Assembling Computers 2007 Summer Academy Presented by the Petters Research Institute (PRI) in cooperation with the Belize Defense Force Andrew Schretter Paola Zamora
What Will You Learn? What is a computer? How does a computer work? What are the parts of a computer and what do they do? Putting it all together! Troubleshooting when something goes wrong. A brief overview of Operating Systems
What is a computer? A computer is a device that manipulates information according to a set of instructions.
Where do we find computers? Calculators Automobiles Desktops Cell Phones Laptops Personal Digital Assistants People!
Computers come in different sizes Desktop Laptop Palmtop Personal Digital Assistant
How Does A Computer Work? It Works Like You!
How does it work like me? Input/Output Processing Storage
Component Parade But before we begin...
Precautions! Do not touch pins or connectors, they bend easily Do not bend or flex circuit boards No liquids or drinks near the computers or components Do not force anything, if it doesn't fit, look at it again and see if there is a reason why! Do not drop computer components, they are fragile (and expensive!)
Input/Output
Keyboards and Mice (Input) Keyboard is the primary component for providing input to a computer Mouse used for pointing, selecting, and choosing objects on the screen
Monitors and Speakers (Output) Monitor is the primary output device Shows text, graphics, movies Speakers can provide music, sound effects, voice feedback
Processing
Motherboards Provides the electrical and physical connections for all the other parts of the computer (Skeleton) Different form factors (AT, ATX, BTX) Different sizes (Micro, Mini, Fullsize) Custom sizes and form factors
Motherboards Typically has connectors for : Power CPU RAM Add-on Cards Hard Drives/Floppy Drives/CDROMs
CPUs Central Processing Unit The Brain of the computer that processes your instructions Generates lots of heat! Uses heatsinks and fans to keep cool
CPUS Types of CPUs Intel Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium IV, Pentium D, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, Xeon AMD K6, Athlon, Duron, Sempron, Athlon 64, Opteron Slot CPUs, Socket CPUs
Chipsets Handles communication between the CPU and the rest of the components (Nervous System) Largest chips on the motherboard after CPU Integrated onto board, non-replacable
Chipsets Chipsets only support certain CPUs, need to know about compatibility when purchasing or finding parts Northbridge (closest to CPU) and Southbridge
Storage
RAM Random Access Memory (Short term memory) Temporary storage of information Relatively fast compared with hard disks Many different types and speeds
Types of RAM DRAM (Very Old) SDRAM (PC66, PC100, PC133, ECC) DDR (266, 333, 400, Registered) DDR2 (533, 667, 800) Flash RAM?
Hard Drives Permanent Storage (Long term memory) Approximately 50x slower than RAM at best Uses hard platters of glass or aluminum to store data Different interfaces and storage capacities
Types of Hard Drives IDE (ATA) Cheaper, Slower Parallel (PATA) Serial (SATA) SCSI Expensive, Higher Quality, Faster SCSI, SCSI-2, SCSI-3, SCA
Other Drives CDROM/DVD Drives provide large capacity removable storage Floppy Drives provide cheaper but smaller capacity removable storage Floppy disks might be in a hard casing, but are flexible inside
Input/Output Part II
Slots for Expansion Old Architecture ISA VESA Local Bus Modern Architecture PCI AGP Latest Architecture PCI Express (1x, 4x, 16x)
Slots for Expansion Video needs the fastest slots (VESA Local Bus, AGP, PCI Express 16x) Other cards (audio, video capture, disk controllers, modems, network cards) can use slower slots (ISA, PCI, PCI Express 1x)
Video Adapter Converts computer signals to a monitor (Output) Can be a separate card or built-in on the motherboard Has its own RAM for storing and processing image data
Audio Adapters Converts digital computer signals to analog audios signals that you can hear through speakers (Output) Can be an add-on card or built-in to the motherboard Red (Microphone), Blue (Line In), and Green (Speakers)
Communications Modems (slow, uses phone line) Wireless (faster, sends data over radio waves) Ethernet (fastest, cable looks like an oversized phone wire)
Bringing it all together
Computer Case Holds and protects all parts of the computer (Skin) Different Sizes, Shapes (Mini, Mid, Full, AT, ATX, BTX, Custom Forms)
Power Supply Converts standard AC power to the various DC voltages required by computers Provides power for all components (Heart) Many sizes (Standard AT, ATX, BTX) and custom shapes
Review
Computers vs. People Case Power Supply Motherboard Chipset CPU RAM Hard Drive Input (Keyboard/Mouse) Output (Audio/Video) Skin Heart Skeleton Nervous System Thinking part of Brain Short term memory Long term memory Input (Senses) Output (Voice/Actions)