Chapter 3

DSP

Digital Signal Processor. The basis of a sound card. It processes data from the computer to output a signal to drive the speakers and processes audio input from a microphone to convert it to computer audio.

DVI

Digital Visual Interface. A high-quality digital interface designed for flat-panel display equipment. DVI has been superseded by HDMI and DisplayPort/Thunderbolt but was very widely used on graphics adapters and computer displays.

Display Port

DisplayPort was developed by VESA, the organization largely representing PC graphics adapter and display technology companies. It is a royalty-free standard intended to "complement" HDMI.

5.1 digital system

Dolby Digital or Digital Theatre System. Has 3 front speakers, 2 rear speakers and a subwoofer.

DIMMs

Dual Inline Memory Module. This is packaged SDRAM meant for desktop PCs.

DVI Single- or dual-link

Dual-link makes more bandwidth available. This may be required for resolutions better than HDTV (1920x1200).

DRAM

Dynamic RAM. Used for system memory. DRAM stores each data bit as an electrical charge within a single bit cell. The electrical charge gradually dissipates, causing the memory cell to lose its information. In order to preserve the information, dynamic memory has to be refreshed periodically by accessing each cell at regular intervals.

HDD

Hard Disk Drive. Based on magnetic disk technology. Used on most computers. It is a lower cost often that can store large amount of data. Downside is that it is slow.

7.1 digital system

Has 3 front speakers, 2 rear speakers, 2 side speakers and a subwoofer.

HDMI

High Definition Multimedia Interface. The most widely used graphic device interface. Used in most HD visual devices.

HID

Human Interface Devices. Peripherals that enable the user to enter data and select commands.

Active Cooling

A fan is an active cooling device. It requires power to run.

Stylus Pen

Can be used with a compatible touch display or graphics tablet for exact handwriting and drawing needs.

CPU

Central Processing Unit. The device runs software programs. Software is composed of many simple instructions. The CPU processes these instructions and directs other components to perform actions, such as displaying an image on the screen or printing a document.

PPI

pixels per inch. Used with scanners to see how detailed a photo can be.

Different Speaker and Microphone Jacks

■ Audio in (light blue) — audio in (or line in) is a low-level (1V) stereo signal as supplied by most tape decks, video players, tuners, CD players, and so on. ■ Microphone input (pink) — this is generally a mono analog input. ■ Audio out (lime) — audio out (or line out) is a low-level (1V) analog stereo signal suitable for feeding into an amplified speakers or headphones. ■ Audio out (black) — signal for rear speakers in a surround sound system (see below). ■ Audio out (orange) — signal for the subwoofer in a surround sound system.

Four things a bus carries

■ Data —the information being transferred between components. ■ Address information —where the data is located in memory. ■ Timing signal —as different components can work at different speeds, the system clock synchronizes the way they communicate over the bus. ■ Power —electricity to run the component.

PCIe 2.0 x16

8 GBps

bus

A circuit that connect the various microprocessors and other components on the motherboard.

Print Test Page

A command that a printer has to see if it has been installed and configured correctly.

Audio Card

A computers sound system is made up of a sound card to process audio signals and provide interfaces for connecting equipment and one or more input and output devices.

RJ-11

A fax modem uses twisted pair cabling with an RJ-11connector at the fax end and a connector suitable for use with the country's phone system at the other end. This could be another RJ-11 connector, but different connectors may be used in different regions; for example, a BT phone plug would be used in the UK.

Laser Printer

A laser printer works by fixing a fine powder called toner to the page surface. The toner is applied using electrostatic charging then fixed using high heat and pressure in the fuser unit, creating a durable printout that does not smear or fade. A laser printer operates on the whole image as a single item. This means that laser printers need quite sophisticated processors and large amounts of memory.

Firmware

A low-level operating system.

Printer Technology

A mechanism used to make images on paper. The two most common house and office types are inkjet and laser.

USB Type C

A new reversible connector type.

USB Type B Mini

A smaller connector for connection to a device. This type of connector was seen on early digital cameras but is no longer widely used.

ARM

Advanced RISC Machine. These are CPUs and chipsets for mobile phones and tablets. RISC stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computing. RISC use simple instructions processed very quickly.

Expansion Bus

Also called the Input/Output(I/O) Bus. Provides connections between the CPU and add-on components, which can be integrated onto the motherboard, installed as expansion cards, or connected as peripheral devices.

Motherboard

Also known as a system board. The motherboard is a PCB(Printed Circuit Board) with some built-in processors (the chipset), sockets and slots for upgradable components (CPU, RAM, adapter cards, disk drives), and wires (buses) to connect them together.

RJ-45

An Ethernet network adapter used with twisted pair cable will have an RJ-45port to connect the computer to the network, via another RJ-45 port in the network equipment. These ports will be marked "LAN" (Local Area Network). Twisted pair is a type of copper cabling where pairs of insulated conductors are twisted around one another, to minimize electrical interference.

Scanner

An imaging device, designed to create a digital file from a page of print, photo, or another object. Typically, scanners handle flat objects, like documents, receipts, or photographs.

USB Type B Micro

An updated connector for smaller devices, such as smartphones and tablets. The micro connector is distinctively flatter than the older mini type connector.

BIOS

Basic Input/Output System. Is a firmware that provides industry standard program code to get the essential components of the PC running and ensures that the design of each manufacturer's motherboard is PC compatible.

Heatsink

Block of metal with fins used to cool an exposed surface. Usually "glued" to the surface of a chip with thermal paste to transfer the heat more efficiently.

CMP

Chip Level Multiprocessing. Having one CPU with more than one processor physically within it. A dual-core CPU is essentially two CPUs combined on the same Chip. The main types are either two or four core CPUs.

DVI Analog and/or digital

DVI-I supports analog equipment (such as CRTs) and digital. DVI-A supports only analog equipment, and DVI-D supports only digital.

Keyboard Language

Different countries have different placement for the keyboard keys. Properly configuring this layout will allow for proper use of the keyboard. An incorrect keyboard language will confuse the user for the key typed will be misinterpreted by the computer to display a different character or letter.

DLP

Digital Light Processing. Used in Digital Projectors to display an image onto a flat background or screen.

USB Type B

For connection to a device. The connector and port are square, with a beveled top.

USB Type A

For connection to the host. The connector and port are shaped like flat rectangles.

FSB

Front Side Bus. The bus between the CPU and memory must also be efficient. If the memory is slow and the CPU is fast, the CPU will not be supplied enough data to be properly used and will underperform as a result.

GPU

Graphics Processing Unit. Used to display high-resolution images that require a lot of processing power. Used in complicated 3d imaging, computer games and video editing.

PCIe x16

Graphics adapters typically use x16 lanes. Speed 4GBps.

Microphone

Input device for receiving audio.

IP

Internet Protocol. The address that is assigned to devices so they can be located over a network.

Mouse

Is the main type of input device for graphical software. It is an example of a class of input devices described as pointing devices. A pointing device is used to move an on-screen cursor to select screen objects and text.

LCD

Liquid Crystal Display. Also referred to as flat-screen display, are used by portable computers and have also replace Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) units as the standard display.

Wireless Network

Most home networks support Wi-Fi Radio Networking so that computer devices do not have to be cables to the Internet Router. Most laptops, smartphones and tablets have built in Wi-Fi adapters. PC computers typically have a Wi-Fi add-on card instead.

MFD

Multi-Function Devices. Use a sheet-fed scanner rather than a flatbed one. The main drawback of sheet-fed scanners is that they may only handle fairly thin paper objects.

NFC

Near Field Communications. A peer-to-peer version of RFID. That is an NFC device can work as both tag and reader to exchange inforamtion with other NFC devices.

NIC

Network Interface Card. Used to connect computers to an Ethernet cable for Internet access over a network.

Speaker

Output device for playing back audio.

PCIe

PCI Express. Can use x1, x2, x8, or x16 lanes depending on the size of the slot; uses point-to-point links so each device gets the full bandwidth of the number of lanes it supports. Speed 250 MBps per lane.

Passive Cooling

Passive cooling means that it does not require extra energy(electricity) to work.

PCI with AGP

Peripheral Component Interconnect with Accelerated Graphics Port. Used for old graphics adapters only. Speed 2133 MBps

PCI

Peripheral Component Interconnect. Very old but still used on some desktops for compatibility; bandwidth is shared between all devices attached to the bus. Speed 133 MBps

PCB

Printed Circuit Board. Mechanically supports and electrically connects electrical or electronic components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from one or more sheet layers of copper laminated onto and/or between sheet layers of a non-conductive substrate.

PCB

Printed Circuit Board. The basis of a motherboard. It is the bus connections and tiny wires that interconnect everything.

RFID

Radio Frequency ID. A means of tagging and tracking objects using specially-encoded tags. When an RFID reader scans a tag, the tag responds with the information tagged into it.

RAM

Random Access Memory. When a program is started the instructions are loaded into system memory. System memory uses RAM technology. The more RAM a computer has the more efficient it can process large files or programs.

Display the same image on two monitors

Select Duplicate These Displays option. Creates two separate monitors that show the same images actions on both.

Display the desktop over both monitors

Select Extend These Displays. Creates two separate monitors to increase the "real estate" that can be seen. Used mainly with design, publishing and programming work.

Display the desktop on one device only

Select either Show Only On 1 or Show Only On 2. This will make only one of the monitors functional while the other no longer displays anything.

SSD

Solid State Drive. Based on transistor based flash memory. Is very fast at storing and accessing data. Downside is that it is very costly and usually has lower data quantity when compared to an HDD.

S/PDIF

Sony Phillips Digital Interface. A higher end sound card will provide these jacks for a better sound experience.

Digital Cameras

Stores images on a flash memory-card. There are three main ways to transfer the stored data. ■ Connect the camera to a USB port—this will mount the camera storage as a Windows drive and the pictures can be copied or moved using Explorer. ■ Use a memory card slot—the memory card can be removed from the camera and inserted into a memory card reader on the PC, if available. ■ Use Wi-Fi—a camera that supports wireless networking can make the images folder available as a shared folder on the network.

SVGA

Super VGA. 800x600 at 4-bit or 8-bit color.

SMP

Symmetric Multiprocessing. To use two or more physical CPUs to increase the clock speed for a computer. A multi-socket motherboard for CPUs is needed.

SDRAM

Synchronous DRAM. Used for system memory. SDRAM is synchronized to the system bus. It has a 64-bit data bus, meaning that in each clock cycle, 64 bits of information can be delivered to the CPU. Consequently, if the bus is running at 66 MHz, the bandwidth available to the memory controller is 66*64 or 4224 megabits per second. Dividing by 8 gives the bandwidth in megabytes per second (528 MBps).

Thunderbolt

The Thunderbolt (TB) interface was developed by Intel and is primarily used on Apple workstations and laptops. Thunderbolt can be used as a display interface (like DisplayPort) and as a general peripheral interface (like USB or Firewire). Version 2 of the standard supports links of up to 20 Gbps. Up to six devices can be connected to a single port by daisy-chaining the devices.

Wired Network

The computer will be connected to an Internet Router via an Ethernet port. The Ethernet port in the computer is provided by a NIC(Network Interface Card). The cable that is used to connect are RJ-45.

Keyboard

The longest serving type on input device. Used to input information for the computer to interpret.

Pixels

The number of horizontal and vertical pixels gives the resolution of an image. Each pixel can be a different color. The total number of colors supported in the image is referred to as the color depth(or bit depth).

XGA

The standard after SVGA. 1024x768 resolution, better color depths (16 and 32-bit) and faster refresh rates.

4:3 aspect ratio

The standard aspect used on monitors.

Mechanical Mouse

This contains rollers to detect the movement of a ball housed within the mouse case. As the user moves the mouse on a mat or other firm surface, the ball is moved and the rollers and circuitry translate that motion to move a cursor on the screen. Mechanical mice are no longer in production.

Hot-Swappable

This means that Windows can detect and configure a device without requiring a restart.

Optical Mouse

This uses LEDs to detect movement over a surface.

Laser Mouse

This uses an infrared laser, which gives greater precision than an optical mouse.

Network Interface

To connect to the internet there are two main ways. Wired Network and Wireless Network.

Capacity Touchscreens

Touchscreen displays that can support multitouch events where more than one finger can be identified at a time on the device.

USB Data Rates

USB 1.1 = 12 Mbps USB 2.0 = 480 Mbps USB 3.0 = 5 Gbps USB 3.1 = 10 Gbps

UEFI

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. Newer motherboards have this firmware installed. It provides support for 64-bit CPU operation at boot, a full GUI and mouse operation at boot, and better boot security. A computer with UEFI may also support booting in a legacy BIOS mode.

USB

Universal Serial Bus. The standard means of connecting peripheral devices to a computer. They use a Plug-and-Play style. This means that when a USB device is plugged into a computer the system will identify the device and try to install a driver for it.

Thermal Paste

Used as a connection point between a heatsink and a chip to efficiently transfer the heat between components. Also known as passive cooling.

16:10 aspect ratio

Used for a widescreen display onto a monitor.

Inkjet Printer

Used for good quality color output. Inkjets are typically cheap to buy but expensive to run, with high cost consumables such as ink cartridges and high-grade paper. Compared to laser printers, they are slower and often noisier, making them less popular in office environments, except as a cheap option for low volume color printing. Color images are created by combining four inks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (K). The inks are stored in separate reservoirs, which may be supplied in single or multiple cartridges.

Heat Spreader

Used in thin case computers. This is a flat tube with liquid inside to disperse the heat and cool the component.

Printer Properties and Printing Preferences

Used to manage the printer. Properties allow the user to update the driver, print to a different port, configure sharing and permissions and set basic device options.

Dual Monitors

Using two or more monitors for one PC. Can be used to increase efficiency when more than one screen is needed to be seen at a time.

Microprocessor

Usually shortened to processor. Is a programmable Integrated Circuit. It is an integrated circuit that contains all the functions of a central processing unit of a computer.

PCIe 2.0

Version 2 doubles the bandwith per lane. SPeed 500 MBps per lane

PCIe 3.0

Version 3 doubles the bandwidth per lane again. Speed 1 GBps per lane

VESA

Video Electronics Standards Association. Created the Super VGA or SVGA.

VGA

Video Graphics Array. 15 pin port is a legacy analog video interface for PC devices. The connector is a D-shell type (HD15M) with screws to secure it to the port. The interface is analog, meaning that it carries a continuous, variable signal. The interface carries Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) component video signals.

VGA

Video Graphics Array. IBM standard resolution and color depth for starting PCs. A VGA has a resolution of 640x480 with 16 colors (4-bit color) at 60 Hz. It is now long obsolete.

Webcams

Webcams record video images using a digital sensor and usually feature a microphone to record audio. They range in quality from models with low resolution and frame rates (25 fps [frames per second]) to models capable of High Definition resolution at 60 fps. Webcams are used for online video conferencing, as feeds for websites, and as surveillance devices. Webcams can be built into a laptop computer chassis or connected via USB.

Flatbed Scanner

Works like a photocopier. The object to be scanned is placed on a glass faceplate and the cover closed to prevent ambient light affecting the image. A bright light, usually from a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL), illuminates the object while the image is recorded using a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) array. A CCD is composed of picture elements (pixels) that generate an electrical charge in proportion to the intensity of light shined on them. This is used to create a digital image. The quality of the scanner depends on its resolution (that is, the number of pixels in the CCD array). This is measured in pixels per inch (ppi). You may see dots per inch quoted instead, but this term is generally avoided to prevent confusion with a printer's output resolution.

CPU instruction set

■ The Control Unit fetches the next instruction in sequence from system memory to the pipeline. ■ The control unit decodes each instruction in turn and either executes it itself or passes it to the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) or Floating Point Unit (FPU)for execution. ■ The result of the executed instruction is written back to a register or to system memory. A register is a temporary storage area available to the different units within the CPU.