Chapter 1 (Digital Devices)

A mainframe computer is a large powerful computer that can do a lot of complicated jobs quickly
and can be used by a lot of people at the same time.
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A microprocessor is the device that controls what a computer does. It takes data as input, does
something with it and provides output.
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Types of PCs (personal computers):
. Desktops
○ Users can upgrade them (to make a computer better and able to do more things)
○ Needs peripheral devices (equipments that are connected to a computer and used with
it)
○ All-in-one desktops combine the monitor and the PC hardware
. Laptops
○ Have a screen, keyboard, track pad and rechargeable battery
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○ Portable
. SBCs (single-board computers)
○ Used in education, embedded computing and physical computing projects (embedded
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computing is computing hardware that is fixed into position and carries out a specialist
task, physical computing is interactive systems that can sense and respond to the
world around them)
○ Cheap
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Mobile phones use a SIM card (subscriber identity module) to connect to a mobile phone network.
Types of mobile phones:
. Specialist phones
○ Meets accessiblity needs (e.g. by having functions spoken aloud) (a measure of how
easy something is to use, especially by people with disabilities)
. Smartphones
○ have Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) (a way of connecting computers to a network or the
internet by using radio signals rather than wires)
 ○ Multifunctional (e.g. can work as a camera, media player, game console)
○ Have an OS
○ Applications can be downloaded (programs that allow a user to perform a task)
○ Have a virtual keyboard
○ Large power consumption

Some tablets have mobile phone network connectivity.

Digital cameras and camcorders:

● Use light sensors to capture images formed by light passing through the device's lens
● In the past, cameras captured still images and camcorders captured moving images (or
movies) (sequences of images called frames)
● High frame rates produce smooth results
● The quality of the image depends on:
. The quality of the lens
. The image processor
. The resolution of the sensor
● Resolution is the number of pixels used by a screen to display an image and is measured in
MP (megapixels) (resolution = width x height)
● Pixelation is an effect that creates an unclear image consisting of visibly large individual
pixels

Home entertainment systems include:

. TVs (televisions)
○ The resolution is stated as horizontal pixels x vertical pixels or sometimes, only the
vertical pixels (e.g. 1920 x 1080 can be stated as 1080p)
○ UHD (ultra high definition) TVs are referred to as 4K or 8K because there are
approximately 4,000 or 8,000 horizontal pixels
○ Have built-in speakers
○ Smart TVs can use apps and stream (to play a file on your computer while it is being
downloaded from the internet, rather than saving it as a file and then playing it)
. Sound systems
○ Include speakers and amplifiers
○ Can connect to other devices (e.g. smartphones, media players)
 ○ Can connect to local networks or the internet
. PVR (personal video recorders)
○ A PVR is a device that records broadcasted content so that it can be watched at a later
date
○ A STB (set-top box) is a device that sends video and audio received from a
broadcaster to a television
○ Some satellite TVs have both STB and PVR
. Blu-ray and DVD players
○ Connected to TVs to play films and other content stored on discs
○ Blu-ray discs can store HD movies

Games consoles:
● Games are provided on discs or are downloaded
● Some consoles are VR (virtual reality), and have motion sensors and headsets
● Multifunctional
● Handheld versions have less storage and reduced qualities

Media players:
● Provide video and audio content to a television
● Controlled using a remote control or a smartphone app
● Content can be streamed or accessed from a networked or local storage
● Personal media players are portable devices with local storage in the form of flash memory,
so that data is not affected by movement (a form of storage that stores data as electrical
charges held in tiny electrical cells)

Navigation aids:
● Calculate the best route between two or more locations and can provide updates to the route
if it is not followed
● Use radio signals from GPS (Global Position System) satellites to determine the device's
location
● Use orientation sensors to know which way the device is pointing
● GPS does not need internet connectivity, but navigation aids need it to update map data
● Smartphones are replacing navigation aids as they now have navigation apps
Home automation devices:
● Are used in smart homes
● Sense and control functions (e.g. temperature, lighting)
● Controlled from smartphone apps or the internet

A multifunctional device is a device that can perform a range of different functions (e.g.
smartphone, games console, tablet).

Convergence is when the designs of devices change so that they become similar to one another.

Features of digital devices:

. Portability
. Performance
○ Higher performance means tasks are done quicker
○ Faster processor means better performance (one or more CPUs (central processing
units) that carry out software instructions)
○ More RAM (random access memory) means more programs can run simultaneously
because instructions are loaded into the processor from RAM (the memory in a
computer system that is used for running software)
○ Faster storage means better performance because:
◆ Instructions are loaded into RAM from storage
◆ It means faster access to instructions in virtual memory (storage used by the
processor once the space in RAM has run out)
. Storage
○ Stores:
◆ Files (collections of data that represent a document, image, database, etc)
◆ Programs (sets of instructions that are carried out by a processor)
○ Storage speed affects performance
. User interface
○ User interface is the system that allows a user to interact with a device
○ Types of user interface:
. CLI (command line interface)
◇ Requires little memory
◇ Commands have to be typed precisely
 . Menu-driven interface
◇ Easier to use than CLI
◇ Takes more time
◇ Used in ATMs and TVs
. GUI (graphical user interface)
◇ Easiest to use
◇ Takes more memory and storage
◇ Uses WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointers)
◇ Windows are areas of the screen that are dedicated to applications or
operating system tasks
◇ Icons are small images that represent an application
◇ Menus provide options for tasks
◇ Pointers are on-screen indicators used to select displayed objects
. Voice interface
◇ Allows hands-free operation
. Gesture interface
. Connectivity
. Media support
○ If devices do not have native media, adapters can usually be connected to provide
connectivity to an external device into which the media can be inserted
. Energy consumption
○ Lower energy consumption means a longer battery life
. Expansion capability
○ Some PCs allow users to install additional components
○ Some smartphones and tablets have expansion slots to use memory cards
. Security features
○ Software security
◆ A device can be set to lock after some time and require password or PIN
(personal identification number) again
◆ Pattern PINs are more secure than PINs as they have more possible
combinations
◆ Some devices use biometric scanners for authorisation
○ Physical security
◆ Many devices have security slots which can have locks attached to secure them
 ◆
to furniture

Peripheral devices are devices that can be connected to a computer. There are 3 types:
. Input
. Output
. Storage

Examples of input peripherals:

● Keyboards
● Pointing devices
○ Mouse (optical sensor detects movement)
○ Tracker ball
○ Track pad (used on laptops)
○ Joystick (used on games controllers)
○ Graphics tablet (drawn on with a stylus, a pen-shaped device)
● Scanners
○ OCRs (optical character readers) read characters
○ OMRs (optical mark readers) detect simple marks
● Barcode scanners
○ Barcodes represent letters and numbers which are used to identify items
○ Advantages:
◆ Data input is faster (so fewer queues and less checkouts/staff needed)
◆ Reduces human error (so input information is more accurate)
◆ No need to change prices on individual items (so price changes can be made
instantly)
○ Linear barcodes are patterns of lines and gaps
○ Matrix barcodes are called QR (quick response) codes:
◆ Can hold more information
◆ Can be scanned from any angle
● Webcams
○ Some have built-in microphones
● Microphones
○ The diaphragm moves when air hits it, producing an analogue electrical signal
○ The sound card converts the electrical signal into a digital signal (a device built into or
 ○
added into a computer to allow it to playback and record audio)
○ Used to make devices more accessible for the disabled
● Touchscreens
○ Resistive screen
◆ Pressing causes two layers to touch and make a connection
◆ Advantage: durable
◆ Disadvantages: harder to read due to more reflection, no multi-touch
○ Capacitative screen
◆ Pressing the screen causes charge to flow from the capacitative layer to the
finger
◆ Used in smartphones
● Biometric scanners
○ Fingerprint recognition (fingerprints can be damaged)
○ Facial recognition
○ Voice recognition
○ Iris recognition (most reliable)
● Card readers
○ Magnetic strip
◆ Least secure
○ Programmable chip
◆ Secure because a PIN is required
○ RFID (radio frequency identification) and NFC (near field communication)
● Sensors
○ Used to input data about the physical environment (e.g. light, humidity, temperature,
proximity, motion, pressure)
○ Used in smart homes
○ Benefits:
◆ Can be placed in remote or dangerous places
◆ Can monitor continually
◆ No human error
◆ Can sense things humans cannot
◆ Can convert data to a digital form

Output peripherals can output results as:

 ● Display
● Printed text
● Audio
● Video
● Tactile (touch) form

Examples of output peripherals:

● Monitors
○ Features:
◆ Screen size (measured diagonally)
◆ Resolution
◆ Energy efficiency measures (e.g. low-power mode)
● Printers
○ Dot matrix
◆ Also called impact printers because the paper is impacted through a ribbon of
ink
◆ A carbon copy is a copy of a document made using carbon paper (paper coated
in a coloured substance that leaves traces on paper)
○ Inkjet
◆ Have CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) ink cartridges
○ Laser
◆ A drum is charged
◆ A laser discharges parts of the drum
◆ Oppositely charged toner sticks to drum
◆ Paper is pressed against the drum and heated
○ 3D
◆ Create real-life versions of digital models
○ Plotters
◆ Draw images created in CAD (Computer Aided Design) softwares onto large
sheets of paper
● Data projectors
○ Features:
◆ Light bulbs (expensive to replace)
◆ Resolution
 ◆ Zoom functionality (either optical or digital zoom)
◆ Portability
● Speakers
○ Can be mono sound (sound from 1 direction), stereo sound (from 2 directions) or
surround sound (from 4 or more directions)
● Control devices (also called actuators)
○ They make something happen in the real physical world
○ Examples:
◆ Valves
◆ Pistons
◆ Heaters
◆ Coolers
◆ Motors
Secondary storage (also just called storage) is used for:
. Storing documents
. Storing applications
. Virtual memory

Internal storage drives are connected to the motherboard (the circuit in the computer with
connectors to which other components connect). External storage drives are connect through ports
and adapters on the computer.
Types of storage devices:
● HDD (hard disk drive) contains hard disk media
● SSD (solid state drive) (also called flash drive) contains flash memory media
● Optical disk drive contains optical disk media
● Magnetic tape contains magnetic media

HDDs have concentric platters that spin on a central spindle. Read/write heads move across them to
access data. The time taken is called seek time. When reading, magnetic fields on the platter are
transformed into electrical currents (and the opposite when writing).

Advantages of SSD over HDD:

● Energy efficient
● Resistant to damage
(Both are due to the lack of moving parts.)
In CDs, data is written to a plastic layer, which is below a reflective aluminium layer and a protective
acrylic layer. Blu-ray discs can store more data than DVDs, which can store more than CDs.

Storage media store data in binary form, where bits are either 0 or 1 (8 bits = 1 byte). Different
media represent 0 and 1 in different ways:
● Hard disk - magnetic charge
● Flash - electrical charge in cells
● Optical - bumps on disc’s surface
● Magnetic - magnetic charge

Data access speed and cost: flash > hard disk > optical > magnetic

Uses:
● Hard disk - PC backups
● Flash - smartphones
● Optical - music, movies
● Magnetic - whole system backups

Only flash media is portable.

1 KB (kilobyte) = 10^3 bytes

1 MB (megabyte) = 10^6 bytes
1 GB (gigabyte) = 10^9 bytes
1 TB (terabyte) = 10^12 bytes