Motherboard

The motherboard serves to connect all of the parts of a computer together. The CPU, memory, hard
drives, optical drives, video card,sound card and other ports and expansion cards all connect to the
motherboard directly or via cables.
The motherboard can be thought of as the "back bone" of the computer.

The Motherboard is Also Known As:

mainboard, mobo (abbreviation), MB (abbreviation), system board, logic board

Important Motherboard Facts:

Motherboards, cases and power supplies all come in different sizes called form factors. All three must
be compatible to work properly together.
Motherboards vary greatly in respect to the types of components they support. For example, each
motherboard supports a single type of CPU and a short list of memory types. Additionally, some video
cards, hard drives and other peripherals may not be compatible. The motherboard manufacturer
should provide clear guidance on component compatibilities.

Popular Motherboard Manufacturers:

ASUS, AOpen, Intel, ABIT, MSI, Gigabyte, Biostar

Motherboard Description:
The motherboard is mounted inside the case, opposite the most easily accessible side. It is securely
attached via small screws through pre-drilled holes.

The front of the motherboard contains ports that all of the internal components connect to. A single
socket/slot houses the CPU. Multiple slots allow for one or more memory modules to be attached.
 Other ports reside on the motherboard which allow the floppy drive, hard drive and optical drive to
connect via ribbon cables. Small wires from the front of the computer case connect to the
motherboard to allow the power, reset and LED lights to function. Power from the power supply is
delivered to the motherboard by use of a specially designed port.

Also on the front of the motherboard are a number of peripheral card slots. These slots are where
most video cards, sound cards and other expansion cards are connected to the motherboard.

On the left side of the motherboard (the side that faces the back end of the case) are a number of
ports. These ports allow most of the computer's external peripherals to connect such as the monitor,
printer, keyboard, mouse, speakers, phone line, network cable and more. Most motherboards also
include USB and FireWire ports here that allow compatible devices to connect to your computer when
you need them - devices like digital still and video cameras.

The motherboard and case are designed so that when peripheral cards are used, the sides of the
cards fit just outside the back end, making their ports available for use.

Mother Board PORTS

Modern PS/2 (AT) compatible keyboards

 Any number of keys (usually 101 or 104)

 5-pin or 6-pin connector; adaptor usually included
 Bi-directional serial protocol
 Only scan code set 2 guaranteed.
 Acknowledges all commands; may not act on all of them.
General Description:

Keyboards consist of a large matrix of keys, all of which are monitored by an on-board processor
(called the "keyboard encoder".) The specific processor varies from keyboard-to-keyboard but they all
basically do the same thing: Monitor which key(s) are being pressed/ released and send the
appropriate data to the host. This processor takes care of all the debouncing and buffers any data in
its 16-byte buffer, if needed. Your motherboard contains a "keyboard controller" that is in charge of
decoding all of the data received from the keyboard and informing your software of what's going on.

Electrical Interface / Protocol:

The AT and PS/2 keyboards use the same protocol as the PS/2 mouse.

USB PORT

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the
cables, connectors and communications protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and
power supply between computers and electronic devices.[2]

USB is not a true bus, meaning only the root hub sees every signal on the bus. This implies there is
no method to monitor upstream communications from a down stream device.

USB was designed to standardize the connection of computer peripherals, such as

keyboards, pointing devices, digital cameras, printers, portable media players, disk drivesand network
adapters to personal computers, both to communicate and to supply electric power. It has become
commonplace on other devices, such as smartphones, PDAs andvideo game consoles.[3] USB has
effectively replaced a variety of earlier interfaces, such asserial and parallel ports, as well as
separate power chargers for portable devices.

SERIAL PORT
In computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information
transfers in or out one bit at a time (in contrast to a parallel port).[1]Throughout most of the history
of personal computers, data transfer through serial ports connected the computer to devices such
as terminals and various peripherals.

While such interfaces as Ethernet, FireWire, and USB all send data as a serial stream, the term
"serial port" usually identifies hardware more or less compliant to the RS-232standard, intended to
interface with a modem or with a similar communication device

PARALLEL PORT

A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers (personal and otherwise) for connecting
various peripherals. In computing, a parallel port is a parallel communicationphysical interface. It is
also known as a printer port or Centronics port. The IEEE 1284standard defines the bi-directional
version of the port, which allows the transmission and reception of data bits at the same time.

VGA PORT

A Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector is a three-row 15-pinDE-15 connector. The 15-pin VGA
connector is found on many video cards, computer monitors, and some high definition television sets.
On laptop computers or other small devices, a mini-VGA port is sometimes used in place of the full-
sized VGA connector.

DE-15 is also conventionally called RGB connector, D-sub 15, mini sub D15, mini D15, DB-15, HDB-
15, HD-15 or HD15 (High Density, to distinguish it from the older and less flexible DE-9
connector used on some older VGA cards, which has the same shell size but only two rows of pins).
RJ45 PORT

An RJ-45 port is a data port often found on computers, network routers, switches and hubs. It is
commonly used for an Ethernet or serial connection with an 8 position 8 conductor (8P8C) jack. In the
past, some modems and telephones included an RJ-45 port that used a true Registered Jack 45
(RJ45) jack. Although the 8P8C jack is not identical to the RJ45, the dataport commonly retains the
RJ-45 name.

AUDIO PORT

Computer audio involves both output and input connections. No matter how sophisticated your PC's
sound system, audio connections — both input and output — are made by plugging things into the
appropriate jacks in the console, connecting your input and output devices to your computer:

 Audio input: Supplied by a microphone.

A microphone connects to the computer's microphone jack by using a standard audio mini-
DINconnector.

 Audio output: Supplied by headphones, left-right speakers, or full-on-wake-up-the-

neighborssurround sound.

Both headphones and speakers use the Line Out, headphone, or speakers jack. Speakers may also
need to be plugged into the wall for more power.

The Line In connector is used to connect any non-amplified sound source, such as your stereo, VCR,
or phonograph — or a tiny dog waiting inside a parked car or another noise-generating device.