Introduction to basic parts of computer(Processor, Motherboard, RAM, Floppy Drive, CD/DVD Drive, Hard disk, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, SMPS, Printer, Scanner Etc.)

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Introduction to basic parts of computer(Processor, Motherboard, RAM, Floppy Drive, CD/DVD Drive, Hard disk, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, SMPS, Printer, Scanner Etc.)

Processor:

The Processor is an integrated electronic circuit that performs the tasks that run a computer. A processor performs arithmetical, logical, input/output (I/O) and other basic instructions that are passed from an operating system(OS). Most other processes are dependent on the operation of the processor.

Each processor is constituted of one or more individual processing units called "cores". Each core processes instructions from single computing task at a certain speed, defined as 'clock speed' and measured in gigahertz (GHz). Increasing clock speed beyond certain point is so difficult and because of this modern computers nowadays have several cores(dual-core, quad-core, octa-core etc.). They work together to process instructions and complete multiple tasks at the same time.

Motherboard:

Motherboard is an electronic circuit board in a computer which interconnects hardware devices attached to it. At a minimum it includes one or more central processing units and the main processing activity of the computer takes place on it.

There are lots of ports on motherboard like Serial port, PS/2 port, Parallel port, SCSI-Small Computer System Interface(Scuzzy) port, USB port, and FireWire(IEEE 1394) etc. which are used by motherboard to interact with electronics both inside and outside of the computer.

RAM:

RAM is a part of computer's main memory which is directly accessible by CPU. RAM is used to read and write data into it which is accessed by CPU randomly. RAM is volatile in nature, it means if the power goes off, the stored information is lost.

RAM is used to store the data which is currently being processed by the CPU. Most of the programs and data that are modifiable are stored in RAM.

There are mainly two types of Integrated RAM chips available:

1. SRAM(Static RAM)
2. DRAM(Dynamic RAM

The main difference between Static RAM and Dynamic RAM is that Static RAM is fast and expensive and Dynamic RAM is less expensive and slower. Due to this reason Static RAM is used to create CPU's speed sensitive cache, while Dynamic RAM forms the larger system RAM space.

Floppy Drive:

Floppy Drive is a hardware device that reads data storage. It was invented in 1967 by a team at IBM and was one of the first types of hardware storage that could read-write a portable device. It is used for reading and writing on removable floppy discs.

Floppy drives commonly have 4 basic components:

1. Magnetic read/write heads (one or two).
2. A spindle clamping device that held the disk in place as it was spinning 300 to 600 RPM(Rotations Per Minutes).
3. A frame with levers that opens and closes the device.
4. A circuit board that contains all the electronics.

CD/DVD Drive:

An optical disk drive that reads and writes all common CD and DVD formats. All modern optical drives that comes with a personal computers are CD/DVD drives. It uses a laser light to read or write data. A laser in this context means an electromagnetic wave with a very specific wavelength within or near the visible light spectrum. Different types of disks require different wavelengths.

It has rotational mechanism to spin the disc.

It also has loading mechanism. Two general types of loading mechanisms are:

1. A tray-loading mechanism
2. A slot-reading mechanism

Hard Disk:

A computer hard disk drive is a non volatile data storage device. Non volatile refers to storage devices that maintain stored data when turned off. All computers need a storage device and HDD is just one example of storage devices.

Generally HDD consists of platter, spindle, power connector, jumper block, IDE connector, read-write head etc.

Typical HDD has two electric motors: a spindle motor that spins the disk and, an actuator (motor) that positions the read write head assembly across the spinning discs.

There are four main types of Hard Disk:

1. Parallel ATA (PATA)
2. Serial ATA (SATA)
3. Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)
4. Solid State Drives (SSD)    

Monitor:

A monitor is an electronic device that shows output for computers in picture or text form. Monitors look similar to televisions. The main difference between monitor and a television is that monitor does not have television turner to change channels. Monitors often have higher display resolution than televisions. A high display resolution makes it easier to see smaller letters and fine graphics.

There are mainly three types of monitors:

1. CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) 
2. LCD(liquid Crystal Display)  
3. LED(Light Emitting Diode)

CRT monitors are big and heavy and it use a lot of desk space and electricity. It is the oldest technology used by monitors and it is based on the cathode ray tube technology that was developed for the television. Monitors are made with better parts which give a higher display resolution and picture sharpness then a television. This type of monitors are no longer popular.

LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) monitors are the most common kind of flat panel display. It is a newer technology than CRT. LCD monitors use much less dark space are lightweight and use less electricity than CRT. They have been used for many years in the screen of laptops and notebook computers. They also work as touch screen in tablet computers, mobile phones and other handheld technologies.

LED monitor or LED display is a monitor that uses light emitting diodes for backlighting. The first LCD monitors used cold cathode fluorescent lamps instead of LEDs to illuminate the screen.

Keyboard:

A computer keyboard is an input device used to enter characters and functions into the computer system by pressing buttons or keys. It is the primary device used to enter text. A keyboard typically contains keys for individual letters, numbers and special characters as well as keys for specific functions. A keyboard is connected to the computer system using cable or wireless connection.

Generally keyboard contains Typewriter keys, Function keys(F1 to F12), Cursor control keys(Arrow keys), Numeric keys, NUMLOCK key, Page up and down keys, Home and End keys, Caps lock key, Shift keys, CTRL and ALT keys, Enter keys, Tab key, Escape key, Delete key, Backspace key etc.

Mouse:

A mouse is a hand-held pointing device that allows you to control the computer without typing the instructions from keyboard. Place the palm of the hand over the mouse, move it across a mouse pad and as a result, the pointer will move on the screen. You can select icons, open programs, and select commands present in a program by moving the pointer.

A mouse has a primary button(left click), secondary button(right key) and wheel. The primary button carries out most of the tasks and the secondary button is used in special cases such as opening shortcut menus. Wheel is used for scrolling...

Today, different types of mouse are available in market. Following are the some types of mouse:

• Mechanical : Uses rubber ball and mechanical sensor system to detect movement...
• Optomechanical : Advanced version of mechanical mouse, uses optical sensor instead of mechanical sensor. It uses combination of LEDs and photo detectors to sense the distance travelled by mouse...
• Optical : Latest type of mouse which uses LEDs to detect the movement of mouse. Most advanced mouse with higher degree of precision...It doesn't have any rubber ball so it is moved on special mouse pad with grids.
• Wireless : Similar to other conventional mouses, However, it doesn't use any cable to connect to a computer. Instead, it uses radio waves to communicate with computer. Requires two components : transmitter and receiver. Transmitter passes waves and receiver receives and executes it to the OS.

SMPS:

Switch Mode Power Supply is a metal box usually found in a corner of a system unit. The power supply box is visible from the back of the system unit because it contains power-cord receptable and a cooling fan. Power supply, often referred as switching, uses switcher technology to convert AC into DC. After conversion, the power supply sends the required wattage to the different components of the computer, such as the monitor, hard disk, CD-ROM, and floppy disk drive.

Printer:

Printer is an output device that prints output given by computer on the paper. The speed of printer is rated either by Pages Per Minute(PPM) or Characters Per Second(CPS). You can take printouts in either full color or black. Color printers are more expensive. Different types of printers are given below:

Dot Matrix printer: Refers to a printer that uses pins and ink soaked ribbon. A dot matrix printer uses pins instead of hammer. The pins strikes an ribbon. As each pin hits the ink ribbon, a dot appears on the paper, and the combination of dots form characters and illustrations. A dot matrix printer can print 1 to 18 pages in one minute. The role of dot matrix printer has now become restricted to printing invoices and bills.

Inkjet printer: Refers to a printer that sprays ink on a sheet of paper. The printers sprays little droplets of color in a pattern on the paper at high speed. This tiny droplets form the character or image on the paper. Inkjet printers produce high quality text and graphic and can print 4 to 6 pages in one minute. Nowadays inkjet printer can produce a photostat copy of any image or document. Due to their low price and affordability inkjet printers are popular in homes.

Laser printer: Refers to a type of printer which uses a laser beam and rolling drum to produce a high quality print out. The laser beam creates a pattern of images and letters on the rolling drum. This pattern is the image or the document. After the image is formed, the printer spreads black powder (known as toner) on the drum. The paper from the tray of the printer passes through the rolling drum and an image of the document appears on the paper before the paper comes out of the laser printer. It passes through a set of heated rollers (known as fusers) which firmly pastes the powder on the paper. Finally you get the printout in out-bin of the printer.

Scanner:

Scanner is an input device that uses light beam to scan documents directly into a computer or computer system. Various types of scanners are available like from photo scanner to barcode scanner...