ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT

PREPARATION & MANAGEMENT

(EDPM)

Fundamentals of Computer Hardware

Teacher: Miss Douglas

 Topic: Peripheral Devices
What is a computer?
2

A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control

of instructions stored in it’s memory. A computer can:
accept data (input)

manipulate data (processing)

produce results (output)

store the data and results for future use (storage)

Types of Computers
 Supercomputer
 Mainframe

 Minicomputer

 Microcomputer
 Types of Computers
4

Microcomputer
s Laptop

Supercomputer Desktop
Smart Phone
Minicomputer

Mainframe Tablet

PDA
 Supercomputer
 A supercomputer is the fastest,
largest, most powerful and most
expensive type of computer.
 The fastest supercomputers are
capable of processing more
than one quadrillion
instructions in a single second.
 A supercomputer can connect
thousands of users
simultaneously (at the same
time).
 Mainframe

 A mainframe is a large,
expensive, powerful
computer that can handle
hundreds or thousands of
connected users
simultaneously.
 Minicomputer

 Minicomputer is smaller, less

expensive, and less powerful
than
a mainframe or supercomputer,
but more expensive and more
powerful than a personal
computer
Microcomputer (Personal Computer (PC))

 A microcomputer is a
small computer that
contains a microprocessor
(CPU) and designed to be
used by one user at a time.

 Types of Microcomputers
 Desktop
 Laptop
 Notebook
 Tablet
 Class Activity
Label the following types of computers

Desktop Laptop

Supercomputer 

Tablet Mainframe Minicomputer

What is hardware?

 Hardware is all the parts of the computer system

that you can see and touch.

 These devices are also called peripheral devices.

Video Activity 1: Components of the Computer
System
 Groups of Peripheral Devices
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Data, instructions and information

data information

Data, instructions and information

 Components of the Computer System
13
 Topic:

Input Devices
INPUT DEVICES

15
 INPUT DEVICES

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Activity - Uses of Input Devices
Research and make short notes on the uses of the following input
devices.
 Graphics Tablet (Digitizer) - it’s a device used to draw
handwritten images, animations and graphics with a special
pen.
 Light Pen- this device allows the user to point at displayed

objects or even draw on a screen.

 Scanner- this device is used to scan documents and turn them in

to digital data 
 Trackball- this is used to move the cursor on a computer screen 

 Joystick- this device is used to control an image on a computer

screen or play station console screen.

 Biometric Devices
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 Biometric devices capture data and information from

different parts of the human body, converts it into
digital code and compare it to digital code stored in
the computer to uniquely identify the individual.
 The data collected is unique to the individual.
 Parts of the body that are commonly used because of
their unique nature are: eyes, fingers, hands and
voice.
 Biometric Devices
19

Biometric devices include:

 Fingerprint reader
 Face recognition system
 Voice verification system
 Signature verification system
 Iris recognition system
 Retinal scanner
 Direct Data Entry Devices
21

 Types Direct Data Entry Devices:

1. Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
2. Optical Character Reader (OCR)
3. Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR)
4. Barcode Reader
5. Smart Cards
6. Sensors
 The devices are referred to as “Readers” and the
methods/process as “Recognition”
 Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
22

 OMR devices capture marks, symbols, letters,

words and numbers from documents such as
multiple choice sheets, surveys, lottery tickets into
the computer.
 Optical Character Reader (OCR)
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 OCR reads hand written, computer printed, type

written characters from documents and transmit
them into the computer into a form that the
computer can process.
 Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR)
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 MICR reads characters

found on cheques that are
printed with a special
magnetized ink.
 Barcode Reader
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 A bar code reader captures information from

barcodes into the computer.
 Bar codes can be found on almost all products.
 Barcode Reader
26

 Bar code readers are mainly used at the Point of

Sale (POS)
 Smart Card
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 Smart cards are used at the Point of Sale (POS) or

ATM by customers to make purchases, deposits
and withdrawals.
Output Devices
 Topic:

Storage
What is storage?
 Storage is the process of keeping data, information
and programs for future use.

 There are many storage devices in two main

categories (primary and secondary storage devices)
that keep data, information and programs for future
use.
Primary vs Secondary Storage

 Primary storage refers to electronic chips that store information.

 Secondary storage refers to physical storage devices that store

information permanently.

 Examples of secondary storage devices are USB flash drive,

CD, DVD, floppy diskette, hard drive, flash memory.

 (Secondary storage devices will be discussed in the next lesson)

Primary Storage
 Examples of primary storage are RAM (Random
Access Memory) and ROM (Read only Memory)
 Primary storage is also referred to as main memory
or immediate access storage
 When a computer is turned on the operating system
and other instructions are loaded from the hard
drive into RAM/main memory where they remain
until the computer is turned off.
Primary Storage
 RAM chips are inserted in expansion slots on the
motherboard
 RAM is temporary or volatile
 Volatile memory loses its contents when the
computer is turned off.
Read Only Memory (ROM)
 ROM is a memory chip that contains information
and basic input/output instructions that have been
programmed into the chip my the manufacturer.

 ROM is permanent. It can be read from but not

written to.

 Therefore, ROM is non-volatile.

Types of ROM
 Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM)
 PROM is a blank ROM chip that can be written to once.
 Once instructions are written to the chip it becomes
permanent.

 Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory

(EPROM)
 EPROM chips can be erased and written to multiple times.
 Ultraviolet (UV) light is used to erase instructions and
information from the chip.
What is a bistable device?
 The term bistable means two different states.

 Bistable devices such as transistors can be in one of

two states: ON or OFF.

 The ON state is used to represent one (1) and OFF

represents zero (0).

 The zeroes and ones make up the Binary System.

Storage Units: Bits and Bytes
 Each zero (0) or one (1) in the binary system is
called a bit
 Bit is derived from the term binary digit
 A bit is the smallest amount data a computer can
process.
 A combination of eight bits is called a byte

8 bits = 1 byte
Storage Units

Storage Term Approximate Number

of Bytes
Kilobyte (KB) 1 thousand

Megabyte (MB) 1 million

Gigabyte (GB) 1 billion

Terabyte (TB) 1 trillion

Storage Devices

CD-ROM
Floppy disk

Zip disk

Flash
memory Flash drive
Hard drive
 Types of Secondary Storage Devices

Storage Device Access Speed (Approximate) Capacity (Approximate)

Method
Magnetic Tape Sequential Over 1 TB

Floppy disk Direct Up to 500 KBps 1.44 MB

Zip disk Direct Up to 7.5 MBps Up to 750 MB
Hard disk Direct 200 Mbps Over 3 TB
Optical discs Direct
- CD - 150 KBps - Up to 800 MB
- DVD - 4.5 MBps (blu-ray) - Up to 50 GB (dual-layer Blu-ray
DVDs)
Flash drive Direct 240 MBps read and 160 Up to 1 TB
MBps write
Flash memory Direct 100 MBps Over 128 GB
(memory
card/stick)

NB. With emerging technologies upgrades to current technologies, storage capacities, speeds and portability change on a regular basis.
Characteristics of Secondary Storage Devices

 Access method: How data flows between the CPU and

the storage device. Data can flow from the CPU to the
storage device (storage access) or from the storage
device to the CPU (read access).

 Types of Access Methods:

 Direct Access – Any part of the data stored on the device can
be accessed without reading any other data stored before it.
 Sequential Access: Data is accessed by reading all data
stored before the desired data.
Characteristics of Secondary Storage Devices

 Speed: The rate at which data can be accessed from

and stored to the storage device.

 Capacity: The amount of data that can be stored on

the storage device.

 Portability: The ease at which the storage device

can be transported.
Activity 2:
Name the following devices and Classify them as input, output of
storage devices
Activity 3 (Individual):
Label the arrows and list examples of input, output and processing devices.
44

_____________ _____________

____________________ Examples:
Examples:
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
Examples:
1.
2.
3.
Home Work

Research 6 input devices, 5 output devices, 5

storage devices stating their uses/practical
applications
 Topic:
The Processor
(CPU)
 Lesson Objectives
47

1. Define the term processor.

2. Differentiate between the two main parts of the
processor.
3. Explain the functions of the main parts of the
CPU.
Parts of the Computer System

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Input Devices data information Output
Control Unit Arithmetic Logic Devices
(CU) Unit (ALU)

data, and information

Storage Devices
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or The Processor
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 The CPU is a hardware device that takes raw data

and turns it into information.
 The CPU controls all the other parts of the
computer.
 Two Main Parts of the CPU
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1. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) – performs arithmetic,

logical and comparison functions in the CPU.

 Arithmetic operations: +, - , *, /
 Comparison operations: >, <, =, !=
 Logical operations: AND, OR, NOT

2. Control Unit (CU) – The CU is responsible for

sending all input to the relevant parts of the computer
to be processed.
Other Parts of the CPU
 Register
The register is a small high speed storage location in the
processor that temporarily hold data and instructions.

 Cache
Cache is a high speed area of memory that stores frequently
requested instructions and data. Cache helps to speed up
computer processing.

 Bus
A set of wires that transfer data between components inside a
computer.
Activity 4 (Individual)

Exam Type Multiple Choice

Questions