CIE IGCSE INFO. COMM. TECH.

//0417
Motors
• Turned on or off by the actuator 3. STORAGE DEVICES & MEDIA
• Uses
o Used in many domestic appliances 3.1 Magnetic Backing Storage Media
o Automatic washing machines (to Fixed Hard Disks/Drives
make the drum rotate) • Available on all computers and is the main method used
o Cookers (to switch on fans) for data storage
o Water pumps in central heating systems • Uses a read/write head to write and read data from it
o Automatic greenhouses to open windows and switch • Disk surface coated in magnetic film, storage is done by
on fans altering binary codes to 1s or 0s
o Used to control robot arms in the industry • Uses
o Operate fans, disk drives and DVD drives in computers o Used to store operating systems and working data
Buzzers o Used for storing application software
• Switched on or off by the actuator o Real time systems and online systems used fixed hard
• Uses drives
o Used in cookers and microwave ovens to tell the o Used in file servers for computer networks
operator when the cooking process is complete • Advantages
o Used in burglar alarm systems to warn if intruders are o Very fast data transfer rate and fast access times to
present data
Heaters o Have very large memory capacities
• Actuators are connected to switches which turn the • Disadvantages
heater on or off o Can be easily damaged
• Uses o They lack portability
o Used in automatic washing machines, cookers and Portable & Removable Hard Disks/Drives
central heating systems • Like fixed hard disks but are usually connected via
o Used in automatic greenhouses to control the universal serial bus
temperature • Uses
Lights o Can be used as backup systems to prevent loss of data
• The actuator is connected to the switch that turns the o Can be used to transfer data, files and software
lights on or off between computers
• Uses • Advantages
o Security lights o Data access time and transfer rate is very fast
o Used in greenhouses to control the lighting conditions o Large memory capacities
o Can be used to transfer information between
computers
• Disadvantages
o Can be easily damaged
Magnetic Tapes & Drives
• Thin strip of plastic which is coated in a magnetic layer
• Read and written by read/write head
• Uses
o Application where batch processing is used
o Used as a backup media
• Advantages
o Generally, less expensive and very robust technology
o Data transfer rate is fast

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 CIE IGCSE INFO. COMM. TECH. //0417
• Disadvantages • Advantages
o Access time is very slow o Cheaper than RW disks
o When updating another tape is needed o Once burned (and finalized) they are like ROM
Memory Cards • Disadvantages
• A form of electrically erasable programmable read only o Can only be reordered once
memory (EEPROM) o Not all CD/DVD players and can read CD-R
• Uses CD-RW/DVD-RW
o Used to store photos on digital cameras • ‘RW’ means that these disks are re-writable media can
o Mobile phones use them as memory cards be written over several times
o Used in MP3 players to store music • Unlike CD-R/DVD-R they don’t become ROMs
o Used as a backup in hand held devices • The recording layer uses a special phase-changing metal
• Advantages alloy
o Very compact • The alloy can switch between crystalline and amorphous
o Very robust (non-crystalline) phases, thus changing its reflectivity to
• Disadvantages light, depending on the laser beam power
o Very expensive per Gb of memory when compared to • Spots are produced which can be read by a laser
hard drive disks • System allows data to be written, erased and re-written
o Has a finite life in terms of the number of times they many times
can be read from/written to. • Uses
o CD-RWs and DVD-RWs are used to record radio and
3.2 Optical Backing Storage Media television programs
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM o They are used in closed circuit television (CCTV)
• Read only memory – cannot be overwritten systems
• Data is stored as a series of pits and lands formed by a • Advantages
laser beam etching the surface at manufacturing stage o Can be re used many times
• Uses o Different file formats can be used each time
o Store music files and software. o Less wasteful than R format since files or data can be
o Very large storage capacity and are used to store films. added at a later stage
• Advantages • Disadvantages
o Holds more data than floppy disks o Relatively expensive media
o Less expensive than hard disk drives o Possible to accidentally overwrite
• Disadvantages DVD-RAM
o Data transfer rate and data access time are slower • Recent addition to optical media group
CD-R/DVD-R • Unlike other CD and DVD formats, DVD-RAMs have
• The letter ‘R’ means the disc is recordable only once and several discrete concentric tracks rather than a single
then it becomes ROM spiral track
• Use a thin layer of an organic dye as the recording media • Gives them advantage that writing, and reading can
• DVDs also use an additional silver alloy or gold reflector occur at the same time
• Laser beam produces heated spots and unheated spots • Makes it possible to watch an already recorded
• Uses television program at the same time as a different
o They are used for home recording of music (CD-Rs) program is being recorded
and films (DVD-Rs) • Recording layer is made from similar phase-changing
o They are used to store data for later use material to that used in RW technology
o Used in applications where it is necessary to prevent • Shiny and dull marks represent data to a computer
the deletion or over-writing of important data where they are interpreted
•

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 CIE IGCSE INFO. COMM. TECH. //0417
• Uses • Built with an array of semiconductors that form its
o DVD-RAMs are used in recording devices such as memory and operated using an integrated circuit
satellite receivers to allow simultaneous recording and • Uses
playback o Used to store operating systems and working data
o They are used in camcorders to store films o Used for storing application software
• Advantages o Used in file servers for computer networks
o Have a long life (30 years) • Advantages
o Can be re written on more than the DVD-RWs o Faster than hard disks because they do not need to
(100,000 times) ‘spin up’ the disk
o Very reliable as they have built in verification software o Robust because no mechanical parts
to ensure accuracy of data o Read performance is fast even when data fragmented
o Access is very fast o Less susceptible to data loss
o No need to finalize the disk o Lighter, quieter and require less power than hard disks
o Very large capacities • Disadvantages
o Ability to read and write data at the same time o More expensive than hard disks
• Disadvantage o Have a smaller capacity than modern hard disks
o DVD-RAMS are not as compatible as R or RW, many o Lower number of write cycles causing performance to
systems will not recognize this format diminish over time
o More expensive than DVD-RW Flash Drives
Blu-Ray Discs • Otherwise called pen drive/memory stick/USB stick
• Uses • Can store several GBs of data and use solid state
o Blu-ray disks are used in home video consoles technology
o Used for storing and playing back films • Connected to a computer through USB port and power
o PCs can use this technology for data storage or backing to operate drawn from host computer
up hard drives • Some expensive software increasingly uses these storage
o Camcorders can use this media to store film footage methods as a form of security
• Advantage • Uses
o Very large storage capacity o Used to transport files between computers
o Data transfer rate is very fast o Used as a security device – a dongle – to prevent
o Data access speed is faster than with other optical software piracy
media • Advantage
• Disadvantage o Very compact and portable media
o Disks are relatively expensive o Very robust
o Blu-ray disks still have encryption problems • Disadvantage
o Not possible to write protect the data and files
3.3 Solid State Backing Storage o Small physical size and are easy to lose.
• Solid state systems control the movement of electrons o Lower storage capacity than hard disk
within a microchip: if the transistor conducts a current,
this is equivalent to a 1, otherwise it is a 0 4. NETWORKS & THE EFFECTS OF USING THEM
• Have no moving parts, consume much less power and
are extremely robust 4.1 Routers
• Used primarily as removable storage devices and are • A device that enables data to be sent between different
collectively known as flash memory types of networks
Solid State Drives • Commonly used to connect computers and other
• Supports reading/writing data & maintains stored data in network capable devices to the internet
a permanent state even without power • They can be connected to through cables or wirelessly
• Functions much like a hard drive but different tech
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