchModePowerSupply)
ThesystemboxhasaseparatepowersupplyunitinsidecalledtheSwitchedMode PowerSupply(SMPS).ThemainworkofthisunitistoconverthighvoltageACcurrent toalowvoltageDCcurrentthatcanbehandledbythecomputer(Computerscanhandle 5Vor12VDCcurrent). Powersupplyconnectors AT (Advanced Technology) connector consists of two 6 pin connectors that carry DC powerconnectionstothemotherboard.Thesecarry+5,5,+12and12voltages. Inthis case, manual shutdown takes place, i.e., If this type of connector is used in a motherboard, it displays It is now safe to turn off the computer. The power button needstobepressedoncethismessageappears,toswitchoffthecomputer.

ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) connector provides 5 voltages +5,5, +12,12 and3.3Vthrougha20pinconnector.Inthiscase,automaticshutdowntakesplace,i.e., thecomputershutsdownwithouttheuserhavingtopressthepowerbutton.

Memory
Thetermmemoryreferstoallthestorageareasofacomputer.Hence,itisalsoreferred tosimplyasstorage.Dataisstoredinthememoryandretrievedwheneverrequired.The memory performsthefollowingmajorfunctions:

Alldataandinstructionsarestoredherebeforeandafterprocessing. Intermediateresultsofprocessingarealsostoredhere.

Therearetwokindsofcomputermemory:PrimaryandSecondary

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Primary memory also called main memory is used to store the program that a computeriscurrentlyrunning.Italsoprovidestheadditionaltemporarystoragerequired during the execution of a program. The primary memory is accessible directly by the processingunit.RAM&ROMformapartofthemainmemoryofacomputer.

RandomAccessMemory(RAM)
RAMreferstotheworkingmemoryofacomputerwheredataandprogramsare temporarilystored.MemoryorRAMisatypeofcomputerstoragewhosecontentscanbe accessedinanyorder.RAMisavolatilememory.DatainRAMstaysaslongasthe computerisrunning.Whenswitchedoff,RAMlosesitsdata. Itisalsocalledread/write memory.

RAM

TypesofRAM Static RAM (SRAM) refers to atype of RAM that holds its data without external
refresh, for as long as power is supplied to the circuit which makes it faster but it is expensive.StaticRAMisusedforcachememory. Cachememoryisrandomaccessmemory(RAM)thattemporarilystoresfrequentlyused instructionsanddataforquickerprocessingbythecentralprocessorofacomputer.The cacheisusuallyfilledfrommainmemorywheninstructionsordataarefetchedintothe CPU.Asthe microprocessorprocessesdata,itlooksfirstinthe cache memory and if it findsthedatathere,itdoesnothavetodothemoretimeconsumingreadingofdatafrom largermemory.AnL1cacheisonthesamechipasthemicroprocessor.L2 isusuallya separatestaticRAM(SRAM)chip.ThemainRAMisusuallyadynamicRAM(DRAM) chip.Cachememoryismuchlikeothermemory,exceptitcanoperatemuchfaster,and muchmoreexpensive.

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Dynamic RAM (DRAM) is a type of RAM that only holds its data if it is
continuously accessed by special logic called a refresh circuit. This circuitry reads the contents of each memory cell constantly (hundreds of times each second), whether the memorycellisbeingusedatthattimebythecomputerornot.

TypesofDynamicRAM
Typeof RAM SDRAM RDRAM DDRRAM Noof Pins 168 184 184 Width 64bit 16bit 64bit Usage Olderandslowertype.Nouse. AdvancedRAM.Onlyusedfor few Pentium4swithspecificIntelchipsets. AfasterversionofSDRAM.Usedboth forAthlonandPentium 4s.

DDR2RAM

240

64bit

Newversion ofDDRRAMwithhigher clockfrequencies.

SDRAMSynchronousDynamicRAM RDRAM RambusDynamicRAM DDRRAM DoubleDataRateRAM

Read Only Memory (ROM) The storage of program and data in the ROM is
permanent. The ROM stores some standard processing programs supplied by the manufacturerstooperatethepersonalcomputer.TheROMcanonlybereadbytheCPU but itcannotbechanged.The memories,which donotloosetheircontenton failureof powersupply,areknownasnonvolatilememories.ROMisanonvolatilememory.

TypesofROM
ProgrammableROM(PROM) canbecustomprogrammedbythe user(once)usingspecialcircuitry ErasableProgrammable ROM (EPROM) can also be programmedanderasedbytheuserusingultravioletlightandspecial circuitry externaltothecomputer. Electrically Erasable PROM (EEPROM) can be erased and reprogrammedbyspecialcircuitrywithinthecomputer.

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Electrically AlterableReadOnlyMemory (EAROM) is atypeof EEPROMthatcanbemodifiedonebitatatime.Writingisaverylow processandagainrequires higher voltage(usuallyaround12V)than isusedforreadaccess.

Secondarymemoryalsocalledstoragememoryreferstomass storagedeviceswhich includes magnetic disks like hard drives and floppy disks optical disks such as CD ROMs andmagnetictapes.

FloppyDisk
Afloppydiskisamagneticstoragemediumencasedinasquareorarectangularplastic wallet.Thefirstfloppydriveusedwasan8inchdisk,afterwhich5.25inchand3.5inch disks came into existence. The 5.25inch disk held 360 kilobytes compared tothe 1.44 megabytecapacityof3.5inchdiskette. The floppy disk drive is connected to the motherboard using the floppy disk drive connectors(34pins)onthemotherboard.

FloppyDisk

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CDROM:CompactDiskReadOnlyMemory
CDROMisapolycarbonatediscwithoneormoremetallayerscapableofstoringdigital information.Itcanstoreupto700MB.

CDROM

A hard disk often called a "Hard Disk Drive," or "hard drive," stores and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surfaceorsetofsurfaces.Today'scomputerscomewithaharddiskthatcontainsseveral billionbytes(gigabytesof storage).

HardDisk
Harddiskshaveahardplatterthatholdsthemagneticmedium.Dataisstoredon the surface of a platter in sectors and tracks. Tracks are concentric circles and sectorsareradiallinesonatrack,likethis

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TracksandSectors
A hard disk is really a set of stacked "disks," each of which has data recorded electromagnetically intracksonthedisk. A"head"records(writes)orreadsthe informationonthetracks.Twoheads,oneoneachsideofadisk,readorwritethe dataasthediskspins. Asectorcontainsafixednumberofbytesforexample, 256 or 512. Either at the drive or the operating system level, sectors are often groupedtogetherintoclusters. The process of lowlevel formatting a drive, establishes the tracks and sectorsontheplatter.Highlevelformattingthenwritesthefilestoragestructures, like the fileallocation table, into the sectors. This process prepares the drive to holdfiles.

IDE(IntegratedDriveElectronics)isastandardelectronicinterfaceused
between a computermotherboard's data paths orbus and the computer's storage devices(likeharddiskandCDROM).IDEhas40pinsand2IDEcontrollersare presentinthemotherboard.

SATA(SerialAdvancedTechnologyAttachmentStandard) IDE is
nowadays replaced by SATA. SATA like IDE is computer bus primarily designed for transfer of data between a computer and storage devices (like disk drivesandopticaldrives).

USBFlashDrive
USB flash drives are flash memory data storage devices integrated with a USB (UniversalSerialBus)interface.Theyaretypicallysmall,lightweight,removable and rewritable. They are more compact, faster, hold more data, and are more reliableduetotheirlackofmovingparts,andmoredurabledesign.

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USB

NetworkInterfaceCard
NetworkInterfaceCard,alsocallednetworkadaptercardornetworkcard,adevicethat allows a computer to communicate on a network. It acts an a interface between the computerandthenetwork.

TypesofNIC There are different types of NICs available for different purposes. The major types are WiredNICsandwirelessNICs.ToconnectacomputertoawirednetworkawiredNIC is used. To connect a computer to a wireless network, wireless NIC is used. The main difference betweenawiredNICanda wireless NIC is WiredNIC has anRJ45port, whereasawirelessNIChassmalltransreceivingcircuittosendandreceivesignals.There areothertypesofNICsaswell

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NICType

Usage

Slot/Port

PCIadapter (wired/wireless)

Usedforconnectingadesktop computertoawired/wireless network

Connectedto PCIslot

PCMCIAadapter (wired/wireless)

Usedforconnectinglaptop computertoawired/wireless network Usedforconnectingdesktop/ laptopcomputertoawired/ wirelessnetwork

ConnectedtoTypeIIPCMCIA slot

USBadapter (wired/wireless)

ConnectedtoUSBport

Modem
The term modem stands for ModulatorDemodulator.Computers work with digital data whereas telephone lines are analog. A modem is a device that converts digital data generatedbythecomputerintoanalogwavesthatitcansendoverthephoneline.Atthe otherendofatelephoneconnection,asecond/ receivingmodemdemodulatestheanalog signalbackintodigitaldtaandrelaysittoanothercomputer.

Modem

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Typesofmodem Dialupmodem
The client uses a dial up modem connectedto a computer and atelephone line to dial intoanInternetServiceProvider's(ISP)node,whichisthenroutedtotheInternet.These modemsutilizetraditionalcopperphonelinestotransmit analogsignals.Themaximum speeddeliveredbyadialupmodemis56Kbps.Dialupmodemscanbeinstalledinsidea PCinanexpansionslotorattachedtothePCexternallythroughaserialorUSBport.

InternalDialupmodem
Asthenamesuggests,thistypeofdialupmodemisinstalledinsideaPCinanexpansion slot.Ithas2RJ11ports oneconnectedtothelineandtheotherconnectedtothephone.

ExternalDialupModem ExternalDialupModem
AnexternaldialupmodemisattachedtothePCexternallythroughaserialorUSBport. Italsohas2RJ11portsoneconnectedtothelineandtheotherconnectedtothephone andaserialport/USBporttobeconnectedtothePC.

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ExternalDialupModem

CableModem
Acablemodemisatypeofmodemthatprovidesaccesstoadatasignalsentover the cable television infrastructure.Because thecoaxial cable used by cable TV provides much greater bandwidth than telephone lines, a cable modem can be used to achieve extremelyfastaccesstotheinternet.

DSLModem
DSL (DigitalSubscriberLine)isaveryhighspeedconnectionthatusesthesame cablesasaregulartelephoneline.Unlikedialupmodem,boththeinternetandthephone (forcalls)canbeusedatthesametime.

References

PCHardware,ABeginnersGuideGilster http://www.howtobuildyourowncomputer.net http://searchstorage.techtarget.com http://www.nos.org/htm http://developer.apple.com/hardwaredrivers/firewire/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org www.pcguide.com, www.computercompanion.com

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Review
Computers perform their work in three welldefined steps: (1) Accepting input, (2) Processing the input according to predefined rules (programs), and (3) Producingoutput. Keyboard, mouse and scanners are few examples of input devices and monitor, speakerandprinterareexamplesofoutputdevices. Anexpansioncard is inserted intoanexpansionslotofa computermotherboard toaddadditionalfunctionalitytoacomputersystem.Someofexpansionslotsare ISA,PCI,PCIExpressetc. USBandFirewirearehotswappabledevicesusedforhighspeeddatatransfers. SMPSprovidespowertotheallthecomponentsinsidethePC. Thetermmemoryidentifiesdatastoragethatcomesintheformofchips,andthe word storageisusedformemorythatexistsontapesor disks. Thereare3typesofNICsPCIadapters, PCMCIAadaptersandUSBadapters. AModemisusedtoconvertananalogsignaltodigitalsignalandviceversa.

ReviewQuestions

1. Givealistofalltheexpansionslotsinthemotherboardwithspecifications.

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2. Givethedifferencesbetweenthefollowing:

a. Serialandparallelcommunication

b. USBandFirewire

c. IDEandSATA

d. ATandATXconnector

3.WhattypeofPCcardisusedforharddisksandLANadapters?

4.WhatisthemaximumdatatransferrateofferedbyUSBandFirewire?

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CSStudyMaterial 5.Nameafewhotswappabledevices.

6. Themaximumspeedofferedbyadialupmodem is______________.

7. Iwanttoconnectmydesktopcomputer toawirelessnetwork.WhatshouldIbuy?

8. ExternalDSLmodeminconnectedtothe__________portpresentinthecomputer.

9. RAMreferstononvolatilememory.True/False

10. DSLstandsfor______________________________________________

LABQuestions

1.HowdoyoudifferentiateaPCMCIAandCardbusbyappearance?

2.Givenamotherboard,identifyany10componentsanddescribethembriefly.

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3.Wherearethefollowingdevicesconnected? a. Printer

b. Monitor

c. Mouse

d. Scanner

e. Externaldialupmodem

4.Drawtheconnectiondiagramsforinternaldialupmodem andexternaldialupmodem.

5.HowdoweenableordisabletheUSBport?

6.AtthebackofyourPCtower,whataredifferentconnectorsyoufind?

7.DifferentiatewiredandwirelessNIC?

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ELO(ExpectedLearningOutcome)
WhatisacomputerHardware,SoftwareandFirmware. LaptopsandDesktops InputdevicesandOutputdevices Motherboardanditscomponents BIOSandCMOS SMPS Memoryandtypesofmemory NICandtypesofNICs. Modem Dialup,DSLandCable.

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