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TOPIC 2 A COMPUTER SYSTEMS R
TOPIC 2 A COMPUTER SYSTEMS R
Computers Systems
COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Definition
Computer system refers to a collection of components/entities that work together to process, store
and manage information using computers
Input Devices
These are devices, which accept data from human readable form and convert them into
electronic or machine-readable form.
Data may be entered into a computer using keying devices, pointing devices, or
automatically captured from the "Source referred to as data capture devices, or by voice
recognition devices such as microphones.
NB: The main purpose of input devices is to convert the human readable data into electronic
or machine-readable form.
Input devices can be classified according to how they are used to enter data. This
includes:
i. Keying devices such as the keyboard, keypad etc.
ii. Pointing devices such as mouse, trackball etc
iii. Scanning and other data capture devices. Such as Optical scanners etc
iv. Speech recognition or voice input devices such as microphone
v. Touch screen, digitizer and digital cameras
1. Keying devices
Keyboard and keypad
These devices enter data into a computer by typing. Apart from a few differences, a computer
keyboard is similar to the typewriter keyboard. A keypad is a miniature (tiny) keyboard, which is
mostly used on small portable computers, calculators palm notes, mobile phones etc.
Computer Mouse
iii. Joystick
A joystick is an input device that looks like a car gear lever, which can be moved sideways,
upwards, or downwards to control the position of the cursor or objects on the screen. Just
like the mouse, it has a button, which is used for selecting an item. It is commonly used in
playing video game
Light pen
They capture data using light. A light beam passes over an object and the image is analyzed
by specialized software. They are of three types
Application of OMR
i. Marking of mul
ii. tiple-choice examination papers e.g. KCPE or aptitude test.
iii. Insurance premium collection
iv. Analyzing responses to structured questionnaires
v. Selecting correct number combinations from lottery tickets
vi. Payroll data entry
vii. Market research questionnaires
viii. Voter's registration process
These scanners are used to capture data coded as lines of varying thickness known
as bar codes or Universal Product Code (UPC). Scan and translate a bar code into
machine understandable mode. Bar codes are lines of different thickness and are
common on consumer products and contain item information such as country of
manufacture, manufacturer and the product code. Bar codes do not have the price
details because prices vary from one place to another.
Advantages of OBR
i. Bar codes can be printed by normal printing methods
ii. The type of item or price does not have to be repeatedly written / typed
Disadvantages of OBR
i. Bar codes can only be read by machines
ii. Only numbers can be coded in this way
iii. They are relatively fixed, so they are unsuitable for recording prices
which can frequently change
Application of OBR
i. On labels and on shelves for stocktaking
ii. Printed on shop goods e.g. Supermarkets, wholesale shops
iii. In libraries
b) Digital Cameras
Capture the same way as other cameras do but stores image in digital form. Pictures
are stored on a memory card instead of a film. The digital image taken can be
Definition of terms
Fetch instruction: Read instructions from the memory
Interpret instructions: Decode the instruction to determine the operation to
be performed
Process data: Execute the instruction
CPU
Arithmetic and logic unit
Registers
Control unit
Data Information
Data /
Information
Control unit
It’s a circuitry located in the CPU that coordinates all processing activities in the CPU as well as
input, storage and output operations. It issues timing and control signals which determines which
operation or instruction is to be executed next. To coordinate these activities, the control unit uses a
system clock
The system clock sends electric signals as its means of communication, just like the traffic officer
does in a round about to direct motorists and other road users. The number of pulses per second
determines the speed of a microprocessor. The faster the clock pulses, the faster the CPU hence the
faster the computer can process data.
In order for the ALU to be able to process data, it has special temporary storage locations called
registers, which holds the data just before processing and results after processing. The results of an
arithmetic-logic unit operation are usually transferred to the accumulator (AC).
1. Registers
Registers are the smallest units of memory and are located internally within the CPU and are most
often used to either temporarily store results or control information. Registers within the CPU serve
two basic functions:
Control and Status registers: used by the control unit to control the operation of the CPU
and by privileged, operating system programs to control the execution of programs.
a) Accumulator (AC)
The contents can be used by the arithmetic-logic unit for arithmetic and logic operations, and by the
memory buffer register. Usually, all results generated by the arithmetic-logic unit end up in the
accumulator.
Computer memory can be classified into read only memory (ROM) and random access memory
(RAM).
Depending on permanence of the instructions or data written on it, there are four types of read only
memory (ROM) namely;
i. Mask read only memory
This type of ROM is written once at the time of manufacture and cannot be changed.
ii. Programmable read only memory (PROM)
This allows the user to alter it only once after the content is written on it. Once programmed
the content cannot be changed
iii. Erasable progr`ammable read only memory (EPROM)
This has a transparent quartz window through which its contents, can be erased by exposing
it to ultra violet (UV) light, and then reprogrammed for another use.
iv. Electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM)
This type of ROM can be erased and reprogrammed using electricity. An example of
EEPROM is the memory that stores the basic input/output system (BIOS).
Types of RAM
There are two types of RAM namely, static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM).
Characteristics of SRAM
i. It is a very fast memory and holds its contents as long as there is power.
ii. Its content 'does not require refreshment
iii. It is expensive
iv. It is very fast compared to DRAM
v. Found inside a microprocessor
vi. Its mostly used to make special types of memories known as Cache memory
vii. Used for smaller memories since it has low packing density
2. Dynamic RAM
They are slower types of RAM compared to SRAM. The term dynamic, refer to the tendency for the
stored charge to leak away, even with constant power supply. For this reason, DRAM requires
periodic recharging referred to as refreshing to maintain the data stored.
Characteristics of SRAM
i. Require constant refreshing to avoid losing of content
ii. Offer slower access time compared to SRAM
iii. Cheaper compared to SRAM
iv. They are located outside the CPU
A DRAM
Types of DRAM
Extended correct code (ECC) is a special type of DRAM that corrects errors and is mainly used in
servers
Most of the PCs and laptops have the following types of DRAM
i. Dual-inline packages (DIP) – Attached to the motherboard of PCs
ii. Single inline memory module (SIMM) – Used for old Pentium and currently have been
faced out
iii. Dual inline memory module (DIMM - Used for Pentium I, II, III computers
iv. Small outline DIMM (SoDIMM) - Used mostly for laptops its half the size of DIMM
v. MicroDIMM - Allow higher density of data storage. Mostly designed for portable computers
Memory capacities
Memory and storage capacity is measured in special units called bytes. A byte is equivalent to a
single character, which can be numbers 0 - 9, letters A - Z or a special symbol e.g. a number 2341
has 4 bytes, while words SGC Centre has 10 bytes since the space between them is one byte.
INPUT
CPU MAIN
(Microprocessor OUTPUT
MEMORY DEVICES
)
Control bus
Data bus
ROM RAM
Microprocessors
A microprocessor is a complete CPU where ALU and Control unit has been combined into a tiny
single processor. The microprocessor chips use many different internal designs, and the chips vary in
appearance and capability.
Types of processors
Processor Description Clock speed
Intel 8086 The two are almost identical and were 4.7 MHz - 10 MHz
and 8088 used with the first IBMPCs 8086 was an
Improvement of 8088
Output devices
Output devices are peripheral devices that a computer uses to give out information produced after
the processing operations.
Colour depth
Refers to number of colours, which can be displayed by a pixel. It is measured in bits.
Resolution
Is the number of pixels per inch on the screen usually given in dots per inch (dpi) or bits. The
higher the resolution, the more the number of pixels per inch, hence the clearer/sharper the images
Refresh rate
Since the CRTs cannot hold an image for a long time, image in the video RAM is used to refresh
the one on the screen as long as necessary. If a screen has a low fresh rate, images tend to flicker
hence causing eyestrain.
Display size
Its measured in inches as the diagonal length of the screen measured from corner to corner mostly
15 or 17 or 19 or 20 or 21 inches
Types of monitors
i. Monochrome Monitor
It displays images and text in only one colour mostly black and white.
ii. Colour Monitor
It displays images and text in multiple colours.
NB
For a monitor to display information it must be connected to a separate piece of circuit board,
plugged into the motherboard called the video card or graphics adapter. However, some
motherboards have on¬board video capability therefore there is no need for a video card.