Computer Fundamentals

Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, SBA

Let’s Begin …

Lecture # 03-04
Computer Components
• Hardware
• Software

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Hardware
• Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements
• ”Tangible objects” that constitutes a computer system.
• The actual machinery, wires, transistors, and circuits … etc.

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Software
• Computer Programs
• Instructions and Data

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Computer Units
1. Input Unit
2. Central processing Unit
3. Primary Memory Unit
4. Secondary storage Unit
5. Output Unit

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Computer Units

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Computer Units: Input Devices
• Input device is any peripheral (piece of computer hardware
equipment to provide data and control signals to an
information processing system such as a computer or other
information appliance.
• Input device Translate data from form that humans
understand to one that the computer can work with. Most
common are keyboard and mouse

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Computer Units: Input Devices

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 Example of Input Devices
Keyboard Mouse (pointing device) Microphone
Touch screen Scanner Webcam
Touchpads MIDI keyboard Electronic Whiteboard
Graphics Tablets Cameras Pen Input
Video Capture Hardware Microphone Trackballs
Barcode reader Digital camera Joystick
Gamepad

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 The standard Keyboard Layout
• A standard computer keyboard has about 100 keys.
• Most keyboards use the QWERTY layout, named for
the first six keys in the top row of letters.
 Keyboard

• Alphanumeric keys
• Modifier keys
• Numeric keypad
• Function keys
• Cursor-movement keys
• Special-purpose keys
 The Keyboard
• How keyboard works
– Keyboard controller detects a key press
– Controller sends a code to the CPU
• Code represents the key pressed
– Controller notifies the operating system
– Operating system responds
– Controller repeats the letter if held
How the Computer Accepts Input from the Keyboard

• Keyboard controller • Interrupt request

• Keyboard buffer • Repeat rate
• Scan code
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 The Mouse
oIt is pointing device.
oIt is used to control cursor on the screen
oIt functions by detecting two dimensional motion
oAll modern computers have a variant
oAllows users to select objects
– Pointer moved by the mouse
• Rubber ball determines direction and speed
• The ball often requires cleaning
• Also called ball mouse.
• Contains round rotating ball at the bottom.

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• Optical mouse
– Light shown onto mouse pad
– Reflection determines speed and direction
– Requires little maintenance

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An Optical Mouse
• Also called laser mouse.

• Contains laser at the bottom.

• Uses laser beam to detect the two dimensional

motion.

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Left Mouse Button Mouse Wheel Right Mouse Button

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Click Scroll Right Click
Drag and Drop
Double Click

Click = Select
Double Click = Open
Drag and Drop = Move
Scroll = Move page
Right Click = Options List

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 The Mouse – Using the Mouse.
• Using the mouse involves five techniques:
– Pointing: Move the mouse to move across the
desk, the pointer moves in relation to the mouse.
– Clicking: Press and release the left mouse button
once.
– Double-clicking: Press and release the left mouse
button twice.
– Dragging: Hold down the left mouse button as
you move the pointer.
– Right-clicking: Press and release the right mouse
button.
 The Mouse
• Benefits
– Pointer positioning is fast
– Menu interaction is easy
– Users can draw electronically
 The Mouse
• Mouse button configuration
– Configured for a right-handed user
• Can be reconfigured
– Between 1 and 6 buttons
– Extra buttons are configurable
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 Variants of the Mouse
• Trackballs
– Upside down mouse
– Hand rests on the ball
– User moves the ball
– Uses little desk space
 Variants of the Mouse
• Track pads
– Stationary pointing device
– Small plastic rectangle
– Finger moves across the pad
– Pointer moves with the pointer
– Popular on laptops
• Also called Touchpad.
• It is another variant of mouse.
• It contains special surface, it detects the motion when user
moves finger over it.
• It is most common in laptops.
• It is static (non-moving) and requires less space than mouse.
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 Variants of the Mouse
• Track point
– Little joystick on the keyboard
– Move pointer by moving the joystick
Inputting Data In Other Ways
 Devices for the Hand
• Pen based input
– Tablet PCs, PDA
– Pen used to write
data
– Pen used as a
pointer
– Handwriting
recognition
– On screen keyboard
 Devices for the Hand
• Touch screens
– Sensors determine where
finger points
– Sensors create an X,Y
coordinate
– Usually presents a menu to
users
– Found in cramped or dirty
environments
 Devices for the hand
• Game controllers
– Enhances gaming experience
– Provide custom input to the
game
– Modern controllers offer
feedback
– Joystick
– Game pad
 Optical Input Devices
• Allows the computer to see input
• Bar code readers
– Converts bar codes to numbers
• UPC code
– Computer find number in a database
– Works by reflecting light
• Amount of reflected light indicates number
 Optical Input Devices
• Image scanners
– Converts printed media into electronic
– Reflects light off of the image
– Sensors read the intensity
– Filters determine color depths
 Optical input devices
• Optical character recognition
(OCR)
– Converts scanned text into
editable text
– Each letter is scanned
– Letters are compared to known
letters
– Best match is entered into
document
– Rarely 100% accurate
 Audiovisual Input Devices
• Microphones
– Used to record speech
– Speech recognition
• “Understands” human speech
• Allows dictation or control of computer
• Matches spoken sound to known
phonemes
• Enters best match into document
 Audiovisual Input Devices
• Musical Instrument Digital
Interface
— MIDI
— Connects musical instruments
to computer
— Digital recording or playback of
music
— Musicians can produce
professional results
 Audiovisual Input Devices
• Digital cameras
– Captures images electronically
– No film is needed
– Image is stored as a JPG file
– Memory cards store the images
– Used in a variety of professions
• Used to capture digital videos.
• Most commonly used for online video chatting and video
conferencing.
• Mostly build inside laptops.
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Computer Units :Central Processing Unit
• CPU
• known as microprocessor or processor
• It is responsible for all functions and processes

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CPU Components
• The CPU is comprised of three main parts
1. ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
2. Control Unit (CU)
3. Registers: Stores the data that is to be executed next.

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CPU Components: ALU
• Executes all arithmetic and logical operations.
• Arithmetic calculations like as addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division.
• Logical operation like compare numbers, letters, or special
characters

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CPU Components: Control Unit (CU)
Control Unit (CU): controls and co-ordinates computer components.
• Read the code for the next instruction to be executed.
• Increment the program counter so it points to the next instruction.
• Read whatever data the instruction requires from cells in memory.
• Provide the necessary data to an ALU or register.
• If the instruction requires an ALU or specialized hardware to complete,
instruct the hardware to perform the requested operation.

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CPU Components: Registers
• Registers: Stores the data that is to be executed next, "very
fast storage area".

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 Unit of Measurement -Speed
• The speed of CPU measured by unit called Hertz (Hz)
• 1 Hz represent 1 cycle per second.
• The speed of CPU is known as Computer Speed.

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 Unit of Measurement -Speed
CPU SPEED MEASURES
1 hertz or Hz 1 cycle per second
1 MHz 1 million cycles per second or 1000 kHz
1 GHz 1 billion cycles per second or 1000 MHz

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Output devices are used to show information received from
system unit.

Output

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Seeing, Hearing, and Printing Data
– Video and Sound
• Monitors
• Video Cards
• Data Projectors
• Sound Systems
– Printing
• Commonly Used Printers
• High Quality Printers
Computer Units: Output Unit
• An output device is any piece of computer
hardware equipment used to communicate the
results of data processing carried out by an
information processing system (such as a
computer)
• Converts the electronically generated information
into human-readable form.

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Output devices Examples

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 Monitors
• Most common output device
• Connects to the video card
• Categorized by color output
– Monochrome
• One color with black background
– Grayscale
• Varying degrees of gray
– Color
• Display 4 to 16 million colors

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 Output devices Examples
1. A monitor

CRT: Cathode Ray Tube

LCD: Liquid crystal display most familiar
these days

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 Monitors
Monitors are categorized by the technology they use

CRT Monitors
• In CRT monitors, electrons are fired at phosphor dots on the
screen.
• The dots are grouped into pixels, which glow when struck by
electrons.
• In color CRTs, each pixel contains a red, green, and blue dot.
• These glow at varying intensities to produce color images.
 Monitors
• Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
– Most common type of monitor
– Electrons fired from the back
– Electrons excite phosphor to glow
– Phosphor is arranged in dots called pixels
– Dot mask ensures proper pixel is lit
 Monitors
• CRT color
– Phosphor dots arranged in triads
– Red, green, and blue dots
– Three colors blend to make colors
– Varying the intensity creates new colors
CRT Monitor
 Monitors
• CRT drawbacks
– Very large
– Very heavy
– Use a lot of electricity
 Monitors
Monitors are categorized by the technology they use

Flat Panel Display

• Most flat-panel monitors use liquid crystal display (LCD)
technology.
• Passive matrix LCD uses a transistor for each row and
column of pixels.
• Active matrix LCD uses a transistor for each pixel on the
screen.
• Thin-film transistor displays use multiple transistors for
each pixel.
LCD Monitor
 Monitors
• Passive matrix LCD
– Pixels arranged in a grid
– Pixels are activated indirectly
• Row and column are activated
– Animation can be blurry
 Monitors
• Active matrix LCD
– Each pixel is activated directly
– Pixels have 4 transistors
• One each for red, green, blue
• One for opaqueness
– Transistors arranged in a thin film
– Animation is crisp and clean
 Monitors
• Drawbacks to LCD
– More expensive than CRT
– Must sit directly in front of screen (Passive)
– Can be more fragile than CRT
 Monitors
• Paper-white displays
– High contrast between fore and background
• Electro-luminescent displays (ELD)
– Similar to LCD
– Uses phosphor to produce light
• Plasma monitor
– Gas is excited to produce light
 Monitors
• Monitors impact user effectiveness
• Monitors should have
– Crisp text
– Clear graphics
– Adjustable controls
– Clear edges
 Monitors
• Size of monitor
– Measured in inches
– Measured diagonally
– Actual size
• Distance from corner to corner
– Viewable size
• Useable portion of the screen
 Monitors
• Resolution
– Number of pixels on the screen
– Higher number creates sharper images
– Higher number creates larger images
 Monitors
• Refresh rate
– Number of time the screen is redrawn
– Modern equipment sets this automatically
– Improper settings can cause eyestrain
Refresh rate
Refresh rate:

• As illustrated above, a higher refresh rate refers to the

frequency that a display updates the onscreen image. The time
between these updates is measured in milliseconds (ms), while
the refresh rate of the display is measured in hertz (Hz).
• The refresh rate of your display refers to how many times per
second the display is able to draw a new image. This is
measured in Hertz (Hz). For example, if your display has a
refresh rate of 144Hz, it is refreshing the image 144 times per
second.
 Monitors
• Dot pitch
– Distance between the same color dots
– Ranges between .15 mm to .40 mm
– Smaller creates a finer picture
– Should be less than .22
Dot Pitch
 Other Kinds of Monitors
• Paper-white display
– Produce a very high contrast between the monitor’s white
background and text or graphics. They are used to create high-
quality printed documents
• Electroluminescent (ELD) display
– Use a phosphorescent film held between two sheets of glass
• Plasma/gas plasma display
– Created by sandwiching a special gas between two sheets of glass
 Considerations When Monitor Shopping
• Size
• Resolution
• Refresh rate
• Dot pitch
 Video Cards
• Device between the CPU and monitor
• Better cards result in better output
• Removes burden of drawing from CPU
• Have their own processor and RAM
• Modern cards have up to 512 MB RAM
• Capable of rendering 3D images
 Data Projectors
• Project image onto wall or screen
• LCD projectors
– Most common type of projector
– Small LCD screen
– Very bright light
– Require a darkened room
 Data Projectors
• Digital Light Projectors
– A series of mirrors control the display
– May be used in a lighted room
 Sound Systems
• Integral part of the computer experience
• Capable of recording and playback
 Sound Systems
• Sound card
– Device between the CPU and speakers
– Converts digital sounds to analog
– Can be connected to several devices
 Sound Systems

• Headphones and headsets

– Replacement for speakers and microphones
– Offer privacy
– Does not annoy other people
– Outside noise is not a factor
– Headsets have speakers and a microphone
 Output devices Examples
Printer:
• transfers data from a computer onto paper

Printer types:
1- Laser Printer.
2- Ink Jet Printer.
3- Dot Matrix Printer

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 Output devices Examples
1. Laser Printer:
• A laser printer is a popular type of computer printer that uses
a non-impact photocopier technology where there are no
keys striking the paper
• When a document is sent to the printer, a laser beam "draws"
the document on a selenium-coated drum using electrical
charges

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 Output devices Examples
2. Ink Jet Printer
• A typical inkjet printer can produce color printing
copies with a resolution of 1200 x 1440 dpi.

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 Output devices Examples
3. Dot Matrix Printer
• A dot matrix printer (DMP) is a type of printer which uses pins
impacting an ink ribbon to print.
• These printers are generally considered outdated, as they cannot
create high-quality prints and are costly as well.

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 Output devices Examples
Plotter
• A plotter is a computer device much like a printer that is used for
printing vector graphics
• Instead of toner, plotters use a pen or another writing tool to
draw multiple, continuous lines on paper, or in some
applications, use a knife to cut a material like vinyl or leather.

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