UZ SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY

FOUNDATION COURSE MATERIAL

Introduction to Computers

OBJECTIVE: To demystify a computer and computing systems

To familiarize students with the components, purposes and

roles of computer components

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Contents

Unit 1 Intro to Computer

 What is a Computer?
 Overview of Computer System

 What is Software?

 What is Hardware

 Hardware Components

 Memory

 Mass Storage Device

 Input Device

 Output Device

 CPU

Unit 2 Peripheral Devices and Connectors

 What are Peripheral Devices?

 Identifying Connector Types on PCs

 Power Connector

 VGA Connector

 Serial Connector

 Parallel Connector

 Keyboard Connector
o AT
o PS/2
 USB Connector
 What is USB?
 Connecting the peripheral devices

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Unit 1

Intro to Computers

What is a computer?

A Computer is a programmable machine. The two principal characteristics of a

computer are:
 It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner.
 It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).

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 The world’s greatest and most advanced computer is the human body.
Your mind is much faster and far superior to any computer in existence.

Overview of a computer system

All of the components of a computer system can be summarized with the simple
equations below...

What is Software?

A computer cannot do anything without instructions. Sets of instructions are called

programs. Programs and data are used to control the hardware of the computer
system and to interface the user to a PC. Programs and data are called software.
Whatever you want your computer to do, you give your instructions using software.

Software is usually classified as system software and application software.

The most important system software is an operating system. An operating system

is a set of programs responsible for monitoring sequences of events in the computer
system, controlling the resources of the computer system (e.g. distribution of
memory and handling peripheral devices) and supporting communications between
the elements making up the computer system. You can consider an operating system
as an interpreter between the user, application software and hardware.

The table below classifies software and gives examples for each group.

 Software

System Application

Operating Systems Word Processors

MS-DOS Word

Windows 95 Word Perfect

Windows NT Ami Pro

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MacOS (e.g. System 7)
Spreadsheets

UNIX Excel

VAX/VMS Lotus 1-2-3

MVS Quattro Pro

Utilities Databases

Norton Utilities dBASE

LapLink Access

Windows 3.x FileMaker

Finder
Paint/Draw

Virus Buster Paint Shop Pro

VET Corel Photo Paint

Virus Scan Corel Draw

 
Games

  Solitaire

  Minesweeper

Another type of software is programming languages. Programming languages are

used to create all other software whether it is system or application software.
Modern programming environments have graphical user interfaces (GUI) featuring
symbolic icons and drag-and-drop technique and English-like statements. Delphi and
Visual Basic are the most popular examples of such environments. Programming in
visual environment creates an impression that it is very easy to write programs. But
becoming a good programmer requires talent, ability to learn, logic, creativity,
patience and experience.

Software can be categorized as open system or proprietary.

Open system software can be modified for use with any hardware. It is not the
exclusive property or design of a particular vendor. For example, UNIX is the first

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operating system that works on minicomputers, mainframes and PCs. Its inner
workings are available to public and anyone can adapt it or develop applications to
work with it.

The proprietary products are designed for particular systems and cannot be used
with other hardware. Its inner workings are protected information. For example,
Apple computers and software for them have been proprietary products for many
years. Only recently Apple licensed its MacOS to other hardware companies to build
Macintosh clones.

Software gives "intelligence" to the computer.

What is Hardware?

Hardware refers to objects that you can actually touch, like disks, disk drives, display
screens, keyboards, printers, boards, and chips. In contrast, software is untouchable.
Software exists as ideas, concepts, and symbols, but it has no substance.

Hardware Components

All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components: (internal

and peripheral devices)

 Memory: Enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and

programs.
 Mass storage device: Allows a computer to permanently retain large
amounts of data. Common mass storage devices include disk drives
and tape drives.
 Input device: Usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the
conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer.
 Output device: A display screen, printer, or other device that lets you
see what the computer has accomplished.
 Central processing unit (CPU): The heart of the computer, this is
the component that actually executes instructions.

In addition to these components, many others make it possible for the basic
components to work together efficiently. For example, every computer requires a bus
that transmits data from one part of the computer to another.

Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows, though there is

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considerable overlap:

 Personal computer: A small, single-user computer based on a

microprocessor. In addition to the microprocessor, a personal computer has a
keyboard for entering data, a monitor for displaying information, and a
storage device for saving data.
 Workstation: A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a
personal computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-
quality monitor.

 Minicomputer: A multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to

hundreds of users simultaneously.

 Mainframe: A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many

hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously.

Memory

Memory is internal storage areas in the computer. The term memory identifies data
storage that comes in the form of chips, and the word storage is used for memory
that exists on tapes or disks. Moreover, the term memory is usually used as
shorthand for physical memory, which refers to the actual chips capable of holding
data. Some computers also use virtual memory, which expands physical memory
onto a hard disk.

Every computer comes with a certain amount of physical memory, usually referred to
as main memory or RAM. You can think of main memory as an array of boxes, each of
which can hold a single byte of information. A computer that has 1 megabyte of memory,
therefore, can hold about 1 million bytes (or characters) of information.

What is a Bit? 1 bit = either a 1 or 0

8 bits = 1Byte
A Bit is a term whose name is
the contraction of "binary digit" (1’s and 1024 Bytes = 1KB (Kilobyte)
0’s) 1024KB = 1MB (Megabyte)

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 1024 MB = 1GB (Gigabyte)
A bit is the basic unit to measure the size
of memory in computers. A bit is the 1024 GB = 1 TB (Terabyte)
smallest unit of memory measurement.

There are several different types of memory:

 RAM (random-access memory): This is the same as main memory. When

used by itself, the term RAM refers to read and write memory; that is, you
can both write data into RAM and read data from RAM. This is in contrast to
ROM, which permits you only to read data. Most RAM is volatile, which means
that it requires a steady flow of electricity to maintain its contents. As soon as
the power is turned off, whatever data was in RAM is lost.

 ROM (read-only memory): Computers almost always contain a small

amount of read-only memory that holds instructions for starting up the
computer. Unlike RAM, ROM cannot be written to.

 PROM (programmable read-only memory): A PROM is a memory chip on

which you can store a program. But once the PROM has been used, you
cannot wipe it clean and use it to store something else. Like ROMs, PROMs
are non-volatile.

 EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory): An EPROM is a

special type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to ultraviolet light.

 EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory): An

EEPROM is a special type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to an
electrical charge.

RAM chip

Mass storage Device

Mass storage devices are devices used for storing large amounts of data. The earliest
storage devices were punched paper cards, which were used as early as 1804 to
control silk-weaving looms. Modern mass storage devices include all types of disk
drives and tape drives. Mass storage is distinct from memory, which refers to

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temporary storage areas within the computer. Unlike main memory, mass storage
devices retain data even when the computer is turned off.

What is a Device?
Any machine or component
that attaches to a computer.

The main types of mass storage are:

 Floppy disks: Relatively slow and have a small capacity, but they are
portable, inexpensive, and universal. Typical capacity 1.44MB.

 Hard disks: Very fast and with more capacity than floppy disks, but also
more expensive. Some hard disk systems are portable (removable
cartridges), but most are not. Storage capacity up to 150GB.

 Optical disks: Unlike floppy and hard disks, which use electromagnetism to
encode data, optical disk systems use a laser to read and write data. Optical
disks have very large storage capacity, but they are not as fast as hard disks.
In addition, the inexpensive optical disk drives are read-only. Read/write
varieties are expensive. Typical storage capacity 640MB.

 Tapes: Relatively inexpensive and can have very large storage capacities, but
they do not permit random access of data. Storage capacity up to 400GB

Mass storage is measured in kilobytes (1,024 bytes), megabytes (1,024 kilobytes),

gigabytes (1,024 megabytes) and terabytes (1,024 gigabytes).

Mass storage is sometimes called auxiliary storage.

Floppy Disk and Floppy Drive

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 Hard Disk Tape drive and Tape Cartridge

Optical Disk and Drive

Input device

Input devices are any machines that feed data into a computer. For example, a
keyboard is an input device, whereas a display monitor is an output device. Input
devices other than the keyboard are sometimes called alternate input devices. Mice,
trackballs, and light pens are all alternate input devices.

Keyboard Mouse

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 Light pen

Output device
Output devices are any machines capable of representing information from a
computer. This includes display screens, printers, plotters, and synthesizers.

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 Monitor Printer

CPU

CPU is the abbreviation of central processing unit, and pronounced as separate

letters. The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the
processor or central processor, the CPU is where most calculations take place. In
terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer
system.

Large computer systems can have many processors, so they are called
multiprocessor systems. The microcomputer is a system with a single processor that
fits on a single chip. This processor is called a microprocessor.

Processor

Two typical components of a CPU are:

 The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical
operations.
 The control unit, which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and
executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary.

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Unit 2

Peripheral Devices and Connectors

What are Peripheral devices?

Peripheral devices are devices connected to the computer but external in relation to
the processing unit. If a peripheral device is disconnected, the computer will still be
able to work; only functions performed by this peripheral device will not be available.
For example, if you disconnect a keyboard, you would not be able to type in
information but you will be able work with the graphical user interface by clicking the
mouse. If you remove the hard disk, you will have to start up your computer using
floppy disk and you will have to save your data on floppy disks only but the
computer will still be working.

Peripheral devices can reside inside the computer case or outside. For example, a
mouse, a keyboard, a monitor is always outside the case and they are connected to

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the computer via ports, which are situated on the back of the case. Disk drives are
positioned inside the case and they are connected to the motherboard via disk
controller cards, which are inserted in the expansion slots on the motherboard.

Peripheral devices are classified according to the purpose they serve:

Input devices are used for data input
Output devices are used for data output
Storage devices are used to store data for long periods of time

 Keyboard
Keyboards allow users to enter commands and data into the computer system.

An example of a command might be to run a games program

or dial up a remote computer.

 Monitor
Monitors are devices that allow the computer to display information back to the
user. This might be in either a text or graphical display. Monitors come in various
sizes, 14", 15", 17" and so on. The larger the monitor, the more expensive it is,
and the larger the image displayed on the screen is.

Monitors have a number of important features, screen

resolution refers to the number of dots in the X and Y co-
ordinates (640 by 480, or 800 x 600), and refresh rate,
which specifies the number of times per second that the
image is drawn on the screen (60Hz means 60 times per
second).

Higher screen resolutions like 1024x768 require a large monitor size like 21"
(otherwise it looks so small when viewed on a 14" monitor), and also require

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 a higher refresh rate like 72Hz, in order to prevent the image on the screen
flickering.

 Mouse
A mouse is an inverted trackball device that has a number of selection buttons
associated with it. The hand moves it across a flat surface, and its position is
displayed on the screen. As the mouse is moved across the surface, its position
displayed on the screen is updated to reflect its movement. The buttons are used
to select items and make choices on the screen.

The mouse can significantly reduce user input by

moving away from typing commands at the
keyboard to clicking on buttons or other items
displayed on the screen.

 Printer
A printer allows the user to print out on paper a copy of the screen or the data that
is being processed by the computer.

Printers are available in both color and black and

white. Color printers are slower and more expensive
than black and white printers. In addition, the
technology used to print the information on the paper
varies upon the type of printer.

 Modem
A modem is a device, which allows the user to connect their computer system to
another computer system. A modem attaches to a telephone line, and dials up
another computer via the telephone.

The modem converts the computer signals so that they

work over the telephone circuits used by the telephone
companies. A modem can be an internal device that is
located inside the base unit, or, as shown here, an
external device that attaches to the base unit via a
cable.

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  Microphone

Microphone – Allows the computer to receive and

record sound. Necessary for voice recognition
software and any software that needs to record
sound.

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  Scanner – Much like a copying machine. Allows the computer to digital
copies, of text or graphics. This is an example of going from a hardcopy or
physical paper to softcopy or digital image.

Handheld Scanners
Paper feed or Paper Port Scanners
 

 Flatbed Scanners Digital Camera

 
 

 
 
 

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Identifying Connector Types on PCs

On every system unit of the PC there are a number of "sockets" in which peripheral
devices (like mice, printers, monitors, modems and keyboards) can be plugged into.
These are called Connectors. This unit covers the most common connector types;
their characteristics and what devices or peripherals they are associated with.

Power Connectors
First lets look at the connection points for power to the system unit and to the
monitor. Most PCs today have 2 sockets at the back for power sourcing and these
usually sit one above the other.

The diagram on the left shows the 2 power sockets on

the PC on the left hand side and the connecting leads or
plugs that go into these sockets on the right.

The bottom plug and socket is where the power is sent

to the PC from an outside source(a power socket in the
wall). The top plug and socket is where power is
supplied to the Monitor from the PC.

This sort of configuration means that the Monitor doesn't have to be supplied with power
from a second external source(another power socket in the wall).

Note that some of the plugs and sockets have pins and others have
holes that accommodate pins. We refer to any plug or socket that
has pins as being type Male, and any plug or socket that has holes
to accommodate pins as being type Female. This is regardless of
the number of holes or pins.

Orientation of Connectors
To prevent incorrect insertion of connectors, you will note on closer inspection that
sockets are generally keyed, which means plugs can only be inserted into the socket
one way. Incorrectly inserted plugs could cause significant damage, not only to the
connector, but also the computer or device being attached. Sometimes, orientation is
achieved by having different numbers of pins on the top or bottom of the socket,
little cut-away parts, or a larger width at the top compared to the bottom of the
socket. You must ensure the plug you are inserting into the socket is the correct type
and is the correct orientation.

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VGA Connectors
We previously talked about supplying power to the monitor, now we must connect up
the monitor and system unit so that signals or images can be sent to the screen for
the user to view. We do this by connecting a VGA plug from the monitor to a VGA
socket on the system unit.

The VGA socket on the System unit is a 15 pin

female configuration and there are usually
small nuts mounted either side of the socket
so that the corresponding plug can be screwed
in so it's more secure.

The VGA plug from the monitor is similar in

size but it is a 12 pin male configuration. Not
all 15 pins are required for the VGA connection
so 3 pins are missing from the plug. Also there
are usually to small bolts either side of the
plug so that it can be screwed into the
corresponding VGA socket for a more secure
connection.

Serial Connectors
A PC usually has 2 Serial socket types for connecting up serial devices or peripherals.
1 type of socket has a 9 pin male configuration and the other has a 25 pin male
configuration. These are also referred to as COM1 and COM2.

The 9 pin male serial socket at the top of the

diagram on the right is used for connecting a
serial device such as a mouse. The 25 pin male
serial socket at the bottom is used for
connecting a serial device like an external
modem.

The serial plug from a mouse is similar in size

but it is a 9 pin female configuration. Again,
note the small bolts either side of the plug so it
can be screwed into the corresponding serial
socket for a more secure connection. The serial
plug for the modem would be wider and would
be a 25 pin female configuration.

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Parallel Connectors
A PC usually has 1 main Parallel socket type for connecting up a parallel device,
typically a printer.

The socket has a 25 pin female configuration and is

also referred to as LPT1.

The parallel plug from a printer is a 25 pin male

configuration. Again, note the small bolts either side of
the plug so it can be screwed into the corresponding
parallel socket for a more secure connection.

Keyboard Connectors - AT
A PC has only 1 Keyboard socket.

This has a 5 pin female configuration but also

has another small feature as well. When
connecting any of the other socket types
(Parallel, Serial and VGA) to their
corresponding plugs, they can only be
connected one way due to their shape. This is
also known as Keyed, meaning it can only be
connected one way. Due to the cylindrical
shape of the keyboard socket, there may be
the possibility of the plug being connected
incorrectly. This in turn can result in the
corresponding pins on the keyboard plug
being damaged and broken.

To prevent this from occurring, both the

keyboard socket and plug are also keyed.
Note the square shaped notch taken out of
the socket in the top diagram, and note its
corresponding indented notch on the front
end of the plug on the middle diagram.

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The notch and the corresponding pins are
more visible in the bottom close up diagram
of the plug's front end.

Keyboard Connectors - PS/2

Almost all the latest computers have

PS/2 connectors which has 6 pins to
which PS/2 mouse or a keyboard can
be connected. This has a 6 pin female
configuration. Like the AT keyboard
connectors PS/2 plugs can only be
connected one way due to their
shape. This is also known as Keyed,
meaning it can only be connected one
way. Due to the cylindrical shape of
the PS/2 socket, there may be the
possibility of the plug being
connected incorrectly. This in turn
can result in the corresponding pins
on the keyboard plug being damaged
and broken.

The mouse PS/2 plug and connector is green in color whereas the keyboard plug and
connector is purple.

USB Connectors

Just about any computer that you buy

today comes with one or more Universal
Serial Bus connectors on the back.
These USB connectors let you attach
everything from mice to printers to your
computer quickly and easily. The
operating system supports USB as well,
so the installation of the device drivers is
quick and easy, too. Compared to other
ways of connecting devices to your
computer (including parallel ports, serial
ports and special cards that you install
inside the computer's case), USB devices
are incredibly simple!

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What is USB?

Anyone who has been around computers for more that two or three years know the
problem that the Universal Serial Bus is trying to solve -- in the past, connecting
devices to computers has been a real headache!
 Printers connected to parallel printer ports, and most computers only came
with one. Things like Zip drives, which need a high-speed connection into the
computer, would use the parallel port as well, often with limited success and
not much speed.
 Modems used the serial port, but so did some printers and a variety of odd
things like Palm Pilots and digital cameras. Most computers have at most two
serial ports, and they are very slow in most cases.
 Devices that needed faster connections came with their own cards, which had
to fit in a card slot inside the computer's case. Unfortunately, the number of
card slots is limited and you needed a Ph.D. to install the software for some
of the cards.

The goal of USB is to end all of these headaches. The Universal Serial Bus gives you
a single, standardized, easy-to-use way to connect up to 127 devices to a
computer. Each device can consume up to a maximum of 6 megabits per second
(Mbps) of bandwidth, which is fast enough for the vast majority of peripheral devices
that most people want to connect to their machines.

Just about every peripheral made now comes in a USB version. A sample list of USB
devices that you can buy today includes:

 Printers
 Scanners
 Mice
 Joysticks
 Flight yokes
 Digital cameras
 Webcams
 Scientific data acquisition devices
 Modems
 Speakers
 Telephones
 Video phones
 Storage devices such as Zip drives
 Network connections

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 The USB standard uses "A" and "B"
connectors to avoid confusion:

 "A" connectors head "upstream"

toward the computer.
 "B" connectors head
"downstream" and connect to
A typical USB connector for a device,
individual devices.
called an "A" connection

By using different connectors on the

upstream and downstream end, it is
impossible to ever get confused -- if you
connect any USB cable's "B" connector
into a device, you know that it will work.
Similarly, you can plug any "A" connector
into any "A" socket and know that it will

A typical "B" connection

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 Connecting the Peripheral devices

The back of the computer showing the ports and

Expansion slots
sockets

To connect a computer system together, follow the steps outlined below.

1. Place the system base unit on the table or work area where it will be used. If
fitted with a hard disk, be very careful not to bump or shake the base unit.
Damage to the hard disk can result from excess vibration.
2. Place the monitor on top of the base unit.
3. Locate the monitor connector on the base unit and connect the video cable of the
monitor to it. Plug in the power lead from the monitor to the connector on the
base unit (some systems have a separate power cord which are plugged into the
mains supply). Ensure the brightness and contrast knobs are set mid-position.
Screw the two small screws of the video connector finger tight so the video lead
will not fall off (damage may result to the screen display or video card if it
becomes unplugged during operation).

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 Connecting the Monitor

4. Locate the keyboard connector on the base unit. Plug the keyboard into this
connector; ensuring the connector is the fitted correctly.

Connecting the Keyboard

5. Locate the mouse serial connector on the base unit. Plug the mouse into this
connector; ensuring the connector is the fitted correctly.

Connecting the mouse

Remember if you have a PS/2

mouse and a PS/2 keyboard, connect
the plugs according to their colors.
Mouse is always green and keyboard is
purple.

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 If you have any USB device
connecting it to a computer
is simple -- you find the
USB connector on the back
of your machine and plug
the USB connector into it.

Many USB devices come

with their own built-in
cable, and the cable has an
"A" connection on it. If not,
then the device has a
socket on it that accepts a
USB "B" connector. If it is a
new device, the operating
system auto-detects it and
asks for the driver disk. If
the device has already been
installed, the computer
The rectangular socket is a typical USB socket on activates it and starts
the back of the computer. talking to it. USB devices
can be connected and
disconnected at any time.

6. Connect the printer to the base unit via a suitable printer cable. For a parallel
printer, connect it to the parallel printer port LPT1 or LPT2. Connect a serial
printer to the serial communications port COM1 or COM2.

Connecting the Printer

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 7. Connect optional devices such as speakers and modems.
8. Ensure the nearest power outlet to which the computer will be connected is
turned off. Ensure the computers base unit power switch is in the off position.
Connect the main system base units power input socket to a mains power
outlet. Power is always connected last.

Connecting the base unit power

9. Insert a system boot disk (if no hard disk is present).

10. Check all connections. Do not turn on mains power until all connections have
been checked thoroughly.
11. Turn on the power outlet. Turn on the monitor unit. Turn on the base unit (IN
THAT ORDER). The power up messages should be clearly visible on the
monitor screen.

Devices are never connected to a computer system with the power

already turned on. Always ensure the power is OFF before connecting
devices together. Turn printers and other devices on first, and the base
unit last.

The main system unit will probably beep once, when the main power is switched on.
If the base unit continually beeps, this indicates a serious problem and power should
be turned off as quickly as possible.

Most keyboards have three lights (num-lock, caps-lock and scroll lock). When the
system base units power switch is turned on, these lights should come on
and then go out. This sequence indicates that the keyboard has been tested at
power up. If the lights do not come on, or stay on all the time, this indicates the
keyboard is faulty or improperly connected.

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