EEC 117 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER HARDWARE

LECTURE NOTES

PREPARED BY ENGR OJO OLUMAYOWA AYOTUNDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One Introduction to Computers
1.0 What is a Computer
1.1 History and Evolution of Computers
1.2 Computer Hardware
1.3 Design and Architecture of a Computer.
1.4 Input Device, Output Device, Memory and Central Processing Unit.
Chapter Two Motherboard and its Subunits
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Motherboard
2.2 Motherboard form factors
2.3 Motherboard Subunits and Components
2.4 Memory, Ports, Cables and Connectors.

Chapter Three Monitors and Printers

3.0 Monitors Types and Characteristics
3.1 Functions and Operation of Monitors
3.2 Printers Types and Operations
3.3 Functions and Installation of Printers

Chapter Four Modems and Computer Networking

4.0 Understanding Modems
4.1 Classification of Modems and identification of its ports
4.2 Connection and Installation of Modems
4.3 Concepts of Computer Networking
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

1.0 WHAT IS A COMPUTER

A computer is an electronic device that can accept data (input), process the data
according to specified rules, produce information (output), and store the
information for future use
A computer accepts and then processes input data according to the instructions it is
given. The elements of any sort of processing are INPUT, PROCESSING,
STORAGE, and OUTPUT.

1.1 HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS

First Generation of Computer (1937 – 1946):
In 1937 the first electronic digital computer was built by Dr. John V. Atanasoff and
Clifford Berry. (Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)). In 1943 an electronic computer
name the Colossus was built for the military. In 1946 the first general– purpose
digital computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) was
built at the Moore School for Engineering of the University of Pennsylvania by J.
Presper Eckert and William Mauchley.
It is said that this computer weighed 30 tons, and had 18,000 vacuum tubes which
was used for processing. Computers of this generation could only perform single
task, and they had no operating system. Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic
Computer (EDVAC) also developed
Second Generation of Computer (1947 – 1962):
Second generation of computers used transistors instead of vacuum tubes which
were more reliable. In 1951 the first computer for commercial use was introduced
to the public; the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC 1). In 1953 the
International Business Machine (IBM) 650 and 700 series computers made their
mark in the computer world. During this generation of computers over 100
computer programming languages were developed, computers had memory and
operating systems. Storage media such as tape and disk were in use also were
printers for output
Third Generation of Computer (1963 – 1975):
The invention of integrated circuit brought us the third generation of computers.
With this invention computers became smaller, more powerful more reliable and
they are able to run many different programs at the same time
They used large-scale integrated circuits, which were used for both data processing
and storage
Fourth Generation of Computer (PC 1975 – Current)
At this time of technological development, the size of computer was re-divided to
what we called Personal Computers, PC. This was the time the first Microprocessor
was created by Intel. The microprocessor was a very large-scale, that is, VLS
integrated circuit which contained thousands of transistors
Fifth Generation of Computers (Present and Beyond)
Fifth generations computing devices, based on artificial intelligence (AI) are still in
development, although there are some application such as voice recognition, facial
face detector and thumb print that are used today
1.2 Computer Hardware
Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitutes a
computer system. Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components of
a computer such as the monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard
drive disk (HDD), system unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard
and chips), etc. all of which are physical objects that can be touched
LIST OF COMPUTER COMPONENTS
Fan- cools the computer
Motherboard
Hard drive- long-term internal data storage
CD-ROM Drive- reads most or all types of CDs
Processor
RAM- short-term data storage
Video card- codes video output and delivers to monitor
Sound card- codes sound output and delivers to speakers
Modem Used to access data via a telephone line.
Network card - Allows the computer to be connected to a computer
network/Internet Also used as a means of accessing the Internet.
Power Supply- distributes power to the various components.
1.3 Design and Architecture of a Computer.

The CPU is the integrated circuit that controls all of the system components. The
CPU is composed of the Control unit, the Arithmetic and Logic unit and Memory. It
is the brain of the computer, where software instructions are performed .The CPU
carries out the calculations for the program and controls the other components of
the system .It uses different connection methods to connect to the motherboard
namely: sockets, slots and connection types ZIF, Single edge connector.
CPU performs the following main functions:
1. Fetch (read) data and programme instructions
2. Decode them
3. Execute them
4. Control the flow of program and date in and out of RAM
5. Place results of processing in memory

CONTROL UNIT (CU)

It is the control unit who tell the input unit that it is time for it to feed data into the
memory unit. It also handles ALU to tell what should be done with the data when it
receives it. Control unit is also responsible to send only the final results to output
device not the intermediate results.. Although, it does not perform any actual
processing on the data, the control unit acts as a central nervous system for the other
components of the computer. It manages and coordinates the entire computer
system. It obtains instructions from the program stored in main memory (RAM),
translate the instructions, and issues signals that cause other units of the system to
execute them.

Following are the basic functions performed by the control unit:

1. It controls all the units or parts of computer system directly or indirectly.
2. Directly control to ALU and MU.
3. Indirectly control to input and output units

OUTPUT UNIT
Output unit can be defined as unit which is used to get data from the computer to
user is called the output unit” This unit supplies information and results of
computation to the outside world. Thus it links the computer with the external
environment. As the results are in the binary form, so the conversion of these binary
codes to user understandable form is the responsibility of output devices (i.e.
monitor, printer etc.)
Following are the functions performed by the output unit:
1. It accepts the results produced by the computer which are in coded form and
hence cannot be easily understood by us.
2. It converts these coded results to human acceptable (readable) form,
3. It supplies the converted results to the outside world.

Input Devices
Input device is any peripheral device used to provide data and control signals to an
information processing system such as a computer. Input devices can be defined as:
a device which is used to accept data from the user, translate it into computer
understandable form and sends to internal parts for further processing” Following
are the functions performed by the input unit:
1. It accepts (or reads) the list of instructions and data from the outside world.
2. It converts these instructions and data in computer acceptable form.
3. It supplies the converted instructions and data to the computer system for further
processing.

Output devices
Output devices can be defined as: A device which is used to get processed data
called information, translate it into user understandable form, and gives output”
These are the devices which are purely used to get information from the computer
or these are the devices through which computer communicates with the outside
world, the output may be in the form of display (i.e. monitor), voice (i.e. speaker)
or in written (i.e. printer Following are the functions performed by the output unit:
1. It accepts the results produced by the computer which are in coded form and
hence cannot be easily understood by us.
2. It converts these coded results to human acceptable (readable) form,
3. It supplies the converted results to the outside world
Chapter Two Motherboard and its subunits

2.0 MOTHERBOARD
Motherboard can be defined as the primary circuit board within a personal
computer. Motherboards usually contain one or more CPUs, supporting circuitry --
usually integrated circuits (ICs) providing the interface between the CPU memory
and input/output peripheral circuits, main memory, and facilities for initial setup
of the computer immediately after being powered on.
A typical motherboard provides attachment points for one or more of the
following: CPU, graphics card, sound card, hard disk controller, memory (RAM),
and external peripheral devices. Motherboard – A circuit board that allows the
CPU to interact with other parts of the computer.
The motherboard is the main circuit board in the computer. It contains the bus,
processor, integrated

circuits for peripheral, expansion slots and BIOS chip. The chipset is the collection
of primary chips used on the motherboard. The chipset usually includes chips for
the functions such as CPU, BIOS,RAM, Ports, Expansion slots and drive interfaces.

2.1 Motherboard Form factor

Form factor is the physical size and shape of a device. It is often used to describe
the size of circuit boards The form factor of a motherboard determines the
specifications for its general shape and size. It also specifies what type of case and
power supply will be supported, the placement of mounting holes, and the physical
layout and organization of the board.
. There are several types of form factors, The most popular among them being used
today are: AT, Baby AT, ATX, Mini ATX
Full Size AT
This is usually used in older tower systems . The board is 12 inches by 13.8 inches.
A transfer bus of 16 bit or better is required .It uses CMOS to retain configuration
settings and it has a 5 pin DIN keyboard connection
Baby AT Form factor
This is usually used in older desktop systems. The popular AT motherboard was
scaled down to create the baby AT . It fits into a smaller case than the the full size
AT .This board is usually 13 inches by 8.5 to 9 inches. Baby AT was not without
problems. Computer memory itself advanced, and the Baby AT form factor had
memory sockets at the front of the motherboard. As processors became larger,
the Baby AT form factor did not allow for space to use a combination of processor,
heat sink, and fan
ATX Form factor
ATX is the most commonly used form factor today. An ATX motherboard measures
12" X 9.6" much smaller than that of
On an ATX motherboard the CPU and memory slots are rotated through 90degrees
from the position Additional differences between ATX and AT are that the power
supply fan blows air into the case instead of out for better air]flow, less overlap
between the motherboard and drive bays, and integrated I/O Port connectors
soldered directly onto the motherboard. The ATX form factor was an overall better
design for upgrading.
Mini ATX Form factor
Mini ATX form factor has a motherboard size, which is slightly smaller than the
full-sized ATX specification. These boards use the same ATX form factor power
supplies and cases. The main difference is that full ATX motherboards have a
maximum size of 12"x9.6", and Mini ATX boards have maximum dimensions of
11.2"x8.2".
2.2 Motherboard components
This include PCI expansion slots, AGP port, Power supply connector, CPU,
DIMM(memory sockets, Floppy drive connector , PS/2 mouse and Keyboard
connectors, USB connector, Serial port connector, Parallel port connector

2.3 Memory, Ports, Cables and Connectors

Primary Memory:-
1. RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) is a memory scheme within the computer
system responsible for storing data on a temporary basis, so that it can be
promptly accessed by the processor as and when needed. It is volatile in nature,
which means that data will be erased once supply to the storage device is turned
off. RAM stores data randomly and the processor accesses these data randomly
from the RAM storage. RAM is considered "random access" because you can
access any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that intersect at
that cell. RAM is the man memory in the computer .It is used to hold programs and
data while you are working on the computer
2. ROM (Read Only Memory): ROM is a permanent form of storage. ROM stays
active regardless of whether power supply to it is turned on or off. ROM devices
do not allow data stored on them to be modified. There are different types of
ROM, including PROM, EPROM and EEPROM.
Secondary Memory:-
Stores data and programs permanently: Its retained after the power is turned off
1. Hard drive (HD): A hard disk is part of a unit, often called a "disk drive," "hard
drive," or "hard disk drive," that store and provides relatively quick access to large
amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces.
2. Optical Disk: an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disk drive that uses laser light as
part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Compact
discs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are common types of optical media which can be
read and recorded by such drives. CDs can store up to 700 megabytes (MB) of data
and DVDs can store up to 8.4 GB of data. Blu-ray discs, which are the newest type
of optical media, can store up to 50 GB of data. This storage capacity is a clear
advantage over the floppy disk storage media (a magnetic media), which only has
a capacity of 1.44 MB
A memory package is a circuit board that holds several memory chips so that they
can be plugged as a group, into memory expansion slots on the mother board. The
memory expansion slots in a computer are collectively known as memory bank.
Memory packages come in 8 bit , 16 bit,32 bit, and 64 bit modules. Examples are
SIMM, DIMM, RIMM
PORTS
A port is a hardware connection interface on a computer system that enables
devices to be connected to the system. It is a means of connecting
peripheral devices to your computer. All ports :
Connect a device that uses a cable that matches the configuration of the port
Carry the signals from a device to the computer system
Carry the signals from the computer system to a device
Are composed of wires, plugs, and sockets that enable two devices to be
connected. Ports vary by:
No of pins or connector they contain
The layout of the pins
The signals they carry
The devices that can be connected to the port
The location( connection with internal devices or external devices)
Serial Port Serial ports are a type of computer interface that complies with the RS-
232 standard. They are 9-pin connectors that relay information, incoming or
outgoing, one byte at a time. Each byte is broken up into a series of eight bits,
hence the term serial port. It is often used to connect a older mice, older external
modems, older digital cameras, etc to the computer.
Monitor port - Used to connect a monitor to the computer. PCs usually use a VGA
(Video Graphics Array) analog connector. A monitor port is a 15 pin female
connector, the monitor cable ends in a matching 15 pin male connector which
plugs into the port on the system.
Parallel Port – Most often used to connect a printer to the computer.25-pin
connector. Long and skinny, often pink in color. Transmits data at 50-100 Kb/s. A
PC can have up to three parallel ports , reffered to as LPT 1, LPT 2 ,LPT3. Other
devices such as scanners, some network adapters and other types of external
drives can be connected through parallel ports.

PS/2 Ports – They are used to connect the keyboard and mouse to the computer
USB Port – Universal Serial Bus Port. Now used to connect almost all peripheral
devices to the computer. USB is an extremely popular new standard for general
purpose computers. USB 1.1 transmits data at 1.5 Mb/s at low speed, 12 Mb/s at
full speed. USB 2.0 transmits data at 480 Mb/s.

A USB cable has two different connectors.

1. The upstream end of the cable, the one that is heading towards the computer,
ends in a Type A connector
2. The downstream end of the cable, the one that is heading away from the
computer towards the device, ends in a Type B connector.
You can connect modems, digital cameras, printers, scanners, network adapters,
CD/RW drives, touch screens, external hard drives, external floppy drives ,
keyboards and many other devices to USB ports
Firewire/ IEEE 1394 Port – Often found on Apple Computers. Often used with
digital camcorders. Firewire transmits data at 400 Mb/s. Firewire 1394B (the new
firewire) transmits data at 3.2 Gb/s.
Ethernet Port – This port is used for networking and fast internet connections.
Data moves through them at speeds of either 10 megabits or 100 megabits or 1
gigabit (1,000 megabits) depending on what speed the network card in the
computer supports. Little monitor lights on these devices flicker when in use
Chapter Three Monitors and Printers
3.0 Monitor Types and Characteristics
A Computer monitor is a video output device that enables viewers to view
information on a computer device. Monitors can be classified according to:
1. Display
2. Resolution
3. Screen size
4. Volume
KINDS OF MONITORS - ACCORDING TO DISPLAY - There are three kinds of
monitors according to their display:
1. Monochrome
2. Grayscale
3. Color
MONOCHROME MONITOR
These monitors display images in a single color, usually white, green, blue, red or
amber (yellowish brown color). These monitors are becoming outdated.
GRAYSCALE MONITOR These monitors displays us the shades of gray on a white or
off-white background. These monitors are also becoming outdated.
COLOR MONITORS
Color monitor mix red, green and blue (RGB) to achieve a spectrum of colors
ACCORDING TO RESOLUTION There are two kinds of monitors according to their
resolution:
1. High resolution
2. Low resolution
HIGH RESOLUTION Good quality of text and graphics on the screen.
LOW RESOLUTION Low quality of text and graphics on the screen.
KINDS OF MONITORS - ACCORDING TO SCREEN SIZE A monitor is available in
different screen sizes: 3 to 30 inch screens are available in the market. 15 and 17
inch screens a day.
KINDS OF MONITORS - ACCORDING TO VOLUME There are two kinds of monitors
according to their volume:
(1) CRT Monitors (2) LCD Monitors
CRT Monitors – They use a phosphorus coating inside glass screen. The computer
output on the monitor is the result of carefully controlled stream of electrons
hitting the phosphorous coating on the screen and making parts of it glow
LCD Monitors - A Liquid crystal display or LCD is a digital display technology that
produces images on a flat surface by shining light through liquid crystals and
colored filters.

Monitor Characteristics
1. Resolution- This is the maximum number of pixels on a monitor. A pixel is
the smallest discrete element of on a video display. The resolution value is
given as horizontal pixels by vertical pixels. Common resolution are
640 X 480, 800 X 600, 1024 X768.The higher the resolution, the more
objects or information you can fit on the screen
2. Refresh rate – This is the number of times per second that the entire
monitor is scanned to illuminate the pixels. Each scan is referred to as a
frame ,the rate is expressed in Hertz.Typical refresh rates are 60- 70 Hz or
60- 70 times per second.Any setting loer than 60 Hz usually produces
noticeable flickering.
3. Color Depth – This is the number of bits used to store the color of a pixel:
the more bits per pixel the more colors can be displayed. Color depths like 4
bit color depth – requires 0.5 bytes per pixel and can display 16 colors. This
is standard VGA mode
8bit color depth – requires 1 byte per pixel and can display 256 colors,this is
256 color mode
16 bit color depth requires 2 bytes per pixel and can display 65,536 colors.
This is high color mode
24 bit color depth – requires 3 bytes per pixel and can display 16,777,216
colors .This is True color mode

3.1 Functions and Operation of Monitors

OPERATION
A cable connects the monitor to a video card that is installed in an expansion slot
on the computer’s motherboard. This system converts signals into text and
pictures and displays them on a MONITOR.
The computer sends a signal to the video adapter, telling it what character, image
or graphic to display. The video card converts that signal to a set of instructions
that tell the monitor how to draw image on the screen.
3.2 Printers
Printer is a very common output device which prints information and data from
the computer on to paper. There are different types of printers

Dot Matrix Printers

A dot matrix printer is a printer that forms images using a set of pins that strike an
inked ribbon. It creates a pattern of dots that are arranged to produce alphabetic,
numeric, and graphical characters on the printed document. Somewhat noisy, the
dot matrix printer was much faster and much quieter than the daisy wheel. In
addition, the dot matrix printer incorporated a mechanism that feeds continuous-
form paper while keeping it properly aligned from the computer on to paper.
Inkjet Printers
An Inkjet printer is a printer that forms images by spraying ink on the paper. Inkjet
printers spray a fine, quick-drying ink through small nozzles to produce characters
and images on paper.The print quality of the inkjet, like that of the dot matrix and
—in a similar way—the image quality on a monitor, is measured in dots per inch
(dpi). The greater the number of dots of ink used in a square inch of paper, the
higher the print quality will be. For the most part, inkjet printers produce a better
quality print than a dot matrix printer at roughly the same cost. Inkjets are also
less expensive and usually physically smaller than most laser printers, which
appeals to most home and small office users. In spite of its problems, the inkjet
printer offers good quality printing at a reasonable price and is very popular today
with home users.
Laser Printer
The laser printer was born out of the technology used in the copy machine. Laser
printers combine a magnetic roller with powdered ink called toner to transfer high-
quality characters or images onto a page. A laser printer is a printer that forms
images on paper using a laser beam and an electrophotographic drum. Components
of a laser printer are : Toner cartridge, laser scanning assembly, High voltage power
supply, DC power supply, paper transport assembly, fusing assembly formatter
board and transfer corona assembly.
Line Printers
Larger systems, such as mainframes, that print thousands of pages of reports,
checks, or billing statements daily, are called line printers. The name indicates that
an entire line of text is printed in one strike. These printers are usually capable of
printing 132 to 168 characters per line.
The type of printer you choose depends on your budget and the type of output
you need. For example, if all you need to print are grocery lists, you may be happy
with a dot-matrix printer. In general, dot-matrix printers are noisier, slower, and
produce a poorer-quality image than do laser or inkjet printers, but they are also
less expensive. If you need to print newsletters, brochures, or illustrated reports,
you will probably want a high-quality laser printer.
A Printer connected to the output port of a computer is called a Local Printer
and then the computer can share this printer with others on the network. When
the printer is accesses by way of the network it is called a Network Printers
Installation of Printer
The procedure for installing a printer is as follows:
1. Turn off the computer. If necessary, remove any spacers or tape that is used to
secure the internal components of the printer
2. Connect the printer cable to the port on the printer
3. Connect the other end of the printer cable to the parallel port at the back of the
computer
4. Connect the power cable to the power connector on the printer
5. Plug the power cable into an electrical outlet
6. Switch on the power for the printer and computer.
7. After the computer boots then click Printers. The window shown below
appears.

8. Double-click Add Printer, and then click Next.

9. Click Local Printer or Network Printer as appropriate, and then click Next.
10. Click the appropriate manufacturer and model for click Next
11. If you chose to install a local printer, click the correct port and then click
Next boots-up, Click the Start button, point to Settings, and your printer,
12. Type a name for the printer (or accept the default name), and then click
either Yes or No in the "Do you want your Windows-based programs to use
this printer as the default printer?" area. Click Next.
13. To print a test page, click Yes. Click Finish
Chapter Four Modems and Computer Networking
MODEMS
A modem is a serial communications device that enables computers to
communicate with one another over standard telephone lines .Modem is short for
modulate/demodulate. A modem modulates a digital signal to analog so that it can
go across the phone line .When the analog reaches another system another
modem demodulates it into digital signal. Modems can be hardware or software
based
Asynchronous and Synchronous Modems
Asynchronous modems are the most common type of modems .Serial data
includes start and stop bits in the data stream to indicate the beginning and end of
each character. It has potential for errors
Synchronous modems are less prone to errors
Connection of Modem to a computer
Computer Networking
A network is a collection of hardware and software that enables in a group to
communicate with each other. Networks enable users to share information and
resources with users both internal to their network and external via the internet.

Network Hardware
Server –any computer that makes resources available to other computers on the
network
Client - any computer that uses the resources of a server.
Network Interface card/Adapter – An adapter card installed in each of the
computers on the network to enable the computers to send and receive data over
the network medium. Each network adapter has a unique Media Access Control
(MAC) address. The most common adapters will connect a computer to an
Ethernet or Token ring network. NICs have an internal .integrated transceiver built
into the board that lets it send and receive data over the network cable. Examples
are Ethernet adapters
Network Devices
Hubs – it connects several computers or networks together. Types of hubs are
1. Passive hubs 2. Active hubs or repeaters 3. Intelligent hubs
Bridges – controls the flow of information between LAN segments or networks
Routers – determines the best path for a data packet to be sent from one network
to another. It functions like a bridge
Brouters – is a communication device that functions as both as a bridge and a
router, depending on which function is needed
Gateways – is a protocol converter that supports communication between
networks that use different protocols
Network cables and connectors
This are the media that are used to establish bounded media connections between
clients and servers or internet resources
Twisted pair cable- Unshielded and shielded twisted pair cables
Twisted pair cable connector – RJ 45 connector( 8 wire connector
Coaxial cable – network cable that consist of a single conductor that is surrounded
by insulation and a conductive shield, with a heavy protective covering .
Coaxial cable connectors are connectors designed specifically for connecting
coaxial cables to computers and other network devices e.g BNC connectors
Fiber Optic cables use glass to transmit network signals in the form of light waves
Fiber optic – ST connector, SC connector, FC connector, SMA connector, FDDI
connectors.
PVC and plenum cables
Physical Network Architectures
A physical network architecture is the model that determines how networked
computers are connected and how they can communicate. It specifies the physical
layout or physical topology the network uses
1. Star Topology – A star topology for a LAN is designed so that all nodes are
connected individually to a central computer, multiport repeater, concentrator
hub.
2. Bus Topology – A bus topology for a LAN is designed so that a single bus
cable ,sometimes called a backbone ,transmits data to all nodes on the network

3. Ring Topology – A ring topology for a LAN is designed so that all nodes are
connected in a continuous loop with no end points and no terminators
4. Mesh Topology – This occurs when every node on the network has a
separate wire connecting it to every other node on the network

5. Hybrid Topology - A hybrid topology for a LAN is designed by combining two or

more different topologies

Logical Network Architecture

A logical network architecture is the model that describes the degree of
centralized control built into the network. It specifies which computers can
provide resources such as files, printers or applications to other computers on
the network
1. Peer to Peer - any computer can act as both a sever and a client. Any
computer can share resources with another ,and any other computer can
use the resources of another
2. Client Server – at least one centralized server manages shared resources and
security for the other network users and computers
Network Scopes – This refers to the extent to which a network provides
coverage .There are two main divisions of network scope -
Local Area Networks and Wide Area Networks.
Local Area Network consists of any number of computers that are linked
directly together and are housed in a clearly defined geographical area.
Computer users can send email and set up chat sessions over the LAN
Wide Area Network can span large geographic areas like countries and
continents. WANs can be enormous, the Internet is the ultimate WAN
Other network scopes include
Metropolitan Area Network, Storage Area Network, Enterprise Area Network.