CompTIA Chapter 5

USB Mini A

A small, five-pin connector that has been deprecated.

USB Mini B

A small, five-pin connector. It is two-thirds the width of an A-style connector. USB mini B is used for mobile devices.

USB Type B

A square connector with slightly beveled corners. Type B is the USB connectionon peripheral devices such as printers. This connector is upstream only - meaningit connects to the peripheral device and not the host. Type B cables typically come with a Type A connector on the downstream end.

Thunderbolt

Apple technology developed to replace FireWire. It combines PCIe and DisplayPort into one serial bus, allowing it to transmit and receive data, video, audio, network data, and power. This means you can connect video devices, such as display devices and video-capture solutions, as well as data peripherals, such as external disk drives and RAID arrays. Thunderbolt allows you to operate external peripheral devices at internal PCIe data speeds. You'll find it predominantly in Apple computers, but is available in some higher-end PC workstations. Thunderbolt expansion cards are implemented on a PCIe graphics card as it can access DisplayPort data and PCIe connectivity on the motherboard. You can purchase Thunderbolt expansion cards, but you might need to make BIOS configuration changes on PC computers to get the card functioning properly.

Coaxial

Both audio and video are carried as a modulated radio signal through a coaxial cable with a single inner wire surrounded by an insulated layer and a braided metal shield. There are a wide variety of coaxial cables, but where displays are concerned the most common standards arethe RG-59 standard used by older cable television systems, and the higher-grade RG-6 standard used by newer cable TV and broadband internet systems. Typically, they use a threaded F connector. Coaxial cables can be much longer than other copper video cables, sometimes hundreds of meters.

Micro USB A

A small rectangular connector with a white-colored receptacle and 5 pins. Used with USB on-the-go devices such as cellphones, GPS units, PDAs and digital cameras.

To install a PC expansion card:

1. Power down the computer. 2. Detach all external cords from ports on the PC, beginning with the power cable. 3. Open the computer's chassis. 4. If you're replacing an existing card, remove the old one. a) Remove any internal cables connected to the card. b) Unscrew or unclip the card from the back of the case. c) Gently remove the card from its slot. If the card doesn't come out easily, look for a retention clip on the slot itself which may be holding the card in place. 5. Find an empty expansion slot compatible with your expansion card. Some cards, particularly video cards, require two slots or a double-width card. 6. Remove the expansion slot's cover on the chassis. PCs have expansion card slot covers on the back of the chassis that are held in place by a screw or clip. These covers prevent dust and debris from getting into the computer when no card is installed in the slot. 7. If the expansion card requires any physical configuration changes, set themnow. The manual that came with your expansion card should describe any physical changes you might need to make to your specific card. 8. Line the card's contacts up with the slot. The card sits perpendicular to the slot. 9. Using firm, but gentle pressure, snap the card into the slot. The card must be seated fully in the slot or it won't function properly. 10. Attach any internal cables required by the card. High end graphics cards typically have internal power connectors, while other cards might connect to peripherals or ports on the case. 11. Secure the card in the slot using the cover screw or clip. 12. Close the chassis. 13. Reattach any external cables from ports on your PC and plug it into the wall outlet. After installing a graphics card, make sure not to plug your display back into the onboard video. 14.If you have installed an expansion card with the same functionalityas an on-board component, boot into the BIOS/UEFI and disable the on-board component. 15. Set any desired BIOS/UEFI settings related to the card. 16. Boot the computer. 17. If your expansion card came with software or drivers, follow the manufacturer's directions to install it. 18. Make any desired feature changes using the software. For example, you can configure Display settings based on a new graphics card

SATA length

1m (3.3feet)

Parallel connectors

25-pin D-sub connector, 36-pin centronics connector

eSATA length

2m (6.6feet)

USB 3.0

3M cable length

Bluetooth 5

5 (Not 5.0) is an emerging standard that is found on newer devices, and offers more flexible combinations of speed and range than 4.x. Many of its new features are intended specifically for Internet of Things devices, but its BLE and audio qualityimprovements are useful for common computer peripherals such as headsets.

USB 1&2

5M cable length

DVI-D Dual-Link

A 24-pin connector allowing for two TMDS (transition-minimized differential signaling) links that can carry more than 10 Gbps of digital video information.In the male connector, the pins are arranged in three horizontal rows of eight pins. To the side of this grouping of 24 pins is a wide, flat pin called a ground bar.

DisplayPort

A digital connector designed for high-resolution computer monitors. DisplayPort supports similar features to HDMI, but can support a wider range of resolutions not commonly usedon home theater equipment. A DisplayPort connector looks similar to HDMI, but it's rectangular with a single corner cut off so you can't interchange them by mistake. DisplayPort has multiple versions. DisplayPort 1.4 is comparable in featuresand performance to HDMI 2.1. Many DisplayPort connectors allow you to output to DVI or HDMI devices usingan adapter. You can daisy-chain multiple displays from a single DisplayPort connection. Laptops may have Mini-DisplayPort or Micro-DisplayPort adapters. USB Type C connectors can carry DisplayPort signals if the device is compatible

USB dongles

A dongle is a device that plugs into the USB port of a computer and provides an expansion interface. USB dongles include: USB to Ethernet dongle, which provides the physical interface for an RJ-45 Ethernet networking cable. USB to Wi-Fi dongle, which provides Wi-Fi wireless networking capabilities. USB to Bluetooth dongle, which provides Bluetooth capabilities. USB cellular modem, which provides 3G/4G cellular connectivity. USB graphics adapter, which provides additional display outputs USB legacy connector, which provides serial, parallel, or PS/2 ports.

Component

A higher quality connection which uses three cables grouped together (with the red, blue, and green RCA connectors) for analog video. Like composite, audio is carried in separate red and white cables. You can use a component cable length of up to 10 meters without noticeable signal degradation. Component video is popular for higher quality analog home theater equipment, but it's generally been replaced by digitalstandards.

RS-232

A low-speed serial connector found on old PCs and used for mice, external modems, and various other devices. Today they're mostly found on legacy systems and specialized industrial devices. Also known simply as a serial port, RS-232 uses a D-shaped connector called a D-sub, which comes in two standards: a smaller DB-9 connector and a larger DB-25, each named for its pin count. For both connectors, the port on the PC is male rather than female like most motherboard or expansion card connections.

Composite

A single cable, with a yellow RCA connector at each end, carries an analog video signal, while two other RCA cables (red and white), carry left and right audio. You can use a composite cable length of up to 20 meters without noticeable signal degradation, but composite video is always limited to relatively low quality and resolution. Typically, it's only used for old standard-definition TV resolutions.

DVI-A

A17-pin connector carrying only analog signals. It is single-link and there isn't a dual-link option. DVI-A connectors work with both DVI-A and DVI-I ports. A DVI-D connector can fit in a DVI-A port, but it won't work as DVI-D cables carry only digital signals. DVI-A connectors are not common.

USB Symbols

A=2.0 B=3.1 C=3.0 D=1.0

USB Type A

Aflat, rectangular connector with four pins. It is a downstream connector - meaning it connects to the USB port on the host or hub. The Type Aconnector transmits both power and data

SATA 2.0

Also called SATA 3 GBits/sec. It provides transfer speeds up to 300 MB/sec, doubling the data rate of SATA 1.0. SATA 2.0 devices are backward compatible with 1.0.

SATA 3.0

Also called SATA 3 GBits/sec. It provides transfer speeds up to 300 MB/sec, doubling the data rate of SATA 1.0. SATA 2.0 devices are backward compatible with 1.0.

Standard HDMI

Also called Type A: Measures 13.9 mm x 4.45 mm. For use with most desktops, monitors, and home theater devices.

FireWire

Also known as IEEE 1394, FireWire is a general-purpose serial bus. While it's comparable to USB 2.0 in theoretical data rate, FireWire is more efficient for high speed storage and video connections. It also operates as a peer-to-peer connection, making it more flexible for some purposes. It's mostly been replaced by USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt devices. The most common FireWire standards are FireWire 400 and FireWire 800, each representing its top speed in Mbps.

Parallel

Also known as a printer port, and used for old printers and other external devices, a parallel port is faster than RS-232 but still slow by modern standards. Parallel interfaces also use 25-pin D-sub connectors, but the port on the PC is female. Most parallel devices such as printers have a 36-pin Centronics connector on the peripheral side.

DVI-D Single-Link

An 18-pin connector allowing for one TMDS link. In the male connector, the pins are arranged in two groups of nine pins, with the flat ground bar off to one side.

DVI-I Single-Link

An 18-pin connector designed to carry both digital and analog signals allowing for one TMDS link. In the male connector, the pins are arranged in two groups of nine pins, with the 4 pins surrounding the flat ground bar off to one side.

DVI-I Dual Link

DVI-I Dual-Link: a 28-pin connector designed to carry both digital and analog signals allowing for two TMDS links. The male connector is almostidentical to the DVI-D dual-link connector except it has an additional four pins that surround the flat offset ground bar.

USB 2.0

Introduced in 2000, it added a third transfer rate of 480 Mbits/sec, called High Speed. All connected USB devices share the 480 Mbits/sec data transfer channel. It supports battery charging with low- and high-power variations. A unit load in it is 100 mA and a device may draw a maximum of 5 unit loads (500 mA) from the port. It is still the most common standard you'll encounter

HDMI

I High-Definition Multimedia Interface was designed as an enhanced replacement for DVI with features useful for home theater equipment such as integrated audio signal, digital rights management (DRM) protection, and a smaller and more convenient connector. HDMI has a Dshaped connector but is flatter than VGA and with two rows of pins. You'll find HDMI on a wide variety of consumer electronics as well as on PCs, and it's usually the best option if you're using a TV as your computer monitor. HDMI is an evolving standard with multiple versions. Newer devices support HDMI 2.0 or 2.1, while older ones may only support 1.4 or earlier. HDMI supports all existing high-definition video formats, such as 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, along with 480p enhanced definition format and standard definition formatssuch as NTSC or PAL. Each successive version adds more resolution options. HDMI 1.4 and higher support 3D video HDMI 2.0 supports two video streams to drive multiple displays from a single cable. HDMI 2.0 supports 32 channels of high definition audio, while older versions support 8 channels. HDMI 1.4 and higher supports 100 Mbps Ethernet, but may require an "Ethernetover HDMI" cable. You can connect HDMI to a single-link DVI-D connector with an adapter, but itwon't support audio or other HDMI features.

Fire Wire

IEEE 1394 A: Firewire 400= 400mbps --4.5m cable length IEEE 1394 B: Firewire 800= 800mbps --100m cable length

Infrared

Infrared (IR) uses a focused ray of light in a modulated signal to transmit digital data. The light of IR is similar to visible light, except that it has a longer wavelength, making it undetectable to the human eye. Modulate 38 kHz frequency IR data is the most common, but other frequencies can be used as long as aren't using the same frequency as natural or ambient light sources. IR is line-of-sight, meaning the transmitting IR device must be in a direct line with no obstructions to the receiving IR device. In the common IrDA-1.1 standard the maximum data transfer speed is 4 Mbits/sec.

USB 1.x

Introduced in 1996, but USB devices weren't widely available until 1998. Both standards support two data rates. 1.5 Mbits/sec, called Low Bandwidth or Low Speed, is used for low data rate devices such as keyboards and mice. 12 Mbits/sec, called Full Bandwidth or Full Speed, is used for higher speed devices such as printers and external disk drives, but it's still very slow by modern standards. 1.1 didn't add any major features: it mostly fixed problems 1.0 had operating with hubs.

USB 3.x

Introduced in 2010, it added the Super Speed transfer rate of 5 Gbits/sec. In 2015, USB 3.1 introduced the still faster SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps transfer rate, also simply branded as SuperSpeed+. A unit load in USB 3.x is 150 mA and a device may draw a maximum of 6 unit loads (900 mA) from the port. USB 3.0 ports are common in newer devices, while 3.1 is found only in the newest.

Audio expansion interfaces

Like many types of information, audio comes in two different formats: analog or digital. Computers produce and manipulate audio in digital format. Sound waves in the air are analog. Audio connectors on computers might be either, depending on exactly where the digital format is converted to an analog output signal. By far the most common audio connector for computers is the 1/8" (3.5 mm) analog connector that's used by computers and portable audio equipment alike. They're simple in principle, but you need to make sure to use them correctly. In particular, motherboards and sound cards have varying numbers of physically identical ports, and you need to check the labels or color coding to make sure you connect to the right one.

RS-232port

Low speed serial connector (D-shaped)

Micro USB B

Micro USB B: Similar to micro USB A in shape, size, and number of pins, but with a black-colored receptacle. It is also used with USB on-the-go devices.

Ethernet

RJ-45 connectors are used for wired networks. They look much like an RJ-11 connector, but larger and with eight pins. Some specialty devices and commercial telephone hardware might also use RJ-45 connectors, but they should never be connected to Ethernet ports.

Phone Cable

RJ11

Ethernet Cable

RJ45

RJ

Registered Jack

PS/2 port

Round 6-pin connector Used for mouse and keyboards Green for mouse, Purple for keyboards Replaced by USB

Full-size

The standard DisplayPort connector measures 16.10 mm x 4.76 mm, and is found on desktop computers and most displays. Most full-size connectors have a locking mechanism preventing them from being accidentally disconnected.

Plug-and-Play

The computer detects the device and installs the appropriate drivers without rebooting the computer

PS/2

The dominant standard for mice and keyboards prior to the adoption of USB, PS/2 ports use round, 6-pin connectors. They're usually color-coded: purple for keyboard and green for mouse. They're still available on newer motherboards, though often there will be just a single port that auto-detects the type of device connected.

Min

The mini DisplayPort connector measures 7.4 mm x 4.6 mm, and has no locking mechanism. It was originally developed by Apple but became part ofthe DisplayPort 1.2 standard. In addition to mobile devices, it often is used for Thunderbolt ports.

Bluetooth

The most common standard today for wireless peripherals is called Bluetooth. It works on the same 2.4 GHz microwave frequencies used by Wi-Fi connections, but it's a different standard. Instead of forming networks between multiple computers belonging to multiple users, Bluetooth is designed to form a wireless personal area network (WPAN) or piconet of a handful of devices, presumably belonging to one user.

VGA

The oldest commonly used standard for computer displays is Video Graphics Array, which uses an easily recognizable 15-pin D-sub connector, usually with a blue port. VGA transmits to the display using analog signal, which means image quality can easily degrade due to interference, especially at high resolutions and with long cables. Still, a good quality VGA connection can support 24-bit display mode (224 or 16,777,216 colors, referred to as True Color), up to 7680 × 4800 pixel resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and refresh rates up to 70 Hz. Some laptops have proprietary mini-VGA connectors, but their appearance varies by manufacturer. Unlike newer connections, VGA connectors are not designed to be hot swappable, so you shouldn't connect or disconnect them while the computer is running.

DVI

The oldest widely used digital connector for computer displays is Digital Visual Interface. It uses a rectangular connector, larger than VGA and usually white. There are multiple types of DVI connectors, differentiated by number of pins. In general, a display cable will not plug into a device that does not support it. DVI-I supports both digital and analog connections. The analog signal uses thesame format as VGA, and in fact a VGA adapter can be connected to it. DVI-I is most common where there is not a separate VGAconnector. DVI-D supports only digital connections. It's most common on devices that have a separate VGA connector, though some motherboards or display cards might have both VGA and DVI-I. DVI-A supports only analog connections. It isn't very common. Both DVI-D and DVI-I can be either single-channel or dual-channel. Dual-channel connectors have more pins, and are necessary for supporting resolutions greaterthan 1920x1200. Single-channel connectors have two blocks of nine pins with a gap between. Some olderApple laptops might have smaller mini-DVI or micro-DVI connectors, but newer models use DisplayPort.

SATA 1.0

The original SATA standard, also called SATA 1.5 Gbits/sec for its data rate. Due to encoding details, it can effectively transfer 150 MB/sec.

Mini-HDMI

Type C: Measures 10.42 mm x 2.42 mm; for use with portable electronic devices. Using an adapter, can be used with a standard HDMI port

Micro-HDMI

Type D: Measures 6.4 mm x 2.8 mm; for use in smaller form factor computers and devices. Using an adapter, can be used with a standard HDMI port.

White USB

USB 1.0

USB standards

USB 1.x, USB 2.0, USB 3.x

Black USB

USB 2.0

Blue USB

USB 3.0

Common Physical Interfaces

Universal Serial Bus(USB) Fire Wire Serial AT Attachment (SATA) Thunderbolt Registered Jack (RJ) VGA, DVI, and DisplayPort video Analog and Digital audio

Common PC expansion cards include:

Video functions (Video out/video capture/TV tuner) Network interface (Ethernet/Wi-Fi/cellular/dialup modem) Peripheral interface (USB/Thunderbolt/Bluetooth) Storage (SATA/eSATA/IDE/SCSI) Audio/sound

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

a physical interface standard that you can use to connect up to 127 peripheral devices to your computer.

Bluetooth 4.x

also supports 25 Mbps, but includes a number of other features, including more efficient data transfers. It also introduced Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is intended for low power use devices powered by coin cells. Most current devices are Bluetooth 4.0 or 4.1.

Hot-swapping

connect and disconnect peripheral devices from USB ports while the computer is running

eSATA port

external SATA.

Video expansion cards

generate the signals needed to output images on a display device. You will hear many different terms used to refer to video expansion cards: video card, video adapter, display card, graphics card, display adapter, graphics adapter, or graphics add-in-boards (AIB). Video expansion cards often come with multiple physical interfaces and their own cooling system.

Bluetooth 2.x

supports a maximum data rate of 2 Mbps, so isn't very useful for highperformance devices. Like any wireless communication, interference and attenuation can reduce this speed. These are older and no longer very common.

Bluetooth 3.0

supports a much higher data rate of 25 Mbps. These are older devices, but still not that uncommon.

RJ-11

the connector used for wired analog telephone service and for dial-up modem connections on computers. They've mostly been replaced byfaster network connections, but you might find one on a laptop or in rural areas. It has six slots for connectors, though most cables only use two or four pins.

Serial AT Attachment (SATA)

the physical interface used to connect internal hard drives, solids state drives, and optical drives to the computer. SATA expansion cards can include an internal connector, an external connector, or both. Internal SATA connections use an L shaped connector and port. SATA controller cards are often used in RAID configurations.