Computer Hardware

Computer Hardware
• The mechanical devices that make up the
computer are called hardware.
• Hardware is any part of the computer that the
user can touch.
• A computer’s hardware consists of
interconnected electronic devices that one
can use to control the computer’s operation,
input and output.
 Components of Computer Hardware

1. Input devices
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
3. Output devices
4. Primary storage
5. Secondary storage
6. Communication devices
Peripherals
 Peripherals
• Peripheral is a generic name for all input,
output, and secondary storage devices
– Parts of the computer system, but not the CPU
– Separate from the CPU, but electronically
connected to and controlled by it
 Input Technologies
• Keyboard
– Still most widely used input device
• Electronic Mouse
– Most popular pointing device
– Pressing mouse buttons initiates
activity represented by the icon
selected
 Input Technologies
• Trackball
– Stationary device, similar to mouse
– Roller ball moves cursor on screen

• Pointing Stick
– Small eraser-head device
embedded in keyboard
– Cursor moves in the
direction of the pressure
placed on the stick
 Input Technologies
• Touchpad
– Small, rectangular, touch-sensitive surface
– Usually on keyboard
– Cursor moves in direction your finger moves
• Touch Screen
– Use computer by touching
screen
– Screen emits a grid of
infrared beams, sound waves,
or electric current
– Grid is broken when screen is touched
 Pen-Based Computing
• Used in Tablet PCs and PDAs
– Pressure-sensitive layer, similar
to touch screen, under liquid
crystal display screen
– Software digitizes handwriting,
hand printing, and hand drawing
 Speech Recognition Systems
• Speech recognition is gaining popularity in the corporate
world among nontypists, people with disabilities, and
business travelers, and is most frequently used for
dictation, screen navigation, and Web browsing .
• Speech be the future of data entry
– Easiest, most natural means of human communication
• Recognizing speech patterns
– Discrete required pauses between each word
– Continuous speech recognition software (CSR) recognized
continuous, conversationally paced speech
 Speech Recognition Software
• Speech recognition systems digitize, analyze, and
classify speech and sound patterns
– Compares to a database of sound patterns in its
vocabulary
– Passes recognized words to the application software
– Typically requires voice recognition training
• Speaker-independent voice recognition systems
– Allows computer to recognize words from a voice it has
never heard before
– Typically used in voice-messaging computers
 Optical Scanning
• Devices read text or graphics and convert
them into digital input for a computers
– Enables direct entry of data from source
documents
• A document management library system
– Scans documents, then organizes and stores them
for easy reference or retrieval
 Optical Scanning
• Scanners
– Compact desktop models are popular for low
cost and ease of use
– Larger, more expensive flatbed scanners are faster
and provide high-resolution color scanning
 Optical Scanning
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
– Software that reads characters and codes
– Used to real merchandise tags, sort mail,
score tests
– Optical scanning wands read bar codes
 Other Input Technologies
• Magnetic Stripe
– Reads the magnetic stripe on credit cards
• Smart Cards
– Microprocessor chip and memory on credit card
• Digital Cameras
– Allows user to shoot, store, and download photos
or full-motion video with audio into the PC
 Other Input Technologies
• Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
– Used by banks to magnetically read checks and
deposit slips
– Requires an iron oxide-based ink
– Reader-sorter equipment magnetizes the ink, then
passes it under a reading head to sense the signal
 Output Technologies
• Video Displays
– Cathode-ray tube (CRT)
– Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
• Active matrix and dual scan
– Plasma displays
• Used in large TVs and flat-panel monitors
• Printed Output
– Inkjet printers spray ink on a page
– Laser printers use an electrostatic process similar to a
photocopying machine
Storage Tradeoffs
 Computer Storage Fundamentals
• Uses a two-state or binary representation of
data
– On or Off
– On represents the number 1
– Off represents the number 0
• Data are processed and stored in computer
systems through the presence or absence of
On/Off signals
 Bit and Byte
• Bit
– Short for binary digit
– Smallest element of data
– Either zero or one
• Byte
– Group of eight bits, which operate as a single unit
– Represents one character or number
Representing Characters in Bytes
 Storage Capacity Measurement
• Kilobyte (KB): one thousand bytes
• Megabyte (MB): one million bytes
• Gigabyte (GB): one billions bytes
• Terabyte (TB): one trillion bytes
• Petabyte (PB): one quadrillion bytes
 Direct and Sequential Access
• Direct or Random Access
– Directly store and retrieve data
– Each storage position has a unique address and can be
accessed in the same length of time
– Semiconductor memory chips, magnetic disks
• Sequential Access
– Data is stored and retrieved sequentially
– Must be accessed in sequence by searching through prior
data
– Magnetic tape
Direct and Sequential Access
 Semiconductor Memory
• Microelectronic semiconductor memory chips
are used for primary storage
– Advantages: small size, fast, shock and
temperature resistance
– Disadvantages: volatility; must have uninterrupted
electric power or loses memory
 Types of Semiconductor Memory
• Random Access Memory (RAM)
– Most widely used primary storage medium
– Volatile memory
– Read/write memory
• Read-Only Memory (ROM)
– Permanent storage
– Can be read, but not overwritten
– Frequently used programs burnt into chips during
manufacturing process
– Called firmware
 Flash Drives
• Sometimes referred to as a jump drive
– Uses a small chips containing
thousands of transistors
– Can store data for virtually
unlimited periods without power
– Easily transported and highly
durable
– Storage capacity of up to 1 GB
– Plugs into any USB port
 Magnetic Disks
• Used for secondary storage
– Fast access and high capacity
– Reasonable cost
 Types of Magnetic Disks
• Floppy Disks (diskettes)
– Magnetic disk inside a plastic jacket
• Hard Disk Drives (hard drives)
– Magnetic disk, access arms, and read/write heads
in sealed module for stable environment
– Fixed or removable
– Capacity from several hundred MBs to
hundreds of GBs
Computer Systems