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Chapter 4. Electricity and Power Supplies. You Will Learn…. How electricity is measured How to protect your computer system against damaging changes in electrical power About different form factors and computer cases How to detect and correct power supply problems
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Chapter 4 Electricity and Power Supplies
You Will Learn… • How electricity is measured • How to protect your computer system against damaging changes in electrical power • About different form factors and computer cases • How to detect and correct power supply problems • About Energy Star specifications
Measures of Electricity continued…
Voltage • Electrical force created by the potential difference in charge • Measured in units called volts
Amps • Ampere = unit of measurement for electrical current
Relationship Between Voltage and Current • Direct relationship • As the electrical potential difference (voltage) increases, the electrical current increases • As the voltage decreases, the current decreases
Ohms • Standard unit of measurement for electrical resistance • Resistors are devices used in electrical circuits to resist the flow of electricity • As resistance decreases, electricity increases
Relationship Among Voltage, Current, and Resistance • Voltage and current have a direct relationship • When voltage increases, current increases • Resistance has an inverse relationship with voltage and current • As resistance increases, either current or voltage decreases • As resistance decreases, either current or voltage increases (Ohm’s Law) • One volt drives a current of one amp through a resistance of one ohm
Wattage • Total amount of power needed to operate an electrical device • Measured in watts • Calculated by multiplying volts by amps in a system (W = V x A)
AC and DC • AC (alternating current) • Cycles back and forth rather than traveling in only one direction • Most economical way to transmit electricity • DC (direct current) • Travels in only one direction • Type of current required by most electronic devices, including computers • Computer power supplies function as both a transformer and a rectifier
Hot, Neutral, and Ground • Short circuit • Occurs when electricity is allowed to flow uncontrolled from hot line to neutral line or from hot line to the ground • Fuse • Designed to prevent too much current from flowing through the circuit
Materials Used to Make Electronic Components • Conductors • Insulators • Semiconductors
Protecting Your Computer System • General safety precautions • Protecting against electricity • Protecting against electrostatic discharge (ESD or static electricity) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) • Surge protection and battery backup
Protecting Against Electricity • When working inside a computer • Turn off the power • Unplug the computer • Use a ground bracelet
Static Electricity • Ground yourself and computer parts, using static control devices or methods • Ground bracelet or static strap • Ground mats • Static shielding bags • Caution: Don’t wear a ground bracelet when working inside a monitor or with high-voltage equipment such as a laser printer
Electromagnetic Interference • Caused by the magnetic field produced as a side effect when electricity flows • Radio frequency interference (RFI) can cause problems with radio and TV reception • Use a line conditioner to filter electrical noise causing the EMI
Surge Protection andBattery Backup • Devices that filter AC input • Surge suppressors (or surge protectors) • Power conditioners • Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) • Also provides backup power
Uninterruptible Power Supply • Benefits • Condition line for brownouts and spikes • Provide backup power during a blackout • Protect against very high spikes that could damage equipment
What to Consider WhenBuying a UPS • Cost • Rating should exceed your total VA or wattage output by at least 25% • Degree of line conditioning • Warranty, service policies, and guarantee
Computer Case and Form Factors • Form factor • Describes the size, shape, and general makeup of a hardware component • Must match for motherboard, power supply, and case
AT ATX (most popular) LPX NLX Backplane systems Most common form factors used on PCs: AT Baby AT ATX Mini-ATX Case, Power Supply, and Motherboard Form Factors
Types of Cases • Desktop cases • Tower cases • Minitower • Midsize (most popular) • Full-size • Laptop cases
Detecting and Correcting Power Supply Problems • Measuring the voltage of a power supply • Upgrading and installing power supplies • Troubleshooting the power system and power supply
Measuring the Voltage of a Power Supply • Use a multimeter • Before using, tell it three things • Whether to measure voltage, current, or resistance • Whether the current is AC or DC • What range of values it should expect • How to measure voltage • How to measure current • How to measure continuity
How to Measure the Voltage of a Power Supply • How to measure the power output for AT and ATX motherboards • Procedure for a secondary storage device