Components of the Computer System

MAJOR HARDWARE COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM

SYSTEM UNIT

It is also called the computer case, computer chassis, or computer tower. Cases are typically made of steel or aluminum, but plastic can also be used. While most computer cases are rather dull, black, metal boxes, some manufacturers try to give the unit some flair with color and special design elements. Source: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-computer-system-unit-function-components-definition.html

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MOTHER BOARD / SYSTEM BOARD

A motherboard is one of the most essential parts of a computer system. It holds together many of the crucial components of a computer, including the central processing unit (CPU), memory and connectors for input and output devices. Source: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-motherboard-definition-function-diagram.html

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/MicroATX_Motherboard_with_AMD_Athlon_Processor_2_Digon3.jpg


CPU ( Central Processing Unit)

The CPU is the heart and brain of a computer. It receives data input, executes instructions, and processes information. It communicates with input/output (I/O) devices, which send and receive data to and from the CPU.

The central processing unit (CPU) is the unit which performs most of the processing inside a computer. To control instructions and data flow to and from other parts of the computer, the CPU relies heavily on a chipset, which is a group of microchips located on the motherboard.

Source: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2851/central-processing-unit-cpu

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PRIMARY STORAGE



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EXPANSION BUS

Computer bus that adds more expansion slots to its main bus (which comes pre-installed with the computer) to accommodate more peripheral devices such as memory cards or boards, game controllers, and backup drives. 

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/expansion-bus.html




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ADAPTER

An adapter is a physical device that allows one hardware or electronic interface to be adapted (accommodated without loss of function) to another hardware or electronic interface. In a computer, an adapter is often built into a card that can be inserted into a slot on the computer's motherboard. The card adapts information that is exchanged between the computer's microprocessor and the devices that the card supports. Source: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/adapter

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POWER SUPPLY UNIT
The power supply unit is the piece of hardware that's used to convert the power provided from the outlet into usable power for the many parts inside the computer case.

It converts the alternating current (AC) into a continuous form of power that the computer components need in order to run normally, called direct current (DC). It also regulates overheating by controlling voltage, which may change automatically or manually depending on the power supply. Source:https://www.lifewire.com/power-supply-unit-2618158

https://www.technologyuk.net/computing/computer-systems/images/psu01.jpg 

HARD DISK DRIVE
The hard disk drive is the main, and usually largest, data storage hardware device in a computer. The operating system, software titles, and most other files are stored in the hard disk drive.

The hard drive is sometimes referred to as the "C drive" due to the fact that Microsoft Windows, by default, designates the "C" drive letter to the primary partition on the primary hard drive in a computer.

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OPTICAL DRIVE
Optical drives retrieve and/or store data on optical discs like CDs, DVDs, and BDs (Blu-ray discs), any of which hold much more information than previously available portable media options like the floppy disk.

The optical drive normally goes by other names like a disc drive, ​ODD (abbreviation), CD drive, DVD drive, or BD drive. Source: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-an-optical-disc-drive-2618157

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COMPUTER CASE
The computer case serves mainly as a way to physically mount and contain all of the actual

com.ponents inside of a computer, like the motherboard, hard drive, optical drive, floppy disk drive, etc. They typically come bundled with a power supply.

The housing of a laptop, netbook, or tablet is also considered a case but since they aren't purchased separately or very replaceable, the computer case tends to refer to the one that's part of a traditional desktop PC




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INPUT DEVICES

KEY BOARD
A computer keyboard is one of the primary input devices used with a computer that looks similar to those found on electric typewriters, but with some additional keys. Keyboards allow you to input letters, numbers, and other symbols into a computer that can serve as commands or be used to type text. Source: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/k/keyboard.htm






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THE TYPES OF DIRECT ENTRY DEVICES
MOUSE
The mouse, sometimes called a pointer, is a hand-operated input device used to manipulate objects on a computer screen.

Whether the mouse uses a laser or ball, or is wired or wireless, a movement detected from the mouse sends instructions to the computer to move the cursor on the screen in order to interact with files, windows, and other software elements.

Even though the mouse is a peripheral device that sits outside the main computer housing, it's an essential piece of computer hardware in most systems... at least non-touch ones. Source: https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-mouse-2618156

LIGHT PEN

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A light pen is a light-sensitive pointing input devicecommonly used to select or otherwise modify text or data on a screen. Used with a CRT monitor, these devices were an early form of manipulating and highlighting data on the screen. In the picture is an example of a woman using a light pen to highlight text on the screen. Source: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/l/lightpen.htm

TOUCH SCREEN

A touchscreen is a display device that allows the user to interact with a computer by using their finger. They can be quite useful as an alternative to a mouse or keyboard for navigating a graphical user interface (GUI). Touchscreens are used on a variety of devices such as computer and laptop monitors, smartphones, tablets, cash registers, and information kiosks. Some touchscreens use a grid of infrared beams to sense the presence of a finger instead of utilizing touch-sensitive input. Source: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/t/toucscre.htm




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DIGITIZER TABLET

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A digitizer tablet (also known as a digitizer or graphics tablet) is a tool used to convert hand-drawn images into a format suitable for computer processing. Images are usually drawn onto a flat surface with a stylus and then appear on a computer monitor or screen. Digitizer tablets can also be used as an input device, receiving information represented in drawings and sending output to a CAD (computer aided design) application and PC-based software like AutoCAD. Source: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digitizer-tablet-digitizer-or-graphics-tablet

SCANNING DEVICES
Scanning devices include bar-code readers, marl-and character recognition device, fax machines, and imaging systems. Mark and character recognition devices include magnetic –ink character recognition, optical mark recognition, and optical character recognition. Fax machines may be dedicated machines or fax modems. Imaging systems convert text and images to digital form.

Scanning devices translate images of text, drawings, photos, and the like into digital form. The images can then be processed by a computer, displayed on a monitor, stored on a storage device, or communicated to another computer, scanning devices include:
Bar-code readers mark-and character-recognition devices Fax machines Imaging systems





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Sources: https://worldcomputerinfo.blogspot.com/2013/02/scanning-devices-of-computer.html

DIGITAL CAMERAS
A digital camera is a hardware device that takes pictures like a regular camera, but stores the image as data on a memory card instead of printing it to film. Many digital cameras are capable of recording video in addition to taking photos. The picture is of a Casio QV-R62 with 6.0 Megapixel resolution, an example of a typical digital camera. Source: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/digicame.htm





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VOICE INPUT DEVICE
Alternatively referred to as speech recognition, voice recognition is a computer software program or hardware device with the ability to decode the human voice. Voice recognition is commonly used to operate a device, perform commands, or write without having to use a keyboard, mouse, or press any buttons. Today, this is done on a computer with automatic speech recognition (ASR) software programs. 

Many ASR programs require the user to "train" the ASR program to recognize their voice so that it can more accurately convert the speech to text. For example, you could say "open Internet" and the computer would open the Internet browser. Source: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/v/voicreco.htm

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TYPES OF MONITORS

Source: http://www.escotal.com/monitor.html

CRT or Cathode Ray Tube Monitor
CRT stands for cathode-ray tube and is a technology has been around for a long time

Source: https://5.imimg.com/data5/UE/OJ/MY-48738193/crt-monitors-500x500.jpg

LCD or Flat Panel Monitor

LCD stands for liquid crystal display and although it may seem like this is a new technology it has been used in digital watches for years. The technology works by passing an electric current through liquid crystal which is contained between two sheets of polarizing material.

There are 2 types of color LCD's, passive matrix and active matrixalso known as TFT (thin film transistor). Passive matrix LCD's are the less expensive of the two types.

LED and OLED - Light Emitting Diode or Organic LED works without a backlight.




Source: https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/5029/5029700_rd.jpg

Types of OLED are PMOLED and AMOLED Passive and Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode

Plasma Display – is a type of flat panel display that utilizes small cells containing electrically charged ionized gas.

Source: https://www.soundinthecity.co.uk/_images/products/plasma-tv-screens/samsung-19-ls19-c45.jpg

Projectors – Use for presentation the 3 types of projectors are (CRT, LCD and DLP) Digital Light Processing

Source: https://4.imimg.com/data4/TX/ON/MY-1208423/lcd-projector-250x250.jpg

Monitor Specs
Monitor supports Pixels and RGB color support
(Red, Green and Blue)

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TYPES OF PRINTERS

Source: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/different-types-printers-55091.html

Thermal

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Thermal printers, used in cash registers and adding machines, take rolls of treated paper that turn dark when heated. The print mechanism feeds the paper next to a print head containing a sophisticated electronic heater, producing text and simple graphics on the tape. A thermal printer needs no ink, toner or other supplies, making it easy to use and maintain. However, the paper turns dark when left in hot areas; after several months it can become unreadable.



Inkjet

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A common technology for desktop applications, inkjet printers are inexpensive and reliable. The printer's cartridge contains sophisticated components that spray precisely-controlled amounts of ink onto a page, forming high-quality text and graphics. The rest of the printing mechanism consists of an arm that moves the cartridge back and forth across the page. Though the cartridge contains important parts that eventually wear out, you replace it when it runs out of ink. This is all the maintenance the printer typically needs.

Laser and LED

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Laser and light-emitting diode printers are cousins to the copy machine; both have a mechanism that uses a light-sensitive metal drum and toner powder. Inside the printer, light from a laser or LED "draws" the image of a page onto the drum as a series of tiny dots. The light produces a static electric charge in the drum, causing toner to cling to it. When heated, the toner melts; the printer mechanism presses a sheet of paper onto the drum, causing the toner to flow onto the paper and forming a printed page. Laser printers are faster than inkjet printers and deliver high-quality results.

Impact

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Impact printers produce a printed page by striking an inked ribbon with a dot-matrix mechanism. A print head contains a set of stiff wires arranged in a vertical column. As the print head moves across the paper, a solenoid drives the wires at high speed into the ribbon, making rows of dots that form characters and graphics. Though dot-matrix impact printers are noisier and less sophisticated than laser or inkjet models, businesses that use multi-part forms such as checks and invoices require impact printing. The printer strikes the forms with enough force to make a clear impression on each copy.




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