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A+ Certification 901 > Hardware Part 2 > Flashcards

Hardware Part 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is the basic function of a power supply?

A

Converts AC to DC

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2
Q

What are the ATX standard voltages?

A
  • 3.3V
  • 5V
  • 12V
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3
Q

What are the PSU connector types and their voltages?

A
  • SATA (3.3V,5V,12V)
  • Molex (5V,12V)
  • 4/8-pin (12V)
  • PCIe 6/8-pin (12V)
  • 20-pin (12V)
  • 24-pin (3.3V,5V,12V)
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4
Q

Why should you never open a power supply?

A

YOU COULD DIE!

They have capacitors in them that store enough electricity to kill you, even when unplugged.

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5
Q

What is the difference between Single-Rail and Multi-Rail?

A

Both refer to the path used to transfer power from the PSU (power supply unit) to each part of the computer.

Single-Rail feeds all power connectors with one internal bus (one line)

Multi-Rail has a separate line for each component.

Both provide the same performance and energy efficiency. The only advantage of multi-rail is that it provides more stability to the system.

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6
Q

How much power do you need from your power supply?

A

The general rule of thumb is 1.6 times the expected wattage (which can be calculated using online calculators)

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7
Q

What’s the difference between OEM and White Box?

A

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. It’s a branded computer like an Apple or a Dell.

White Box was either home made or was put together by a small, system integrator.

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8
Q

What does CAD stand for? What does CAM stand for?What is emphasized in this type of computer? Potential problems?

A

Computer Aided Design & Computer Aided Manufacturing(Drafters, graphic designers, architects, engineers)

Emphasize: Multicore CPU, High-end video, Maximum RAM.

Operating System: OS X or Windows

Form Factor: Full tower.

Potential Problems: Hardware compatibility and Software glitches.

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9
Q

What does DAW stand for? What is emphasized in this type of computer? Potential problems?

A

Digital Audio Workstation

Emphasize: Specialized audio and video, Large/fast hard drives, Multiple monitors.

Operating System: OS X or Windows

Form Factor: Full tower.

Potential Problems: Driver compatibility (because of the specialized hardware) and Noise

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10
Q

What is a virtualization host? What is emphasized in this type of computer? Potential problems?

A

This is when a few physical computers are used to host several virtual computers (used by: Systems Engineers and IT professionals)

Emphasize: Maximum RAM and CPU cores.

Operating System: Linux or Windows along with a Hypervisor to create the virtual machines

Form Factor: Rack mounted chassis (tower), 1 or 2 units high

Potential Problems: Scaling up, Redundancy, Hardware compatibility with hypervisor, Licensing (each virtual machine needs a license)

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11
Q

What is a gaming PC? What is emphasized in this type of computer? Potential problems?

A

It is a PC for gaming (used by gamers)

Emphasize: Multicore CPU, High-end video, High-definition sound, High-end cooling.

Operating System: Windows

Form Factor: From full tower to portable

Potential Problems: Power, heat, noise, changes in technology

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12
Q

What does HTPC stand for? What is emphasized in this type of computer? Potential problems?

A

Home Theatre Personal Computer (for home media enthusiasts)

Emphasize: Surround sound audio, HDMI output, TV tuner

Operating System: Linux (because it is a light operating system and doesn’t get in the way)

Form Factor: HTPC compact small form factor (SFF)

Potential Problems: Power, heat, noise

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13
Q

What is a thick client?

A

A computer that has its own operating system and applications

Emphasize: Desktop LOB applications
Operating System: Windows; OS X
Form Factor: Desktop, mini-tower
Potential Gotchas: management complexity
Advantages: The user has everything they need to do their work, even offline.
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14
Q

What is a thin client?

A

A computer that has as little of the OS and applications as possible

Emphasize: Basic connectivity application
Operating System: Linux, Windows
Form Factor: SSF
Potential Gotchas: Network failure
Advantages: Low cost
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15
Q

What is a zero client?

A

A thin client has no OS and no applications. It boots directly to a server in the network.

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16
Q

What does LCD stand for?

A

Liquid Crystal Display

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17
Q

What’s the difference between florescent and LED backlighting?

A

Both are types of backlighting for an LCD screen.

Florescent backlights the whole screen constantly, which causes the color black to not show up very well.

On the other hand, LED can selectively turn on and off each light, which gives it much better control over the colors and results in black showing up better.

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18
Q

What is the difference between TN, IPS, and OLED displays?

A

All are types of LCD displays:

TN is the oldest type of LCD display. It has faster response time, but bad color reproduction and most notably, a narrow viewing angle.

IPS has a slower response time, better color reproduction, and a wide viewing angle.

OLED is the newest type and can be used in flexible monitors.

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19
Q

What is a plasma screen?

A

Ionized gas that illuminates when an electrical current hits it.

Deep blacks, strong color saturation, and good viewing angles.

Downsides: subject to radio interference, higher energy costs and “burn in” (if a static image is left too long, it will burn onto the screen). Also, plasma makes a poor desktop monitor because it can’t match the pixel depth of LCD screens.

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20
Q

What is an OSD?

A

On Screen Display

Like the menu for a projector screen

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21
Q

What should you remember when turning off a projector?

A

Don’t cut the power off suddenly. Put it in stand by mode or something similar to let it cool down for a while before shutting down.

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22
Q

What is an aspect ratio?

A

The relationship between the width and height of the monitor (Width divided by height)

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23
Q

What are the common aspect ratios?

A
  1. 4:3 (1024 x 768) (Standard)
  2. 16:10 (“Golden Ratio” supplanted by 16:9)
  3. 16:9 (HD 1920 x 1080)
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24
Q

What is the difference between RR (Refresh Rate) and FR (Frame Rate)?

A

RR: How many times per second the screen is repainted.

FR: Rate at which monitor displays consecutive screen images.

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25
Q

What’s the difference between analog and digital?

A

Analog is a wave with intermediate values throughout the wave, while digital just has the peaks and troughs of a wave recorded as 0’s and 1’s

Analog: 8mm reel, VHS (subject to deterioration)
Digital: MiniDV, DVD (seamlessly integrates with PC’s)

26
Q

What are privacy/antiglare filters?

A

They are a clear sheet you can put on your screen to reduce glare. They also provide privacy by making the screen look black from a wider viewing angle (stop shoulder surfers)

(You can also just get glasses with antiglare if you switch computers throughout the day)

27
Q

What is the difference between composite video and component video?

A

Composite has the three familiar RCA connectors (Red, yellow, and white TV connectors)

Component has five connectors.

Both are analog. Component can do high definition, while composite can’t.

28
Q

What is DVI?

A

Like VGA, it is a video connector that screws into the socket (for monitors). DVI is digital, whereas VGA is analog. (must be able to identify connectors by sight)

DVI-I can carry digital and audio. DVI-D can only carry digital. Below are the various DVI form factors

  • DVI-I (single link): single link can go up to 1080p
  • DVI-I (dual link) dual link can go beyond 1080p
  • DVI-D (single link)
  • DVI-D (dual link)
29
Q

What does HDMI stand for?

A

High Definition Multi-media Interface

30
Q

Can you identify a coaxial cable?

Can you tell the difference between a USB connector and a DisplayPort connector?

A

Look for a picture of one.

DisplayPort connectors have a rounded edge, whereas USB does not.

31
Q

What does SCSI stand for?

A

Small Computer Systems Interface (pronounced Scuzzy)

32
Q

What does SAS stand for?

A

Serial Attached SCSI (pronounced sass)

33
Q

SCSI vs SAS vs SATA

A

All are mechanical hard drives. SATA is used on PC’s, SCSI and SAS are used more in business.

SCSI & SAS have their own interfaces, cables, and connectors. They are much higher performing than SATA and more reliable.

34
Q

What’s the most important thing to remember when using an adapter?

A

Check to see which way the adaptation is going. Are we going from USB to DVI or DVI to USB?

35
Q

What is a QR code?

A

Quick Response code.

It’s like a bar code, but it is the type that are often read by smart phones

36
Q

What does MIDI stand for?

A

Music Instrument Digital Interface

37
Q

What is MIDI?

A

MIDI basically digitizes music as data and allows for editing and manipulation of that data. Because the sounds are digitized and not simply recorded, you can do things like speed up the song without getting the chipmunk effect.

You can use a MIDI controller (peripheral device) or a MIDI expansion card in your computer.

38
Q

What is a KVM Switch?

A

Keyboard, Video, Mouse switch

Is mostly used in server rooms to allow you to access any of a number of servers with just one mouse and one keyboard. These switches are becoming obsolete now due to cloud computing.

39
Q

What kinds of set-top boxes are there?

A
  • TV Tuner (cable box/satellite box)
  • DVR (Digital Video Recorder)
  • Hybrid Box (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast
40
Q

What does SOHO stand for?

A

Small Office/Home Office

41
Q

What is an SMB?

A

Small to Medium Business

42
Q

What is an Ad-Hoc network?

A

A wireless peer to peer network that has no pre-existing infrastructure. No routers or access points.

43
Q

What is an integrated print server?

A

?????

44
Q

What is an Integrated Spooling Device?

A

?????

45
Q

What is IPP

A

Internet Printing Protocol

It’s an industry standard. It “designs the specifications for advertising printers over HTTP”

46
Q

What is Google cloud print?

A

It provides browser based access to your printer

47
Q

What are some methods of remote printing?

A
  • IPP
  • Apple AirPrint (LAN)
  • Google Cloud Print
  • VPN
48
Q

What are some things to remember for printer security?

A
  • Change all defaults! This makes your printers harder to hack.
  • Limit or eliminate internet exposure (use private IPs etc.)
  • Require use authentication by users
  • Configure printer to regularly purge the spool cache (this prevents someone from stealing the hard drive and getting the information on it)
49
Q

What is an impact printer?

A

These printers actually type out the print job like a type writer, which is where the “impact” part comes from. (Think Dot-Matrix)

These printers use a “tractor feed” to feed perforated paper through the printer as it prints.

Advantages: low running cost (some don’t even use ink!), rarely jams (very reliable), lasts a long time, can be used for carbon copies.

Disadvantages: Very low quality printing.

50
Q

What is a thermal printer?

A

They are technically dot-matrix printers, but they are the next generation of printers. (They are receipt printers)

Some use special thermal paper that darkens when the heating element gets close. This type uses heat only and no impact, but the paper is more expensive.

Advantages:

  • Uses rolled paper, instead of tractor fed.
  • Much quieter than impact printers.
  • Uses a combination of heat and impact to print.
  • Serial (and sometimes USB) ports
51
Q

What is an Inkjet printer?

A

Typically used as a consumer printer.

Advantages:

  • Nice resolution and good color representation
  • USB connection (many also have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth)

Disadvantages: Ink cartridges are proprietary and expensive.

52
Q

What are the primary components of an Inkjet printer?

A
  • Feeder: This is the paper trey
  • Duplexing Assembly: Just above the feeder, this is the part that enables the printer to do duplex printing.
  • Print Head: The print head is generally connected to the ink bottles.
  • Roller: The roller is above or behind the duplexing assembly. It rolls the piece of paper through the printer.
  • Carriage/Belt: Belts turn the rollers. (belts and the carriage system are the same thing)
    Ink Cartridge:

(Remember to calibrate your printer. Most printers have software that will allow you to calibrate them. For the few that don’t, you have to do it manually).

53
Q

What does PPM stand for?

A

Pages Per Minute

54
Q

What is a laser printer?

A

Laser printers are potentially hazardous in that they use lasers, high voltage, and the toner (dry ink) is biologically hazardous.

Laser printing is memory intensive and often requires a hard drive in the printer.

55
Q

What are the components of a laser printer?

A
  • Separation Pad: Pulls paper from the paper tray and ensures that the printer will only pull one sheet at a time.
  • Pickup Rollers: They pull the paper through each step of the printing process.
  • Duplexing Extension: Flips the paper for duplex printing.
  • Imaging Drum: Located inside the toner cartridge. (Also called photosensitive drum)
  • Toner Hopper: Located inside the toner cartridge.
  • Transfer Belts: Aid in transferring toner from the toner cartridge to the (image) drum assembly, which transfers it to the paper.
  • Fuser Assembly: After the toner has been transferred to the paper, they go through the fuser assembly where the toner is permanently fused to the paper.
    Laser Unit: Writes the image to the image drum.
    Rotating/Shifting Mirror: Reflect the laser onto the image drum from left to right like a type writer.
    Primary Corona Wire: Gives the drum a strong negative charge.
    Transfer Corona Wire:
56
Q

What are the steps of the laser printing process?

A
  1. Cleaning: A blade inside the toner cartridge passes over the surface of the photosensitive drum to remove excess toner and neutralize the charge.
  2. Processing (conditioning, charging): The photosensitive drum is hit with a strong negative charge by the primary corona wire. This charge is evenly distributed across the drum. Now it can be written on with a positive charge.
  3. Exposing (writing): Laser works with the mirror to draw the image on the drum. The positive charge is used to draw the image.
  4. Developing: The drum continuously spins. After the image is drawn on the drum, the toner is attracted to the positive charge.
  5. Transferring: The paper passes very close to the photosensitive drum as it also passes the transfer corona wire. The corona wire gives the paper a big positive charge on its backside. Since the drum is still negatively charged, the toner is now drawn to the paper.
  6. Fusing: The paper passes through heated rollers that permanently fuse the toner to the paper.
57
Q

What is a virtual printer?

A

Virtual printers are used for print to document situations. A common example would be clicking print and then saving the document as a PDF.

58
Q

How should you clean a laser printer?

A
  • Use isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth.
  • Brush out dust from crevices (you may want to invest in an electronics vacuum).
  • Use a Q-tip to clean the rollers and coronal wires.
59
Q

A few things to remember about printer maintenance.

A
  • Every laser printer comes with a maintenance kit. This kit has replacement parts for almost every part of the printer. (Make sure the maintenance kit matches the printer).
  • Be sure to calibrate the printer, especially after replacing parts. You may have to hire a printer tech or get support from the vender, but sometimes you can do it yourself.
60
Q

Inkjet Printer Maintenance

A

The spray nozzles are what most commonly goes wrong. A printer’s software should allow you to run a cleaning cycle.

61
Q

Thermal Printer Maintenance

A
  • Replace paper roll
  • Clean heating element with isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip
  • Remove debris (use canned air)
62
Q

Impact Printer Maintenance

A
  • Replace ink ribbon
  • Replace print head
  • Replace tractor feed paper

A+ Certification 901 (9 decks)

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