I/O Ports

This chapter provides basic understanding for all types of ports and devices including I/O ports,
input devices, display types, video connector types, printing, and multimedia devices.

This chapter covers the following subjects:

 Understanding I/O Ports—This section describes the types of I/O ports used to send
information to and from the processor and memory.
 Understanding Input Devices—This section describes the important characteristics of
keyboards, mice, biometric readers, and other input devices.
 Understanding Display Types—This section describes output devices such as CRTs,
LCDs, and data projectors.
 Understanding Video Connector Types—This section talks about common video
connectors such as VGA, DVI, and HDMI.
 Printing Fundamentals—This section describes the basics of laser, inkjet, impact, and
thermal printers.
 Understanding Multimedia Devices—This section covers the basics of multimedia
devices such as webcams, digital cameras, MIDI ports, microphones, sound cards, and
video capture cards.

Input/output (I/O) devices enable us to control the computer and display information in a variety
of ways. There are a number of ports that connect these devices to the computer, for example, the
well-known USB port

Understanding I/O Ports

I/O ports allow for connections to hardware. This hardware could be internal or external. The
ports are associated with copper circuits and memory ranges that allow the communication of
data between the CPU, RAM, and the ports themselves. Common I/O ports include USB and
FireWire.

 USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports have largely replaced PS/2 (mini-DIN) mouse and keyboard,
serial (COM), and parallel (LPT) ports on recent systems. Most recent desktop systems have at
least four USB ports, and many systems support as many as eight or more front- and rear-
mounted USB ports.

The following sections describe USB port types and how to add more USB ports.

USB Port Types, Speeds, and Technical Details

There are three standards types of USB ports :

  USB 1.1- run at a top speed (full-speed USB) of 12 megabits per second (Mbps), low-
speed USB devices such as a mouse or a keyboard run at 1.5Mbps.

 USB 2.0-(Hi-Speed USB) ports run at a top speed of 480Mbps

 USB 3.0 (also called SuperSpeed USB) run at a top speed of 4,800Mbps.

The standards use the same cable and connector types, which are shown in Figure 3-2.

Figure 3-2 USB plugs and sockets.

USB cables use two types of connectors: Series A (also called Type A) and Series B (also called
Type B). Series A connectors are used on USB root hubs (the USB ports in the computer) and
USB external hubs to support USB devices. Series B connectors are used for devices that
employ a removable USB cable, such as a USB printer or a generic (external) hub.

Generally, you need a Series A–to–Series B cable to attach most devices to a USB root or
external hub. Cables that are Series A–to–Series A or Series B–to–Series B are used to extend
standard cables, and can cause problems if the combined length of the cables exceeds
recommended distances. Adapters are available to convert Series B cables into Mini-B cables,
which support the Mini-B port design used on many recent USB devices.

USB packaging and device markings frequently use the official logos shown in Figure 3-3 to
distinguish the different versions of USB in common use. Note that the industry is shifting from
using the term "USB 2.0" to "Hi-Speed USB."
Figure 3-3 The USB logo (left) is used for USB 1.1–compatible devices, whereas the Hi-Speed
USB logo (right) is used for USB 2.0–compatible devices. Devices bearing these logos have
been certified by the USB Implementers Forum, Inc.

With either version of USB, a single USB port on an add-on card or motherboard is designed to
handle up to 127 devices through the use of multiport hubs and daisy-chaining hubs. Starting
with Windows 98, USB devices are Plug and Play (PnP) devices that are hot swappable (can be
connected and disconnected without turning off the system). The USB ports (each group of two
ports is connected to a root hub) in the computer use a single IRQ and a single I/O port address,
regardless of the number of physical USB ports or devices attached to those ports.

IRQ Numbers and I/O Addresses

An IRQ is an Interrupt ReQuest, the act of a device interrupting the CPU in order to gain its
attention in an effort to send data. This is done by way of an interrupt input line (an actual
circuit). The devices, or ports and their associated controlling chips, are assigned IRQ numbers
which help the CPU and interrupt controller to differentiate between devices. For example, the
keyboard controller chip is always assigned IRQ 1. A PS/2 mouse is always assigned IRQ 12.

I/O port addresses are ranges of circuits that a device uses to actually send the data after they
have gained the CPU's attention. These are shown in hexadecimal because they are considered
to be memory ranges. For example, the keyboard uses the I/O port address 60. This is known as
the base address, or the first in the I/O range. The entire range for the keyboard is 60-6F, a total
of 16 values (a 16-bit range). Another example would be the primary IDE controller; this uses
the range 1F0-1F7, a total of 8 values (an 8-bit range). Because today's operating systems
automatically configure these settings for devices, it is rare that you need to troubleshoot device
conflicts associated with IRQs and I/O addresses.

The maximum length for a cable attached to 12Mbps or 480Mbps USB devices is five meters,
whereas the maximum length for low-speed (1.5Mbps) devices such as mice and keyboards is
three meters.

Adding USB Ports

Need more USB ports? You can add USB ports with any of the following methods:

 Motherboard connectors for USB header cables

 Hubs
 Add-on cards

Some motherboards have USB header cable connectors, which enable you to make additional
USB ports available on the rear or front of the computer. Some motherboard vendors include
these header cables with the motherboard, whereas others require you to purchase them
separately. Some recent case designs also include front-mounted USB ports, which can also be
connected to the motherboard.

USB generic hubs enable you to connect multiple devices to the same USB port and to increase
the distance between the device and the USB port. There are two types of generic hubs:

 Bus-powered
 Self-powered

Bus-powered hubs might be built into other devices, such as monitors and keyboards, or can be
standalone devices. A bus-powered hub distributes both USB signals and power via the USB bus
to other devices. Different USB devices use different amounts of power, and some devices
require more power than others do. A bus-powered hub provides no more than 100 milliamps
(mA) of power to each device connected to it. Thus, some devices fail when connected to a bus-
powered hub.

A self-powered hub, on the other hand, has its own power source; it plugs into an AC wall outlet.
It can provide up to 500mA of power to each device connected to it. A self-powered hub
supports a wider range of USB devices, so it is recommended that you use it instead of a bus-
powered hub whenever possible.

You can also add USB ports by way of an expansion card. If you have a free slot in the
computer, and know what type of slot it is, you can easily snap in an adapter card that has an
additional two, four, or eight USB ports.

Features of the USB port

1. It supports plug-and-play - once connected, the device is configured automatically

without any users input.
2. It supports hot swapping - devices can be plugged and unplugged while the computer is
powered on. Note that its always recommended to manually eject using the safely remove
hardware option before unplugging it from the computer.
3. It supports 127 peripheral devices (you can make use of a USB hub for more additional
ports).
4. It provides power to connected devices.

Serial (COM)

The serial port, also known as RS-232 or COM (communication) ports, historically has rivaled
the parallel port in versatility (see Figure 3-5).
Figure 3-5 A 9-pin serial port (DB-9M connector, top) and a 25-pin serial port (DB-25M
connector, bottom) on a typical extension bracket from a multi-I/O card.

Serial ports have been used to connect the following:

 External modems
 Serial mouse or pointing devices such as trackballs or touchpads
 Plotters
 Label printers
 Serial printers
 PDA docking stations
 Digital cameras
 PC-to-PC connections used by file transfer programs such as Direct Cable Connection,
Lap Link, and Interlink

Because USB ports provide greater speed than serial ports and support multiple devices
connected to a single port via hubs, it's no wonder that USB is by far the most commonly used
port on a PC, and many devices that were formerly connected to serial ports now utilize USB
ports.

Serial ports come in two forms:

 DB-9M (male)
 DB-25M (male)

Either type can be adapted to the other connector type with a low-cost adapter (see Figure 3-6).
The difference is possible because serial communications need only a few wires. Unlike parallel
printers, which use a standard cable, each type of serial device uses a specially wired cable. DB-
9M connectors are used on all but the oldest systems.
Figure 3-6 A typical DB-25F to DB-9M serial port converter. The DB-25F connector (lower left)
connects to the 25-pin serial port and converts its signals for use by devices attaching to the DB-
9M port at the other end (upper right).

A serial connection needs to have a cable that connects the device to the port. The device then
uses the IRQ and I/O port settings assigned to the serial port. Let's discuss the cables and settings
now.

Types of Serial Cables

Serial cables can be constructed in many different ways. In fact, cables for serial devices are
usually specified by device type rather than port type. This is because different devices use
different pinouts.

Some of the most common examples of serial cables include

 Null-modem (data transfer) cable

 Modem cable

A null-modem cable enables two computers to communicate directly with each other by crossing
the receive and transmit wires (meaning that two computers can send and receive data, much like
a computer network, though much slower).

A modem cable is used to connect an external modem to a serial port. Some modems include a
built-in cable, but others require you to use a DB-9F to DB-25M cable from the 9-pin connector
on the serial port to the 25-pin port on the modem.

Parallel (LPT)

The parallel port, also known as the LPT (Line Printer) port, was originally designed for use with
parallel printers. However, don't let the name "LPT port" fool you. Historically, the parallel port
has been among the most versatile of I/O ports in the system because it was also used by a
variety of devices, including tape backups, external CD-ROM and optical drives, scanners, and
removable-media drives such as Zip drives. Although newer devices in these categories are now
designed to use USB or IEEE 1394 ports, the parallel port continues to be an important external
I/O device for older systems.

CAUTION

Devices other than printers that plug into the parallel (LPT) port have two connectors: one for the
cable that runs from the device to the parallel port, and another for the cable that runs from the
device to the printer.
Wireless Ports

A wireless connection lets you connect equipment without having to worry about plug or cables.
But it can only work if your devices are fully compatible and are within range of each other.

Bluetooth

This radio-based system provides communication over distances of up to around 30 feet (10 m).
In theory, it runs at 1 Mbit/s, although in practice this falls to around 650 kbit/s, giving a transfer
rate of between 50 and 80 kB/s.

Unlike a true wireless network, the Bluetooth system is designed to provide a simple two-way
link between devices. However, the technology uses little energy, which is ideal for battery-
powered devices such as personal organisers and mobile telephones. Apple have introduced
their own wireless keyboard and mouse, both using Bluetooth technology.

 Bluetooth uses 79 channels, each 1 MHz wide, spread over a frequency of range 2.4 to
2.4835 GHz. Any two or more devices that have established communication employ
frequency hopping at 1.6 kHz across all of these channels.
 The 2.4 GHz band is also used by cordless telephones, the Wi-Fi wireless network (IEEE
802.11b, also known as AirPort) and the newer IEEE 802.11g system, which means that
interference can occur when related devices are within 6 feet (2 metres) of Bluetooth-
based equipment. Future versions of Bluetooth will avoid the channels used by other
networks, but in the meantime, Apple devices use adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) to
minimise the problem.
 A desktop computer with internal Bluetooth hardware normally has an antenna socket,
which should be connected to a suitable aerial. A separate antenna is also required for the
computer’s Wi-Fi facility.
 Bluetooth can be added to a computer by means of a Bluetooth USB adaptor, which
simply plugs into a spare USB port. Some adaptors of this type have a directional aerial,
extending the maximum range to around 100 metres.

If a Bluetooth device is made discoverable, it’s automatically connected to other devices within
range. Up to 7 slave devices and one master device can work together to create a piconet,
although up to 250 inactive slaves can also be present. Note that a master device in one piconet
can also be a slave in another: piconets that overlap in this way are known as scatternets.

 A passkey is normally used to initially set up a trusted connection: any data conveyed is
then protected by means of a 128-bit encryption system known as Safer+, although this
isn’t secure enough for credit card transactions.

Ultra Wideband (UWB)

This radio-based system, also known as Bluetooth 2 and an amazing data rate of 220 Mbit/s,
although only over a range of about a metre. Such speed is made possible by using an incredible
7.5 GHz of radio spectrum, positioned between 3.1 GHz and 10.8 GHz. At the time of writing,
no UWB products are available.

Infrared

An infrared link, fitted in some portable computers provides communication with suitable
devices that are in close proximity. Sadly, there are very few products that use this kind of link.
However, it can work with a personal organiser, such as a Palm, assuming both the hand-held
device and the computer have the necessary software.

Assignment: read and make notes on the differences between parallel ports and serial ports .

Read and make notes on RJ45 Ports

Present a detailed diagram of computer ports