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How Computers Work

How Computers Work. Chapter 1. Hardware Needs Software to Work. Hardware – computer’s physical devices Monitor, keyboard, memory chips, hard drive Software – instructions that directs the hardware to perform a task. Hardware Needs Software to Work. Software uses hardware for 4 basic things:

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How Computers Work

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  1. How Computers Work Chapter 1

  2. Hardware Needs Software to Work • Hardware – computer’s physical devices • Monitor, keyboard, memory chips, hard drive • Software – instructions that directs the hardware to perform a task.

  3. Hardware Needs Software to Work • Software uses hardware for 4 basic things: • Input • Processing • Output • Storage • See figure 1-1 pg. 2

  4. Hardware Needs Software to Work • Hardware components also communicate data and instructions among themselves. • Must have electrical power system.

  5. User Interaction with Computer • Software must convert instructions given by the user into a language the computer understands. • The computer understands two things: • Yes – which means “ON” • No – which means “OFF” • Figure 1-2 pg. 3

  6. Binary Number System • 1940 – John Atanasoff can up with the idea to store and read only two values in a computer system, ON and OFF. • Either there was a charge , ON, or there wasn’t a charge, OFF. • We use the numbers 1 and 0 to represent ON and OFF – binary number system.

  7. Binary Numbering System • A 1 or 0 is called a bit. • Also called a binary digit. • Bits are generally group in groups of 8. • 8 bits make up a byte.

  8. Counting Binary Numbers • All counting and calculations use the binary number system. • Counting goes as followed: • 0, 1, 10, 11, 100, 101…….. • All letters and numbers must be converted to binary code before being stored. • Letter A – 0100 0001 • Number 25 – 0001 1001 • Figure 1-3 pg. 4

  9. PC Hardware Components Chapter 1

  10. Hardware Components • Most input/output devices are located outside the case. • Most processing and storage devices are found in the case. • The CPU is the most important device in the case.

  11. Microprocessor (CPU) • Central to all processing done by the computer. • Data received by the input devices is read by the CPU. • Output from the CPU is written to output devices.

  12. PC Hardware Components • Each input, output, and processing component requires these elements to operate: • A method for the CPU to communicate with the device. • Software to instruct and control the device. • Electricity to power the device.

  13. A method for the CPU to communicate with the device • Data must be either sent to the CPU or received from the CPU.

  14. Software to instruct and control the device • Hardware devices cannot work without software to run it. • The software must have access to the CPU in order run the device. • Each device responds to specific instructions based on the function of the device.

  15. Electricity to power the device • Electronic devices need electricity to run the device. • All computers need to have a power supply to run. • Usually an electrical outlet.

  16. Hardware Input and Output • Input/output devices are used to communicate with devices inside the computer. • Accomplished by either cables, which attach to a connection called a port, or by a wireless connection. • Most ports are found in the back of the computer. • Figure 1-4 pg. 5

  17. Input devices • Keyboard – primary input device. • Standard keyboard has 104 keys. • Mouse – a pointing device used to move a pointer on the screen and to make selections. • Can have 1, 2, or 3 buttons. • Both a mouse and keyboard can have 6 pin connector (figure 1-5) or a USB connector.

  18. Output devices • Monitor – visual device that displays the primary output of the computer. • Rated by the monitor’s resolution, which is the number of dots used to display. • Printer – produces output on paper called a hardcopy. • Most printers are either an ink-jet, laser, and solid ink.

  19. Hardware inside the computer

  20. Hardware inside the computer • Most computers can have these devices: • Motherboard containing the CPU, memory, and other components. • Hard drive, DVD and CD-ROM. • A power supply supplying electricity. • Circuit boards used by the CPU to communicate to other devices. • Cables connecting devices to circuit boards and the motherboard. • Figure 1-7 pg. 8

  21. Circuit boards • A board that holds microchips, integrated circuits (IC’s), and the circuitry that connects these chips. • Expansion Cards – circuit boards that are installed in long narrow expansion slots on the mother board. • Expansion slots – Open slots used to additional components.

  22. Circuit boards • CMOS chips (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) • All circuit boards contain microchips which are manufactured using CMOS. • Require less electricity and produce less heat.

  23. Other components • The other main components inside the computer look like small boxes, like the power supply, floppy drive, hard drive, and CD-ROM.

  24. Cables • Two types of cables are found inside the computer: • Data cables – connect devices to one another. • Flat and wide cables • Power cables – supply power. • Round and small cables

  25. The motherboard

  26. The motherboard • The largest and most important circuit board. • Also called the system board and main board. • Contains the CPU. • Because of the complexity and importance of the CPU, all devices are either installed on the mother board or connect to it.

  27. The motherboard • Devices that are not on the motherboard is called a peripheral device. • Some ports stick outside the case to connect to external devices. • Figure 1-8 pg. 9

  28. The mother board • Serial ports – named because data is transferred serially (one bit follows the next). • Parallel ports – transmits data in parallel and is most commonly used by a printer. • Universal Serial Bus ports (USB) – used by a number of input/output devices. • 1394 port – used by high speed multimedia devices such as digital camcorders. • Figure 1-9 pg. 10

  29. Items found on the motherboard • Processing components • CPU – most important chip. • Chip set – controls motherboard activities • Temporary storage • Random Access Memory (RAM) – holds data and instructions as they are processed. • Cache memory – speed ups memory access.

  30. Items found on the motherboard • Components that communicate with the CPU with other devices. • Traces – wires on the motherboard used for communication. • Expansion slots – connect expansion cards to the motherboard. • System clock – keeps communication in sync. • Electrical system • Provide power to the motherboard and expansion cards.

  31. Items found on the motherboard • Programming and setup data • Flash ROM – a memory chip used to permanently store instructions that control hardware functions. • CMOS chip – holds configuration data.

  32. The CPU and the Chip Set • The CPU could not do it’s job without the assistance of the chipset. • Chipset – group of microchips on the motherboard that control the flow of data and instructions to and from the CPU. • Figure 1-10 pg. 11 • Figure 1-11 pg. 12

  33. Storage Devices • 2 types of storage: • Temporary and Permanent • CPU uses temporary storage called primary storage or memory. • Primary storage is much faster to access than permanent memory.

  34. Storage Devices • When data and instructions are not being used, they are stored in permanent storage called secondary storage. • Floppy disk, hard drive • Figure 1-12 pg. 13

  35. Primary Storage • Primary storage is provided by devices called RAM • Random Access Memory • Located on the motherboard and other circuit boards • RAM chips are installed directly on a small board on the motherboard or in banks that plug into the motherboard. • Figure 1-13 pg. 14

  36. Primary Storage • The most common types of boards that hold memory are: • Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMM) • Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) • Rambus Inline Memory Modules (RIMM) • Memory in RAM is lost when the computer is shut off. • They need a continuous supply of electricity.

  37. Primary Storage • Because RAM always needs electricity, it is referred to as volatile memory. • However, there is nonvolatile memory called ROM (Read Only Memory). • Holds data even when no electricity is present. • Figure 1-14 pg. 14

  38. Secondary Storage • Data that is stored on devices such as CD’s, disks, hard drives, and so on. • Data and instructions can not be processed from these locations. • It must first be copied to Primary Storage. • IMPORTANT: secondary memory is PERMANENT memory.

  39. Secondary Storage • Hard drive – a sealed case containing platters and disks that rotate at a high speed. • Figure 1-16 pg. 16 • As platters rotate, an arm reaches across the platters, both writing new data and reading existing data.

  40. Hard drives • Hard drives use a technology called: • Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) • IDE provides two connectors on a motherboard for two data cables. • Figure 1-17 pg. 17 • Figure 1-18 pg. 17 • A motherboard can accommodate up to 4 IDE’s • Hard drives, ZIP drives, CD-ROMs all use these IDE connections.

  41. Hard drive • Receives its power from the power supply by way of a power cord. • Figure 1-19 pg. 18

  42. Other Secondary Storage Devices • Floppy Drive • Holds up to 1.44 MB of data • CD-ROM Drive • Most software is distributed by CD-ROM

  43. Motherboard Components use for Communication Among Devices • Traces – circuits (paths) that enable data, instructions and power to transfer from component to component. • This system of pathways used for communication and the protocol and methods used for transmission are called the bus.

  44. Motherboard Components use for Communication Among Devices • Protocol – set of rules and standards that any two entities use for communication. • Data bus – paths, or lines of the bus that are used to move data. • Figure 1-24 pg. 21

  45. Motherboard Components use for Communication Among Devices • Binary data is put on a line of a bus by placing voltage on that line. • This voltage is traveling on top of the line, not on it.

  46. Transferring data between components • When one component at one end of the line wants to write data to another component, the two must get in sync for the write operation. • The first component places voltage on several lines of the bus, and the other component immediately reads the voltage on those lines.

  47. Transferring data between components • The CPU interprets the voltage on each line as binary digits. • Some buses have data paths that are 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 bits wide. • If a bus has 8 wires to transmit data, it is called an 8 bit bus. • Remember: There are only two states inside a computer. On or Off. • If there is a voltage, then it is represented by a 1, and just the opposite if there is no voltage. • Figure 1-25 pg. 22

  48. Bus • Data Path Size – width of a data bus. • There can be multiples buses on a motherboard. • The main bus on the motherboard has several different names: • System bus • Memory bus • Host bus • Local bus • Front Side bus (FSB)

  49. System clock • System clock – circuit dedicated to timing the activities of the chips on the motherboard. • Figure 1-26 pg. 23 • Clock speed – the number of beats which are measured in Hertz (Hz) • Hertz – one cycle per second. • Megahertz (MHz) – one million cycles per second. • Gigahertz (GHz) – one billion cycles per second.

  50. Transferring data between components • The lines of a bus often expand to expansion slots. • Figure 1-27 pg. 24 • The kind of bus you depends on the type of expansion slot.

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