Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr.

Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

1. Hardware:
Physical components of computer, refers to objects that you can actually
touch. The hardware are the parts of the computer itself including the
Central Processing Unit (CPU) and related microchips and micro-
circuitry, keyboards, monitors, case and drives (hard, CD, DVD, floppy,
optical, tape, etc...).
Other extra parts called peripheral components or devices include
mouse, printers, modems, scanners, digital cameras and cards (sound,
color, video) etc... Together they are often referred to as a personal
computer.

1. Case:
Case houses the microchips and circuitry that run the computer. Desktop
models usually sit under the monitor and tower models beside. They come in
many sizes, including desktop, mini, midi, and full tower.
2. Cables:
Connect internal components to the Motherboard, which is a board with
series of electronic path ways and connections allowing the CPU to
communicate with the other components of the computer.

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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

3. Modem:
Modem is used to translate information transferred through telephone
lines, cable, satellite or wireless. The term stands for modulate and
demodulate which changes the signal from digital, which computers use, to
analog, which telephones use and then back again.
4. Network Card:
Allow computers to connect together to
communicate with each other, network cards have
connections for cable, thin wire or wireless networks.
5. Color Card:
Allow computers to produce color (with a color monitor of course) .
 2 bits which produced 4 colors [CGA] .
 4 bits allowing for 16 [EGA and VGA] colors .
 16 bits allowing for 1064 colors.
 24 bits which allows for almost 17 million colors .
 32 bits and higher allow monitors to display almost a billion separate
colors.
1.1 Input Devices:
Computer hardware have many input devices as following:
1. Mouse:
Most modern computers today are run using a mouse controlled pointer.
Generally if the mouse has two buttons the left one is used to select objects
and text and the right one is used to access menus.
 Round ball mouse.
 Optical mouse.
 Touch pads in Laptop.
 Touch screens in Hand held device.
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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

2. Keyboard:
Keyboard is used to type information into the computer or input
information. The standard keyboard has 101 keys. Notebooks have
embedded keys accessible by special keys or by pressing key combinations
(CTRL or Command and P for example). Hand held devices have various
and different keyboard configurations and touch screens.
3. Scanners:
Allow to transfer pictures and photographs to your computer. A scanner
'scans' the image from the top to the bottom, one line at a time and transfers it
to the computer as a series of bits or a bitmap .
4. Digital Cameras:
Allow to take digital photographs, the images are stored on a memory
chip or disk that can be transferred to your computer.
1.2 Output Devices:
Computer hardware have many output devices as following:
1. Monitor:
Monitor shows information on the screen when you type, this is called
outputting information. Monitors come in many types and sizes. The
resolution of the monitor determines the sharpness of the screen. The
resolution can be adjusted to control the screen's display.
2. Removable Storage and/or Disk Drives:
All disks need a drive to get information off - or read - and put
information on the disk - or write. Each drive is designed for a specific type
of disk whether it is a CD, DVD, hard disk or floppy. Often the term disk and
drive are used to describe the same thing but it helps to understand that the
disk is the storage device which contains computer files - or software - and
the drive is the mechanism that runs the disk.
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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

3. Printers:
Printer takes the information on your screen and transfers it to paper or a
hard copy. There are many different types of printers with various levels of
quality, three basic types of printer are; dot matrix, inkjet, and laser.
4. Video Card:
Allow computers to display video and animation. Some video cards allow
computers to display television as well as capture frames from video. A high
speed connection is required for effective video transmission.
5. Sound Card :
Allow computers to produce sound like music and voice. The older sound
cards were 8 bit then 16 bit then 32 bit.
2. Motherboard:
A motherboard is the main printed circuit board found in general computers.
It allows communication between many of the electronic components of a
computer, such as the central processing unit (CPU), memory and connectors
for input and output devices.
The base of a motherboard consists of sheet of non-conductive material
(rigid plastic). Thin layers of copper or aluminum foil (traces) are printed onto
this sheet, which are very
narrow and form the circuits
between the various
components. In addition to
circuits, a motherboard
contains a number of sockets
and slots to connect the other
components.

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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

3. Microprocessor:
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is an internal component of the
computer, portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a
computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output
operations of the system. The CPU is the brains of the computer, sometimes
referred to simply as the central processor, but more commonly called
processor. The term has been in use in the computer industry at least since the
early 1960s. On large machines, CPUs require one or more printed circuit
boards. On personal computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in
a single silicon chip called a microprocessor. Since the 1970s the
microprocessor class of CPUs has almost completely overtaken all other CPU
implementations. Modern CPUs are large scale integrated circuits in small,
rectangular packages, with multiple connecting
pins.
Two typical components of a CPU, are:
1. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): which performs arithmetic and logical
operations .
2. Control Unit (CU): which extracts instructions from memory and decodes
and executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary.
Modern CPUs are small and square and contain multiple metallic
connectors or pins on the underside. The CPU is inserted directly into a CPU
socket, pin side down, on the motherboard. Modern CPUs also have an
attached heat sink and small fan that go directly on top of the CPU to help
dissipate heat.
Pentium chip or processor, made by Intel, is the most common CPU though
there are many other companies that produce processors for personal
computers. Examples are the CPU made by Motorola.
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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

4. Input / Output Ports Unit:

Input/Output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an
information processing system (such as a computer), and the outside world,
possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the
signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data
sent from it. For instance, a keyboard or a mouse may be an input device for a
computer, while monitors and printers are considered output devices for a
computer. Devices for communication between computers, such as modems
and network cards, typically serve for both input and output.
In parallel port the computer exchanges information using a parallel
configuration, all bits of information represented by a byte or word are input
or output simultaneously.
In serial port the computer exchanges information using a serial
configuration, all bits of information are input or output one at a time.
Example: Sketch a figure to show the data transfer in parallel and serial ports
unit for number (29)10 which is equal to (11101)2.
Ans:

5. Buses:
Buses are collections of wires or groups of conductors that connect
several devices within a computer system. To transfer information internally
between units, the computers use buses .
Bus is a parallel data communication path over which information is
transferred a byte or word at a time, when a word of data is transferred
between units; all its bits are transferred in parallel.
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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

5.1 Characteristics of Bus:

Bus is characterized by the amount of information that can be transmitted
at once. This amount, expressed in bits, corresponds to the number of
physical lines over which data is sent simultaneously. A 32-wire cable can
transmit 32 bits in parallel. The term width is used to refer to the number of
bits that a bus can transmit at once .
Additionally, the bus speed is also defined by its frequency (expressed in
Hertz), the number of data packets sent or received per second. Each time that
data is sent or received is called a cycle. This way, it is possible to find the
maximum transfer speed of the bus, the amount of data which it can
transport per unit of time, by multiplying its width by its frequency.
5.2 Bus Structure:
1. Data Bus:
The bidirectional data bus, handles the transfer of all data and
instructions between the units of the computer. Its transfer instructions
coming from or going to the processor. The bidirectional data bus can only
transmit in one direction at a time.
2. Address Bus:
The address bus (sometimes called the memory bus) transports memory
addresses which the processor wants to access in order to read or write data. It
is a unidirectional bus .
3. Control Bus:
The control bus (or command bus) transports orders and synchronization
signals coming from the control unit and traveling to all other hardware
components. It is a bidirectional bus, as it also transmits response signals
from the hardware. Control bus is used by the CPU to direct and monitor the
actions of the other functional areas of the computer.
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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

6. BIOS:
The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) software is built into the PC,
and is the first code run by a PC when powered on ('boot firmware'). When
the PC starts up, the first job for the BIOS is to initialize and identify system
devices such as the video display card, keyboard and mouse, hard disk drive,
optical disc drive and other hardware. The BIOS locates boot loader software
and loads and executes that software, giving it control of the PC. This process
is known as booting, or booting up. It also manages data flow between the
computer's operating system.

BIOS software is stored on a non-volatile ROM chip on the motherboard

(it is often called a ROM BIOS). This ensures that the BIOS will always be
available and will not be damaged by disk failures. It also makes it possible
for a computer to boot itself. Because RAM is faster than ROM, though,
many computer manufacturers design systems so that the BIOS is copied
from ROM to RAM each time the computer is booted, this is known as
shadowing. Many modern PCs have a flash BIOS, which means that the
BIOS has been recorded on a flash memory chip, which can be updated if
necessary .
BIOS has a User Interface
(UI), typically a menu system
accessed by pressing a certain
key on the keyboard when the
PC starts.
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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

7. Memory Types:
Memory is one of the easiest pieces of hardware to add to computer. It is
common to confuse chip memory with disk storage. An example of the
difference between memory and storage would be the difference between a
table where the actual work is done (memory) and a filing cabinet where the
finished product is stored (disk) .
It's a collection of storage registers used to transfer information in and out
of the unit. The information stored in the memory as binary code in groups of
bits called word. The binary is two logic levels:
 Logic (1) represented as (+5) volt in the memory cell.
 Logic (0) represented as (0) volt in the memory cell.
Bit: is binary digit (1) or (0), and Byte: is a group of eight bits.
Memory in general is divided into two general categories:

7.1 Read Only Memory :

Read-Only Memory (ROM) is a class of storage medium used in
computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be
modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, and used for
various memory applications, such as fixed program storage, look-up tables,
and code conversions. Sometimes called non-volatile memory as it is not
erased when the system is switched off .
 Types of ROM:
ROM memories have gradually evolved from fixed read-only memories to
memories than can be programmed and then re-programmed .
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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

 ROM (Read Only Memory).

 PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory).
 EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory).
 EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory).

7.2 Random Access Memory :

It's the memory that the computer uses to temporarily store the
information as it is being processed. The more information being processed
the more RAMs the computer needs.
 Memory Address :
It is a particular location of a larger memory array. Usually one memory
address contains one word of data. A word is one packet of information for
the computer and is usually composed of many bits. Computers exist that use
1-bit words, 8-bit words, 16-bit words, 32-bit words, and 64-bit words.
Handling computer data in 8-bit words is so common that the 8-bit word has
its own name, the byte.

8. Storage Unit:
A storage device is a hardware device capable of storing information.
There are two storage devices used in computers:
 Primary storage device: such as computer RAM.
 Secondary storage device: such as computer Hard Disk drive.
8.1 Computer Storage Devices:
Knowing what kinds of storage devices are available can keep from using
up too much space on computer’s hard drive. They can also help keep
computer’s hard drive from crashing, along with keeping it running at top
speed. The most common storage devices are:

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Department of Electrical Engineering First Year / 2019-2020 By: Dr. Salwa Adel Al-agha

Lecture 3

 Floppy Disk:
They are plastic square disks, usually with a silver or black sliding piece
going across the top. These disks come in a variety of colors and they hold
about 144 million bytes. (Bytes are characters, symbols and letters).
 CD + R Disc:
CD + R Disc (Compact Disc Recordable) – This one is a CD that you can
record on. It’s mostly used to record audio and once it’s been written on, you
cannot rewrite or erase anything off of it. This compact disc comes in
different sizes, but they are usually silver in color.
 CD + RW Disc :
(Compact Disc Rewriteable) – This disc looks like a regular CD. The only
difference is that you can write on this disc and erase it as many times as you
want. It works just like a floppy disk or a zip disk. A CD + RW disc holds
about 650 MB.
 DVD – R Disc :
(Digital Video Recordable) – These discs hold the space of about 4.7 GB
and are used to record movies on. The more uncommon storage devices are:
 Internet Hard Drive
 PC Cards
 Smart Cards
 Storage Tapes
 Memory Sticks
 Smart Media

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