Electronics, System Components

Dr. Nadjet Azzaoui

[email protected]

Department of Computer Science

and Information Technology
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 Chapter 03 :Computer Connections

Connectivity brings together all the techniques related to the

physical connections of electrical connections as well as data
transmissions, that is to say connectors and sockets.
Connections are omnipresent in our lives, whether to connect our
electrical devices to power outlets or to connect the different
elements of our computer systems, our audio or video systems.

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 Chapter 03 :Computer Connections

I. Definition
A connector is always used to connect a system that transmits to a
system that receives.

Figure 1. Connections.

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 Chapter 03 :Computer Connections

II. Features
Connections can be characterized by different criteria such as:
− The name
− Color
− Male or female
− Dismountable or molded
− Connector quality

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III. Power connectors

1. Power socket
The computer is powered by mains current (220 Volts, 50 Hz) and
must be earthed.

Figure 2. Power jack (male/female)

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2. ATX 20/24 pin connector:

This is the one that allows the motherboard to be powered on.

Formerly 20 pins, the current standard has 24. It is almost
always composed of a block of 20, to which we can add a
block of 4 pins.

Figure 3. ATX 20/24 pin connector

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3. ATX P4 pin connector:

This connector was introduced by Intel for Pentium 4 (hence

its name). It plugs into the motherboard and is exclusively
reserved for powering the processor. Without it, starting the PC
is impossible.

Figure 4. ATX P4 pin connector.

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4. Molex Connector:

Or Molex 8981-4P connector is a power supply jack used by

some internal devices of a microcomputer, such as hard drives,
CD players, etc.

Figure 5. Molex connector.

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5. SATA power connector:

SATA power connector is a power supply socket used by native

Serial ATA devices.

Figure 6. SATA power connector.

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IV. Processor connector

There are two categories of connectors:

1. Slot: This is a rectangular connector into which the processor is

inserted vertically.

Figure 7. Slot.

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2. Socket:
This is a square connector with a large number of small
connectors into which the processor plugs directly.

Figure 8. Socket.
Each motherboard has one type of connector and only one, so
the motherboard socket must match the processor socket
exactly.
It is essential, whatever the support, to carefully plug in the
processor so as not to bend any of its pins (there are several
hundred of them).
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V. The RAM connectors

RAM memory slots are receptacles located on the motherboard

allowing us to connect RAM memory sticks to the computer to
allow it to function properly.

Figure 9. RAM connectors.

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VI. DB9 connector

Also called serial port, is an analog socket with 9 pins,
allowing you to connect external devices such as mice, digital
cameras, modems, etc.
The connection often requires a restart of the machine to take
effect. This type of connection tends to disappear in favor of
USB.

Figure 10. DB9 connector

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VII. DB25 connector

Also called parallel port, is an analog socket with 25 pins,
allowing you to connect old printers.

Figure 11. DB25 connector

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VIII. VGA connector (VGA: Video Graphics Adapter or Video

Graphics Area)

This type of connector is fitted to most graphics cards,

allowing 3 analog signals corresponding to the red, blue and
green components of the image to be sent to the screen. The
VGA connector on the graphics card is usually colored
blue.

Figure 12. VGA connector.

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IX. DVI connector (DVI: Digital Video Interface)

The DVI interface present on certain graphics cards allows the
video signal to be sent in the form of digital data to screens
having such an interface. This avoids unnecessary digital-
analog conversions which risk degrading the video signal.
The DVI connector on the graphics card is usually white in
color. However, the DVI interface is about to be made obsolete
with the release of the HDMI interface.

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Figure 13. DVI connector.
 Chapter 03 :Computer Connections

X. HDMI connector (HDMI: High Definition Media Interface)

The HDMI connector is a digital interface allowing the transfer

of uncompressed multimedia data (digital audio and video) in
high definition.

Figure 14. HDMI connector.

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XI. DisplayPort connector

The DisplayPort connector is a new digital interface for

transferring multimedia data (digital audio and video).

Figure 15. DisplayPort connector.

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XII. PS/2 connector

The keyboard and mouse are generally connected to the back of
the central processing unit case, on the motherboard, on a PS/2
connector colored purple for the keyboard and green for the
mouse.

Figure 16. PS/2 connector.

The PS/2 port is no longer widely used today because it has
now been supplanted by USB or even by a wireless
transmission module.
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XIII. USB connectors:
The English term Universal Serial Bus or USB (in French
universal serial bus) is a standard relating to a serial computer bus
which is used to connect computer peripherals to a computer or to
any type of device intended for this purpose (tablet, smartphone,
etc.). The USB bus allows you to hot connect peripherals (when
the computer is running) and benefit from Plug and Play which
automatically recognizes the peripheral. It can power low-energy
devices (USB key, SSD drives, etc.).

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Figure 17. USB connector.
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Version 1.0 of USB appeared in January 1996, this connector

became widespread in the 2000s for connecting mice, computer
keyboards, printers, USB sticks and other peripherals to personal
computers.USB performance, particularly regarding speeds, has
greatly improved over the versions: from 1.5 Mbit/s for version 1.0
to 10 Gbit/s theoretical for version 3.1 Gen 2.

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XIV. Storage connectors

They allow the connection of storage devices such as hard drives
and optical discs. The IDE standard (Parallel ATA, PATA) is still
current but is tending to be replaced by Serial ATA (SATA) which
allows speeds 1.5 times faster for smaller connections.

Figure 18. Connecteurs SATA et IDE (PATA).

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eSATA (external SATA) is a fairly recent type of connection

benefiting from the advantages of SATA, namely a theoretical
throughput of 150 MB/s and the possibility of connecting
peripherals “hot”; that is, without the need to restart the system.

XV. Expansion connectors

These are receptacles that can accommodate expansion cards
(these cards are used to add functionality or increase the
performance of a microcomputer, for example a graphics card can
be added to a computer to improve the quality of the display on
the monitor). These ports are called, PCI ports, AGP port and on
newer motherboards PCI Express 1X or 16X.

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− PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) connectors

Is a local (internal) bus standard for connecting expansion cards to a

computer's motherboard. One of the advantages of the PCI bus is that
two PCI cards can communicate with each other without going
through the processor.

Figure 19. PCI connector.

PCI connectors are generally present on motherboards at least 3 or 4

in number and are generally recognizable by their white color
(standardized).

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− Le connecteur AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

The AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) connector Is an internal port

intended exclusively for graphics cards. AGP allows information to
flow more quickly. The AGP port comes in several variants whose
frequencies are multiples (X) of the basic AGP (266 MB/s).

Figure 20. AGP connector.

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− PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express)

connectors

Is an interconnection bus allowing the addition of expansion cards in

the computer. Unlike the PCI bus, which operates in parallel
interface, the PCI Express bus operates in serial interface, which
allows it to obtain a much higher bandwidth than the latter.

Figure 21. PCI Express connector.

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The PCI Express bus is available in several versions, 1X, 2X, 4X,
8X, 12X, 16X and 32X, allowing speeds of between 250 MB/s
and 8 GB/s, almost 4 times the maximum speed. 8X AGP ports.
Thus, with a manufacturing cost similar to that of the AGP port,
the PCI Express bus is expected to gradually replace it.PCI
Express connectors are incompatible with older PCI connectors
and have variable sizes and lower power consumption. One of the
interesting features of the PCI Express bus is the possibility of hot
plugging or unplugging components, that is to say without turning
off or restarting the machine.

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XVI. Audio (sound) connectors
This connector is present on most sound cards and often on
motherboards when the chipset manages the audio stream. They
allow you to connect speakers (from 2 to 6 depending on the
number of outputs) and they also allow you to connect a
microphone, musical instruments, etc.

Figure 22. Audio connector.

❑ Digital microphone I/O jack (connect a microphone)
❑ Line-in jack (connect musical instruments)
❑ Line Out jack (connect headphones, speakers)
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XVII. RJ-11 connector

An RJ-11 connector, also called Registered jack 11, is an
international standard used by landline telephone devices. It is
also used in the field of local networks. It conveys the signal from
the telephone network generally to a modem.
Its presence on a computer generally reveals the presence of a
modem.

Figure 23. RJ-11 connector

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XVIII. RJ-45 connector
An RJ-45 connector, also called Registered jack 45, used to
connect the computer to a network. It corresponds to a network
card integrated into the motherboard;

Figure 24. RJ-45 connector

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XIX. Firewire connector (IEEE 1394)

allowing you to connect peripherals (notably digital cameras) at
very high speed.

Figure 25. Firewire connector.

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