Unit 2: Task 1: P1

         Communication between components:

A processor:- A processor is the logic circuitry that controls the computer, it has to process and respond to input signals to send that correct output signals to the various components (other hardware) within the device. It is located in the computers tower, it is inserted in the socket which is located on the motherboard (the socket of the processor also corresponds with the socket within the motherboard as they must be specific otherwise if not compatible the device will not work what so ever as no data or signals will be able to get transferred and sent when required) so that it can power and display information and various other things through the monitor that is required. It had been previously known as the CPU (central processing unit) and those inserted in small devices such as tablets etc contain microprocessors. Processors are specific to their motherboard and must be correspondant to allow the computing unit to work at all.

Motherboard:- It is known as the arrangement of all the basic circuitry and components within a computer. It is the foundation of the computer, every other component connects into the MB.The motherboard sends a direct current to all of the components and hardware that is connected to the computing unit itself. It uses the the various sockets and circuitry to send numberous electrical impulses to each of the individual components so that they can peform ther desired function. The motherboard allows the CPU and RAM and other alternative hardwares so that they can all communicate correctly amongst each other.All of the components that are inserted within the motherboard have soldered circuitry which helps the hardware and software to communicate amongst it.

 The motherboard includes the following:-

• A microprocessor
• Coprocessors
• Memory
• BIOS input/output systems
• Interconnecting circuitry

Components can be added to the motherboard via the expansion slots, it is a heavily soldered circuit.

BIOS:- Basic input/output system. The processor/microprocessor uses the program to allow the computer system to start  before it has been turned on. BIOS is used to manage the data flow through the computer to other attached  

devices for the mouse, keyboard etc.  BIOS controls functions throughout the computer like keyboard control and booting up as the start screen. BIOS can also configure and identify hardware on the computer for example the hard drive, memory and the optical drive. BIOS assists all the hardware so that it can function when the PC is turned on at the beginning. It is the built in software that helps determine what the computer is able to access. BIOS is complementary to the processor so without using BIOS the required signals will not be transferred to the processor allowing the computer to turn on. It is the first function that allows the processor to exececute the instructions that are sent and complete the function of booting up the device. 

                                              Power Supply:-

Computers have either AC/DC adapters as the power supply which sends the current toward the motherboard to then power the whole computer system. AC- is an alternating current whereas DC- is a direct current, they are the transmission and conduction of electrical energy. The power supply helps the computer access the different voltages it requires to perform various functions throughout the computer. The power supply is the vital component as without it no function can be made on the device, some power supplies contain their own cooling system so that they do not overheat when used for long periods of time. The supply connects to the computing unit through a 24 pin port allowing the power supply to then when turned on send the current from the main source into the motherboard which then communicates with the central processing unit and then boot the computer up. 

                            Fan and heatsink or cooling:-

Hot air produced by the other components cannot build up as it will either cause overheating or the units within the motherboard i.e. the CPU can burn out. These cooling fans help avoid overheating, in certain areas like the processor which causes vast amounts of heat due to how many watts it uses requires a thermal paste on the back of it and a heat sink to draw out the hot air it produces. A cooling fan helps draw cold air into then cool down the hot air that is circling around in the tower, it helps cause sufficient air flow and is very efficient in household PC’s. The fan works with the CPU as the CPU tells the fan via messages how much energy is being used so that the cooling fan knows how much hot air transfer needs cooled down.

Hard drive and the configuration/controller:-

A HDD also known as a hard disc drive it is an internal storage device within computers, it allows you to execute files and information.It permanently stores all data on the computer.

On the back of a hard drive is a circuit board called the disc controller. The disc controller is printed circuitry that has the instructions for the diskettes. It controls the hard drive, floppy disc drive COM ROMs and other drives.

SSD stands for solid-state drives,  it uses semiconductor chips to store data. SSD’s have their own compartment within the computer and do not have to be inserted into the motherboard to function. It is the primary storage unit medium used like a hard drive, they are designed to be in the place of the hard drive.  RAID takes seperate drives controls them and then connects them into one main drive. It stands for redundant array of inexpensive drives or disks. Types: 0,1 5 10 SATA is a serial bus interface that connects storage devices to the main system for example optical drives etc. The hard drives receives any data on the device and stores it including BIOS, the hard drive must communicate with the processor using and electrical current and various input/Output signals so that all data will result in being transferred to the hard drive.

           Ports USB and/or parallel and/or serial:-

A universal serial bus or USB as it is commonly known as has ports that allow you to connect various hardwares like keyboards and other USB connectors such as memory sticks etc. The ports allow you to connect printers and other accessories that your computer may require. Most hardware that is inserted into the USB has to be installed onto the device for it to work for example wireless internet connectors. Modems use the serial port which is used to connect serial devices they are also used for mice and usually have 2 COM ports.Serial ports are not used as much due to the introduction of USB and that manufacturers create cables for USB ports now rather than serial ports. The serial port is now only used for the connection to the monitor and the tower and also the connection to the power supply into the back of the tower to supply the image from the processor and for the electricity to power the PC. Serial ports are used for:

The mouse, modem, network and printer.

Parallel ports previously were used to as printer connectors or scanners and very few external hard drives. The different ports contain various pins which when hardware is inserted it sends an electrical impulse through the motherboard to both the processor and the hard drive which then results in the display on the monitor that has the diffeent data and files shared via transfers onto the device.

Internal memory RAM, ROM and cache:-

RAM also known as main memory and random access memory is computer storage it can be accessed at any time in any order, RAM uses transistors to turn on or off access to a capacitor at each intersection. It stores all the information for programmes that you are running ROM also known as read-only memory like RAM it contains a circuit of rows and columns however ROM uses a diode for its programming so it can send electric currents to specific memory in the circuit columns. Cache is memory that is extremely fast built into the CPU, the computer uses it to either run certain programs to improve the overall speed of the computer system. It is capable of speeding up the microprocessor itself and is twice as fast as random access memory. The internal memory contais soldered circuitry that has to correspond with the motherboard so that it can communicate through the transfer and store any data that the processor and hard drive sends via messages quickly and efficeintly.

      Specialised cards networks and/or graphics cards:-

Graphics cards control the resolution settings and screen display and the computer converts the pixels into images.  It uses binary data to translate the pixels through the CPU onto the monitors display. Graphics cards can be built into the PC’s motherboard or can be bought and added to the device for extended graphics, also gaming computers contain numerous graphics cards due to the use and need for them. They use a a processor known as a graphics processing unit so that it can perform the inputs and outputs of software necessary and quickly. There are different types of graphics cards e.g AMD, Integrated, PCI, AGP and PCI-express. Graphics cards communicate with the motherboard using three different interfaces which are 1. Peripheral component interconnected 2. Advanced graphics port 3. PCI Express. These provide a direct connection to the computers power supply.

                                 Peripherals:-  

Printer: A printer is a device that accepts graphics and texts from a PC transfers the data onto sheets with the information on them. They can be sold separately and can either be wireless or wired, wireless can either connect via the network/internet or via bluetooth. Printers can also contain scanners as photocopiers depending on the type purchased. Printers are capable of either printing in black + white, colour and economic print to save ink. Printers can produce 3-6 sheets or paper in minutes however only have one megabyte of memory. The common used printer is an inkjet printer which uses very small inkjets to produce the data that has been transferred however you can also get laser printers which uses static electricity to use as a temporary glue as the laser receives the data as tiny dots and they form the text or image. It communicates with the computer through the USB ports, they must go though an interface and be installed onto the computer so that they can function.  A printer requires the communication within the cables and wires to send the required data necessary to peform its valued process.

Scanner: Scanners capture images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display. There are various types of scanners that can be about, flat board scanners and in some cases scanners that are built in some printers. Scanners have to be connected to the computers interface so that they can work and sometimes they have built in software for example Adobe Photoshop. A scanner communicates with the computing unit the same way as the printer which is shown above.

Twisted pair cabling: It is a capable made by two different insulated cables, usually shielded and unshielded. Shielded twisted pairs have a mesh to protect transmission whereas unshielded does the opposite. Shielded wires are used for telephone networks, networks and communications. The network cable also known as an ethernet cable allows you connect data throughout a computer on a local network.

                             Twisted pair cabling uses electrical transmission to connect with the processor and work throughout the computer, it uses a prong like system to connect with the tower and then the transmission causing the network cable to light up and then allows you to log onto your device if a password is used.

                 Backing storage:-

Pen drive: It is a portable serial bus flash memory device used for storage; it can store and transfer various formats such as videos, images, and other file formats. They have large storage capacities and can perform very fast data transfers to electrical devices e.g. PC’s and laptops. They can be compatible with any operating system that has a USB port as in the image it shows the connection is through a USB port. You transfer the data from the hard drive onto the pen drive at a fast rate.It gets inserted into the drive and when the drive is active files can be dragged straight into the device. The pen drive communicates just like the USB as it uses the same port however it just performs a differnt function the oen drive uses the impulses sent back and forth from the processing unit and then converts it so it can connect the pendrive as hardware.

Hard drive: External hard drives can be portable and inserted into the USB port via a USB connector cable like a pen drive. It is larger than a normal hard drive that would remain inside the computers tower, it allows the external hard drive to communicate with the internal hard drive and computer so that different forms and data can be sent back and forth. By having an external hard drive it can remove some of the data from the device to free up some space on the internal hard drive so more memory can be stored. An external hard drive communicates through the USB port it connected by, this sends messages to the processor and other areas of the computer so that it can store any information externally from the computer so it can free up space on the internal memory.