Essential Peripherals
Chapter 10
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: USB Standards
Core 1: 1.3 Given a scenario, set up and configure
accessories and ports of mobile devices.
Objective(s):
Core 1: 3.1 Explain basic cable types and their
connectors, features, and purposes.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface is
the main peripheral interface these days.
Make sure you’re aware of different USB
standards as well as the different types of
USB connectors.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
USB Standards and Speeds
Standard Maximum Speed
USB 1.0 1.5 Mbps
USB 1.1 12 Mbps
USB 2.0 480 Mbps
USB 3.0 5 Gbps
USB 3.1 Gen 1 5 Gbps
USB 3.1 Gen 2 10 Gbps
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• Universal Serial Bus (USB) 1.1 comes in
1.5 Mbps and 12 Mbps; USB 2.0 runs at 480
Mbps
• USB 3.0 and 3.1 Gen 1 run at 5 Gbps; USB
3.1 Gen 2 runs at 10 Gbps
• USB connectors and ports often use colors
to show version
• USB connectors come in many types:
Type-A, Type-B, Type-C, standard, mini,
and micro
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: Understanding USB
Core 1: 1.3 Given a scenario, set up and configure
accessories and ports of mobile devices.
Objective(s):
Core 2: 1.3 Given a scenario, use features and tools of
the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system (OS).
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
Why are there USB Type-A and USB Type-
B connectors? Why do modern systems still
provide older USB connectors when the
latest USB perfectly supports older
devices? It takes a good understanding of
the USB standards to see how and why.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• All USB devices connect to built-in USB
controllers, which are in charge of all
connected USB devices
• USB Type-A is generally a downstream
connection; USB Type-B is generally an
upstream connection
• USB Type-C automatically configures the
upstream and downstream connections
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: Configuring USB
Core 1: 1.3 Given a scenario, set up and configure
Objective(s):
accessories and ports of mobile devices.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
Most USB devices work well fresh out-of-
the-box. For those that don’t, it’s important
to have a proper USB configuration process
to make sure a USB device and all of its
features work properly.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• USB devices must have a device driver
• Operating systems come with
thousands of built-in device drivers
• In some cases, you may need to
download the correct driver for a USB
device from the Internet
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: Thunder and Lightning
Core 1: 1.3 Given a scenario, set up and configure
accessories and ports of mobile devices.
Objective(s):
Core 1: 3.1 Explain basic cable types and their
connectors, features, and purposes.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
Thunderbolt and Lightning connectors are
high-speed alternatives to USB. A good
tech recognizes when these technologies
are used, their unique connectors, and the
benefits/weaknesses they have compared
to USB.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• Thunderbolt is a general-purpose port
that runs at 10-40 Gbps
• Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use a Mini
DisplayPort connector; Thunderbolt 3
uses a USB-C connector
• The Lightning standard is exclusive to
Apple products but is slowly being
replaced by USB-C
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: Optical Media
Core 1: 3.3 Given a scenario, select and install storage
Objective(s):
devices.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
Shiny optical discs are an excellent media
for transporting data and are still a very
common tool for delivering drivers and
configuration utilities for hardware. There’s
several different optical standards and it’s
critical to know that a certain optical drive
supports a certain optical technology.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• Compact discs (CDs) store 650-700 MB of
data
• Digital video discs (DVDs) store from 4.37
to 15.9 GB
• Blu-rays store from 15.6 GB to 50 capacity
• All optical media comes in read-only
memory (ROM), write once (R), and write
many (RW) versions
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: Readers and Scanners
Core 1: 3.3 Given a scenario, select and install storage
Objective(s):
devices.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
A broad cross-section of peripherals scan
and read data. From flatbed scanners to
barcode readers and card readers, these
devices make our users’ lives easier and
more convenient.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• Smart cards and magnetic readers are
used to read cards
• Flash memory readers/drives read
many types of flash memory
• SD cards are very popular flash memory
• Scanners read paper documents
• Barcode and QR code scanners read
printed coded labels
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: Common Peripherals
Core 1: 3.1 Explain basic cable types and their connectors,
features, and purposes.
Objective(s): Core 1: 3.4 Given a scenario, install and configure
motherboards, central processing units (CPUs), and add-on
cards.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
Peripherals allow us to expand our system
to support new features such as printing,
sound, and external storage. They also
enable a wide array of input devices like
mice and keyboards. Knowing how to
identify each quickly is key to your success
in the field and on the exam.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• The most common modern peripherals
are keyboards, mice, webcams, and
external storage
• The term peripherals includes both
input and output devices
• You can personalize your sound
settings in Windows
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode: Webcams and Videoconferencing
Core 1: 1.2 Compare and contrast the display components of
mobile devices.
Objective(s): Core 1: 1.3 Given a scenario, set up and configure accessories
and ports of mobile devices.
Core 2: 4.9 Given a scenario, use remote access technologies.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
Video conferencing software has changed
the way we work, especially with more and
more companies moving to remote and
hybrid workplaces. This episode gives a
quick demonstration of Microsoft Teams
and its screensharing function.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• Webcams enable us to meet remotely
using videoconferencing software
• Two common videoconferencing tools
are Zoom and Microsoft Teams
• Many videoconferencing software
options also allow screensharing
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Installing and Troubleshooting
Episode:
Expansion Cards
Core 1: 3.3 Given a scenario, select and install storage
devices.
Objective(s): Core 1: 3.4 Given a scenario, install and configure
motherboards, central processing units (CPUs), and add-on
cards.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Episode Description
Even though we live in a world of built-to-
exact-specification systems, you will
eventually need to install and possibly
troubleshoot expansion cards. Let’s look at
the modern expansion card formats and
then get hands-on and troubleshoot some
common issues.
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
Quick Review
• PCI cards were the first internal plug and
play (PnP) components
• PCIe enables devices to keep up with
higher bandwidth hardware like the CPU
and RAM
• Common PCIe formats include x1, x4, x8,
and x16
• Most modern GPUs utilize the PCIe
standard
CompTIA A+ (220-110x)
Mike Meyers and Steve Nicholson
