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CompTIA A+ Certification Prep 1: Hardware > Lesson 2 Chapter 2 - Ports and Jacks > Flashcards

Lesson 2 Chapter 2 - Ports and Jacks Flashcards

1
Q

How do peripherals connect to the system unit?

A

through ports

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1
Q

What is a system unit?

A

a system unit is the box that houses all the components of a PC, performs the processing and storage, and what the peripherals connect to

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2
Q

What is a plug?

A

a plug is located on one end of a cable with a certain projection type that fits into a port

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3
Q

What is a jack? especially for what?

A

a jack is another term for a port, especially for audio and networking receptacles.

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4
Q

What is a port?

A

a port is a slot or hole that connectors/plugs can be inserted into

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5
Q

What is a connector?

A

a connector can be a jack/port or a plug

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6
Q

What are the most common general-purpose connections for a PC? What 3 sizes do they come in?

A

USB connections

Type A, B, C

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7
Q

What does hot-swappable mean?

A

Hot-swappable means you can insert and remove the device without turning off the PC

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8
Q

What are 2 USB features that make them popular?

A
  1. USBs are hot-swappable (so are other ports, but USB is useful for external storage devices)
  2. smaller USB devices (mice, keyboards) are powered through USB
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9
Q

Describe the USB Type-A connector. Also, how wide is it?

A

22m wide
Rectangle connector
Default for 20 years, being replaced by Type C

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10
Q

Describe what a USB B connector looks like. Which devices is it used for?

A

Somewhat square, rounded edges at the top
Used for printers, scanners (larger devices)
Will never see this port on your computer, it’s always on the devices

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11
Q

Describe what a USB micro-B and mini-B look like. Which is smaller? For which devices?

A

micro-B is smaller than mini-B

micro-B looks like a micro hdmi
mini-B looks like a mini USB type B or a small piece of toast

used for smaller devices such as smartphones and cameras

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12
Q

What’s the difference between USB types and USB standards for data transfer?

A

USB types are the physical connections represented by letters, USB standards describe data transfer speeds with numbers

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13
Q

If a new laptop has only USB C connectors, how can you connect a peripheral that has a USB A connector?

A

Use a USB A to USB C adapter

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14
Q

What does a USB Type C look like? How is it inserted? Rolled out the same time as?

A

rounded edges, oval-like
can be inserted upside down or not, both sides are the same
rolled out concurrently with 3.1 data transfer standard

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15
Q

What are the 5 USB standards?

A
  1. USB 1.1
  2. USB 2.0
  3. USB 3.0
  4. USB 3.1
  5. USB 3.2
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16
Q

What are the common names for the 5 USB standards?

A
  1. FULL SPEED
  2. HIGH SPEED
  3. SUPER SPEED (SS) USB 3.2 Gen 1
  4. SUPER SPEED+ USB 3.2 Gen 2
  5. SUPER SPEED (20 Gbps) USB 3.2 Gen 2+2
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17
Q

What are the speeds for each of the 5 USB standards?

A
  1. 1.1 = 12 Mbps
  2. 2.0 = 480 Mbps
  3. 3.0 = 5 Gbps
  4. 3.1 = 10 Gbps
  5. 3.2 = 20 Gbps
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18
Q

Technically, the USB 3.X standards are called the same as ____?

A

3.2 (Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 3 2x2)

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19
Q

Will an older mouse that uses USB 1.1 work on a USB 2.0 or 3.X port? Why?

A

Yes, all USB ports are backward compatible. The higher transfer speed USB port will throttle its speed to accommodate the slower device connected to it.

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20
Q

What colors are the 3 different USB ports?

A

1.1, 2.0 = Black
3.0, 3.1 = Blue
3.1 = Teal
Sleep and Charge = red or yellow

21
Q

What is a sleep and charge port?

A

A sleep and charge port will continue to charge the device even when the PC is turned off

22
Q

What’s the relationship between USB port types and USB speeds?

A
  1. USB 1.1 AND 2.0 = USE USB TYPE A AND B ONLY
  2. USB 3.0 = USES TYPE A ONLY
  3. USB 3.1, 3.2 = USES TYPE C ONLY
23
Q

How do you know what type of speed a port is on a laptop or systems with no color ports?

A

The type of port/speed will usually be written near the port itself.

Can have SS for SuperSpeed for example

24
Q

When was USB first introduced?

A

1996

25
Q

When was Thunderbolt introduced?

A

2011

26
Q

Describe the first 2 versions of Thunderbolt and its primary use

A

Thunderbolt 1 and 2 were primarily used with Apple computers to connect to a display. They also used proprietary connectors.

27
Q

What systems is TB3 used on? What type of connector does it use?

A

Thunderbolt 3 is used on MacOS and Windows
TB3 uses a USB Type C connector

28
Q

Can TB3 ports be used to connect USB 3.X devices?

A

Yes, USB 3.x devices and Thunderbolt 3 ports are compatible

TB3 is physically the same as a USB Type C

29
Q

Do Thunderbolt 3 ports have backward compatibility?

A

Yes, TB3 supports older Thunderbolt devices with an adapter

30
Q

What other device does a TB3 port support?

A

Thunderbolt 3 ports support DisplayPort 1.2 devices

31
Q

Will USB Type C devices always work with a Thunderbolt port?

A

Yes

32
Q

Will Thunderbolt devices always work with a USB Type C port?

A

No, Thunderbolt devices may or may not work with USB Type C ports. 1 or 2 ports might work, the rest are standard 3.x ports.

Keep this in mind when troubleshooting.

33
Q

What are 3 alternative terms for DB Connectors?

A

D-shell, D-sub, and D-subminiature

34
Q

What do DB (D-shell) connectors look like? (3)

A

They are in the shape of a “D”
Can be a blue connector and port
Male DB plugs have a group of pins that connect to DB ports

35
Q

How often are DB-type connectors found on modern systems today?

A

DB-types are the oldest connectors, and modern systems may only have 1 or 2 DB connectors usually for video

36
Q

What is a shell size when referring to D-sub connectors?

A

The D-sub connector size

37
Q

What is a 2 row, 9 pin D-shell connector called? What stands for the 9?

A

DE-9

E=9

38
Q

Name the 2 DB connectors you need to know for the A+ exams. How many rows and how many pins?

A
  1. VGA (3 rows of 5 pins)
  2. Serial (1 row of 5 pins, 1 row of 4 pins)
39
Q

What does UPS stand for?

A

Uninterruptible Power Supply

40
Q

Where would you find the now obsolete Serial connector being used? (2)

A
  1. Cash registers
  2. UPSes
41
Q

What is another name for a serial DB connector?

A

RS232

42
Q

When connecting an RJ connector to something, what terms do techs use?

A

When connecting an RJ connector, they call it a jack (the port)

“connect your telephone cord to the jack”

43
Q

What are the 2 types of RJ connectors that modern computers use?

A
  1. RJ-11
  2. RJ-45
44
Q

What type of RJ connector is a phone jack? What else was it used for in the past?

A

A phone jack is a RJ-11 connector

Before it was used exclusively for dial-up modems

45
Q

Describe what an RJ-45 connector looks like. What is it used for?

A

An RJ-45 connector has a clear square plug, with different colored wires visible underneath. It’s wider than the RJ-11.

It’s used for network connections (like Ethernet)

46
Q

What is the most common type of sound connector in popular use?

A

The most common sound connector is the 1/8 inch connector or mini-audio connector

47
Q

What are the 6 different audio jack color indicators?

A
  1. blue
  2. green
  3. pink or red
  4. orange or yellow
  5. black
  6. grey
48
Q

What are the 6 audio jack types?

A
  1. blue = analog line in
  2. green = analog line out, headphones or front speakers
  3. pink or red = microphone in
  4. orange or yellow = digital audio out, subwoofers out (surround sound)
  5. black = rear speakers out, surround sound
  6. grey = middle speakers out, surround sound
49
Q

What does eSATA stand for?

A

External Serial ATA

50
Q

What does an eSATA port look like? How common are they?

A

It is a rectangle-ish base shape with many angles (looks like shrek’s face)

PCs will have one or two eSATA ports

51
Q

What devices use eSATA connectors?

A

External hard drives or optical drives with eSATA connectors, however usually those devices have USB 3.x (Type A or Type C)

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE = EXTERNAL SERIAL ATA

CompTIA A+ Certification Prep 1: Hardware (49 decks)

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