Hardware Description

Hardware Level

Basic computer building blocks consist of:

1. CPU Box.

2. Monitor.

3. Keyboard.

4. Printer.

5. Mouse

6. Modem.

7.Other special Devices.

To understand the functioning of computer imagine it as a human being.

Every human being required

Oxygen to exist.

Holy book to behave like human being.

Arms, legs to execute the task.

Brain to think and store.

Other organs like eye to see, ear to hear.

Plain paper to write down result of task.

Every computer requires

Power supply to activate the computer.

Processor (CPU) to execute.

ROM to store instructions understood to computer & the basic rules of interaction with computer.

Memory (RAM) to store the result during execution of task.

Monitor to see the desired results of task.

Printer to get the hard copy of given task.

Modem to communicate with another computer.

To understand the functionality of computer accessories, we should clear the concept of input & output device.

Input devices

Data entered into computer through devices called input devices. The most commonly used input device is keyboard.

Device like mouse do not require typing for inputting information.

Keyboard & Mouse.

Once the human being wants to write he needs hand.

In a computer system this task is executed by keyboard. Mouse is a device used to point or select an option from monitor.

Output device

The devices, which provide information on readable/visible form called output device.

Monitor & printer are most commonly used output device.

Printers.

The output of computer on paper (hard copy) achieved by printer. Printer is output device.

It is just like electronic typewriter. Three printers are commonly used.

A. Dot-Matrix Printer.

B. Inkjet Printer.

C. Laser Printer.

Basic differences between these printers.

Dot matrix printer Inkjet printer Laser printer Speed 249 char per sec. 5 page per min. 10 or more pages per min. Make noises during the printing. No Noise. No Noise. Inexpensive. Expensive less than laser printer. Expensive than inkjet printer. Expensive than inkjet printer.

To get the hardcopy of the given task human being uses pencil to write.

In computer printer gives system the hard copy of task. The speed of printer measured in line per second or inches per second.

Modems.

Human being requires tongue to communicate with community.

To communicate with computer network, we need MODEM, a device to facilitate communication

between computers as well as send/receive electronic mail (E-mail).

Let's go through each block of computer one by one:

Power supply :Human being needs oxygen to exist

Computer as a machine needs power supply block to get power called SMPS (Simple Mode Power Supply). All computers utilise DC power of 5V to 12 V.

Believe it or not desktop computer needs very less power consumption not more than a fan.

SMPS makes computer activate Every SMPS embedded with fan to expose off the heat of SMPS in air. Now days there are ATX systems where computer may be switched off without switching off the power supply button.

But it doesn't mean that once you are not attending for long time & you switch off computer in Atx mode, computer won't get power.

You must switch off main power supply button otherwise it may cause accident.

Chassis is very crucial part of computer. Like human being needs skeleton to stand straight

Computer accessories kept inside a box or mainframe called chassis, which are very specialised depending upon user 's requirement.

For example if user need two floppy disk drive or two SMPS, the mainframe will be bigger in size compare to a normal chassis.

The basic difference between computer & human being.

Human being can think. Computer can not.

Sometimes human being becomes very sentimental to given situation, while computer do not have any sentiments.

But in computer system being a sensitive machine there is no place for sentiments.

Even computer can't think it has to execute using brain of his master (human being) & after execution of the task computer has to store the task in the external/permanent memory i.e. HDD & FDD.

Human being manipulates computer but the modern progress make human being slave of computer itself.