Lesson 3 Chapter 2 - Laptop Hardware Flashcards
What format does a laptop keyboard use?
QWERTY (manufacturers choose key size and placement of non-alphabet characters)
What does the Function (Fn) key do on a keyboard?
it allows you to perform a special action/extra duty by pressing certain keys
What are the 3 most common pointing devices used on laptops?
- Trackpad/Touchpad
- Drawing Pad
- Touch Screen
What’s a multitouch trackpad? What does it allow you to do?
A multitouch trackpad allows you to use gestures to perform an action with multiple fingers
What 2 things can you do if your palm is accidentally moving things around on the trackpad while you’re trying to type?
- Disable trackpad (some do this with Fn key)
- Adjust the sensitivity of the trackpad in Windows
What’s the difference between trackpads in the past and more recent ones?
Recent touchpads are more capable of distinguishing between accidental “palm” inputs when typing
Can you adjust the sensitivity of a touchpad in Windows?
Yes
What is a Drawing Pad? What does it use?
A drawing pad’s main purpose is to enable you to draw using a pencil-like stylus called a touch pen
Can a drawing pad be used as a pointing device to select?
Yes but that’s not its main purpose
What is a touch screen also called?
Digitizer
What are ‘gestures’ on a multitouch trackpad? What are 2 examples?
Gestures allow you to perform a swift action with multiple fingers
Scrolling up and down
Swiping to go to the next screen
What do touch screens rely on to perform complex actions?
gestures
What’s a way to improve audio quality from your end?
have additional mics so that the noise-cancelling routines improve the audio quality
What’s a safety concern with webcams and microphones?
If malware got onto your computer, it can see what you read and click but also what your area looks like, what you’re saying
What can you do if you have safety concerns regarding your webcam? (2)
- Disable it in the OS
- Put tape over it
Since laptop and desktop LCD screens are the same, what 3 things do they share?
- TFT screen
- Inverter (if using CCFL backlight)
- Backlight (CCFL or LED)
Describe what is aspect ratio when it comes to screens?
Aspect Ratio compares the size of the screen from width to height (W:H)
What aspect ratio will almost all current laptop screens be?
16:9, 16:10
What are the 4 laptop display type factors?
- Screen Size
- Maximum Resolution
- Response Time
- Display Technologies
What factors does the maximum resolution for a display depend on? (3)
- Screen size
- quality
- price
What maximum resolutions do some high-end laptops have?
3840 x 1260
What does UHD stand for?
4k Ultra High Definition
When you have a high-resolution display, what does everything on the screen look like?
Everything looks smaller
To see things more clearly on a high-resolution display, what can you do?
You can increase the size of the icons and text
What happens if you decrease the overall resolution in use?
Everything gets a bit bigger but it can get blurry
What’s the range size for typical Laptop screens? A few offer ___?
10.1”-17.3”, some offer 20”
What does the response time on a display mean?
Response time means how long the delay is between the OS telling a pixel to change its color and the color actually changing
A response time of ___ ms is pretty good
5ms
What goes in hand with the response time for a display?
Refresh Rate
What does refresh rate mean? What’s the measurement of time?
Refresh rate means how many times per second the display is refreshed (ie new information sent to the pixel)
it’s measured in seconds and Hz
What’s the standard refresh rate for most LCDs? What about high-end models?
The standard refresh rate for most LCDs is 60 Hz
High-end models are 120 Hz
What are the 4 types of laptop display technologies? What are their full names?
- Twisted Nematic (TN)
- In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED)
What display type do most laptop screens use?
Most laptops use TN twisted nematic technology
What display types would you find on higher-grade laptops? (2)
- IPS
- OLED
What’s the difference between IPS and OLED displays? (OLED, 3)
OLED -
1. There can be burn-in
2. lose some color fidelity over time as the blue diode tends to fade faster than the red or green ones
3. Uses less energy
Describe the characteristics of a vertical alignment display compared to IPS and TN technology
Vertical alignment is a compromise between IPS and TN, offers advantages of both
What is burn-in?
Burn-in is when pixels display the same color for so long that the display creates a faint shadow of the colors/shapes that were there when it does change
How do you check a monitor for burn-in?
Display a completely white background
How are screen sizes measured?
diagonally
What are some display port options laptops support? (3)
- HDMI (mini and micro)
- DisplayPort (USB Type C and Thunderbolt 3)
- DVI
What is the shortcut laptops use to cycle through display options?
Fn key + another key
On Windows 10, how do you change how the external monitor displays? What are the 2 options at the end?
Right click desktop > display settings > scroll down to Multiple Displays > Choose Extend or Duplicate display
How do you get to the external monitor display settings on Windows 11?
Right click desktop > display settings > click button under the previews > extend or duplicate
How do you troubleshoot your extra monitor not being in the correct order in relation to where it is to the main one?
Select the identify button in the display settings window to correctly identify and re-arrange the monitors
What audio ports does a laptop typically have? (2)
- 3.5mm jack audio-out
- sometimes microphone in
What are 3 network connections that today’s laptops come with?
- 802.11 WiFi
- Bluetooth
- Wired Ethernet
What are 2 Wi-Fi standards that are common on older laptops?
- 802.11n
- 802.11ac
for older laptops
What Wi-Fi standard is common on newer laptops?
802.11ax for newer laptops
What are 2 ways that Wi-Fi is made available on a laptop?
- Built-into the chipset directly
- Installed as a mini PCIe card to connect device to a WAP -> Internet
What are 2 ways you can turn off your laptop’s antenna?
- Hardware button
- Fn + another key
Wired Ethernet connections on laptops connect via____ (the cable)
UTP (unshielded twisted pair)
How can you turn off Ethernet connections on a laptop since you can’t turn it off with a switch or Fn key? (2 ways)
Either turn off the NIC in the device manager or turn off the NIC in the BIOS/UEFI
What are 2 issues with Ethernet ports on laptops?
- You can’t turn off the Ethernet connections like you can wireless
- The port isn’t as sturdy, breaks easily
What do flash memory card slots allow you to add to a laptop? What does it enable?
Flash memory card slots allow you to add more storage and enable fast data transfer from card to laptop
There are many types of flash memory cards, what are 2 of them?
- Secure Digital (SD)
- Compact Flash (CF)
Each flash memory card requires its own type of ___ ___ unless…. ?
Each flash memory card requires its own type of card slot unless the card slot can accept different sizes of flash memory cards which is becoming more common
What are the two connection types that are the standard method for attaching external peripherals to laptops and other laptops?
USB and Thunderbolt 3
What’s a common reason to use a Thunderbolt 3 connector? What are 2 examples of devices that would use this?
When you need to transfer a lot of data quickly, such as port replicators or multiple external monitors
What are two ways to avoid wearing out the connectors on your laptop?
- Docking Station
- Port Replicator
What’s a docking station? What can it include?
A docking station includes ports that a laptop might not have such as extra USB ports, display connectors, flash memory card slots, legacy ports, etc
How do you connect a docking station to a laptop? Can any docking station work with any brand of laptop?
You connect a docking station using a proprietary connector to a laptop, and only works with certain brands/models
Docking stations may also have their own __________ which allow you to install….?
Docking stations may also have their own motherboards, which allow you to install a full-size PCIe card like it was a desktop PC
What is a port replicator sometimes referred to?
universal dock
Are port replicators able to be used with any brand of laptop?
Yes
How do port replicators connect to a laptop?
They connect to a laptop generally using a USB 3.x or Thunderbolt 3 connector
