HARDWARE

FUNDAMENTALS:
DEVICE
CONNECTIONS AND
INTERFACES
A personal computer is made up of many different components.
All of these components need to be able to communicate with
each other in order for the computer to function properly. As
personal computers have evolved over the years, a number of
connection technologies have been implemented to provide
communication among computer components. As a computer
technician, identifying the different methods that are used to
connect devices to a computer will enable you to install, upgrade,
and replace personal computer components quickly and
effectively.
 PORTS

A port is a hardware interface

that you can use to connect
devices to a computer. The
port transfers electronic
signals between the device and
the system unit.
The port is either an electrically
wired socket or plug, or it can be
a wireless transmission device.
Ports can vary by shape, by color
according to the color coding
standards, by the number and
layout of the pins or connectors
contained within the port, by the
signals the port carries, and by the
port's location.
Ports exist for both internal and
external devices. External ports
often have a graphical
representation of the type of
device that should be connected
to it, such as a small picture of a
monitor adjacent to the video
port.
 PORT GENDER
Most ports and the cables that
connect to them have genders.
Male
For example, most computer
ports are jacks, into which you connector
plug in the matching cable. The
computer's jacks are most often
the female connectors and the
cable's plug is most often the
male connector.
Female
connector
You can always look directly at
the innermost electrical
connections on the connectors
to determine the gender. The
one with the protruding pins is
the male and the one with the
holes to accept the pins is the
female.
 PORT SHAPES
Ports can have different
physical shapes such as round,
rectangular, square, and oblong.
There is some standardization of
physical properties and
functions, though. Most
connectors are keyed in some
way to restrict connecting
devices into the wrong port.
 PERSONAL SYSTEM / 2 (PS/2) PORTS
The round 6-pin port, also
referred to as a mini-Din
connector or PS/2 port, is an
interface located on the
motherboard. The Din-6 port is
the larger quarter-sized port.
Many keyboards and mice use
PS/2 ports to connect to the
motherboard.
To avoid confusion between the identical-looking keyboard and
mouse ports, PS/2 ports are often color-coded to match the end of
the cable on the device: purple for the keyboard and green for the
mouse. Or, there may be a sticker with a picture of a mouse and
keyboard near the connectors.
 COMPUTER CONNECTIONS

Computer connections are the physical

access points that enable a computer
to communicate with internal or
external devices. They include the
ports on both the computer and the
connected devices, plus a transmission
medium, which is either a cable with
connectors at each end or a wireless
technology. Personal computer
connections can be categorized by the
technology or standard that was used
to develop the device.
 SERIAL CONNECTIONS
A serial connection is a personal
computer connection that
transfers data one bit at a time
over a single wire. Serial
connections support two-way
communications and were
typically used for devices such
as fax cards or external modems.
These legacy serial ports have
either 9-pin (DB-9) or 25-pin
(DB-25) male connectors. A
legacy serial cable ends with a
female connector to plug into
the male connector on the
system unit. On system units
that have color-coded ports, the
serial port is teal- colored.
Serial connections that are seen
today are used to attach printers,
scientific devices such as
telescopes, networking hardware
such as routers and switches,
and industrial products. In most
cases, these devices will need to
be connected using a USB
adapter.
 SERIAL TRANSMISSIONS
In a serial transmission, data is sent and received one bit at a time
over a single wire. To accomplish
this, the serial communication process:

1. Disassembles bytes into bits on the sending end of the

communication.
2. Sends the bits across the communication wires.
3. Reassembles the bits into bytes at the receiving end.
 SERIAL PORT NAMING

Serial ports are typically called COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4, where
“COM” is short for communications port. This port has been almost
completely phased out in favor of USB. You'll probably find many systems
with no serial ports at all.
 PARALLEL CONNECTIONS

A parallel connection is
a computer connection
that transfers data eight
or more bits at a time
over eight or more
wires.
Any components connected by multiple data
pathways may be considered to have a parallel
connection, but the term is generally used to
refer to a standard legacy parallel port that uses
eight data wires, and is typically used to
connect a printer to a system unit.
Parallel connections in older personal computers support only one-
way or unidirectional communications. Newer computers have
parallel ports that support bidirectional communications. Standard
parallel ports have 25-pin female connectors. A parallel cable has
a 25-pin male connector to plug into the system unit and a 36-pin
male Centronics connector at the other end to attach to the
external device. On system units that have color-coded ports, the
parallel port is burgundy or dark pink.
 FDD CONNECTIONS
Internal FDDs have two primary
connections: the power
connection and the data
connection. The data connection
is a parallel connection. The
FDD cable is a 34-pin flat ribbon
cable with a twist, which is used
to differentiate between multiple
FDDs in a system.
 USB CONNECTIONS
A universal serial bus (USB)
connection is a computer
connection that enables you to
connect multiple peripherals to a
single port with high performance
and minimal device configuration.
USB connections support two-way
communications. All modern PC
systems today have multiple USB
ports and can, with the use of USB
hubs, support up to 127 devices per
port.
 USB CONNECTIONS
USB cables may have different connectors at each end. The computer
end of the cable ends in a Type A connector. The device end of the
cable commonly ends in a Type B connector, or may also end in a Mini-
A, Mini-B, Micro-AB, or Micro-B connector. The mini connectors are
typically used for portable devices such as smartphones. The size of the
connector varies depending on the device. USB connections transfer
data serially, but at a much faster throughput than legacy serial
connections. USB devices also incorporate Plug-and-Play technology
that allows devices to self-configure as soon as a connection is made.
 USB STANDARDS
USB 2.0, released in April 2000, is the
most commonly implemented standard. It
can communicate at up to 480 Mbps. The
original USB 1.1 standard is still
commonly found in devices and systems.
It can communicate at up to 12 Mbps. A
USB 2.0 device connected to a USB 1.1
hub or port will communicate at only
USB 1.1 speeds, even though it might be
capable of faster speeds. Generally, the
operating system will inform you of this
when you connect the device.
USB 3.0, also called SuperSpeed USB, is
the latest USB standard released in
November 2008. It features a maximum
transfer rate of 5.0 Gbps. It is 10 times
faster than the USB 2.0 standard, has
enhanced power efficiency, and is
backward compatible with USB-enabled
devices currently in use. USB cables have
a maximum distance before performance
suffers. To work around this, one or more
hubs can be used to create a "chain" to
reach the necessary cable length.
 FIREWIRE
A FireWire connection is a computer
connection that provides a high-speed
interface for peripheral devices that are
designed to use the Institute of Electrical
and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)1394
standard. FireWire can support up to 63
devices on one FireWire port. FireWire 400
transmits at 400 Mbps and uses either a 6-
pin, bullet-shaped, powered connector or a
4-pin square-shaped, unpowered, connector.
FireWire 800 transmits at 800 Mbps and
uses a 9-pin connector.
 FIREWIRE TERMINOLOGY
Apple® was the primary vendor to
promote the IEEE 1394 Standard,
and used the FireWire name
as a trademark for the IEEE 1394
implementation included in its
Macintosh® systems. FireWire has
since become the common name
for all IEEE 1394 devices.
 SMALL COMPUTER SYSTEM
INTERFACE (SCSI)
SCSI, pronounced “scuzzy,” is an
older connection standard, typically
used for storage devices such as
tape and hard drives, that remains in
use due to its reliability and high
speed. A SCSI adapter has a port for
external devices and a connection
for internal devices.
SCSI devices themselves can have multiple ports, enabling you to
connect up to seven devices in a chain to one SCSI adapter. Each
device in the chain requires a unique ID, which you configure by using
switches or jumpers. SCSI cables have 25-pin, 50-pin, 68-pin, or 80-
pin connectors, depending upon the type of SCSI in use.
PARALLEL ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
ATTACHMENT (PATA) CONNECTIONS
A PATA connection is a drive
connection standard that
provides a parallel data channel
from the drive controller to the
disk drives. Originally called
ATA, IDE, EIDE, or UDMA,
PATA connections are used to
connect internal hard drives,
optical drives, and tape drives
to the system board.
On the system board, two
sockets provide connections for
up to two drives per socket.
PATA cables are ribbon cables
with 40 or 80 wires and 40-pin
connectors.
 SATA CONNECTIONS
A SATA connection is a drive
connection standard that
enhances PATA by providing a
serial data channel between the
drive controller and the disk
drives. SATA transfer speeds are
much higher than PATA for the
same drive technologies.
SATA's physical installation is
also easier because the SATA
power and data cables are much
smaller, thinner, and more
flexible than traditional PATA
ribbon cables. SATA connectors
have seven pins.
 VIDEO GRAPHICS ARRAY
(VGA)
The DB-15 high-density VGA
connector is the most common
cable used for LCD monitors. It
contains three rows of five pins.
Pins 4, 11, 12, and 15 receive
information from the device,
while pins 1, 2, 3, 13, and 14
send information to the display.
 DIGITAL VIDEO INTERFACE
(DVI)
DVI cables keep data in digital
form from the computer to the
display. There is no need to
convert data from digital
information to analog
information. LCD monitors
work in a digital mode and
support the DVI format.
 HIGH DEFINITION
MULTIMEDIA INTERFACE
(HDMI)
HDMI is the first industry-
supported uncompressed, all-
digital audio/video interface.
HDMI uses a single cable
composed of copper wires to
provide an interface between any
audio/video source, such as a set-
top box, DVD player, or A/V
receiver and an audio and/or video
monitor, such as a digital
television (DTV).
 SEPARATE VIDEO
(S-VIDEO)

S-Video is an analog video

signal that carries the video
data as two separate signals
(brightness and color). S
Video works in 480i or 576i
resolution.
 COMPONENT/RGB
Component video is a type of
analog video information that is
transmitted or stored as two or
more separate signals. Analog
video signals (also called
components) must provide
information about the amount of
red, green, and blue to create an
image. The simplest type, RGB,
consists of three discrete red,
green, and blue signals sent down
three coaxial cables.
 COAXIAL (COAX)
A coaxial cable, or coax, is a type of
copper cable that features a central
conducting copper core surrounded by an
insulator and braided or foil shielding. An
insulator separates the conductor and
shield, and the entire package is wrapped
in an insulating layer called a jacket. The
data signal is transmitted over the central
conductor. The outer shielding serves to
reduce electromagnetic interference.
 DISPLAY PORT

Display Port is a digital display standard

that aims to replace DVI and VGA
standards. DisplayPort is not backward
compatible with DVI and HDMI and is a
royalty-free standard. However, by using
special dual-mode ports and suitable
adapters, it may be possible to use DVI
and HDMI signals with Display Port.
Similar to Peripheral Component
Interconnect Express (PCIe), Display Port
also supports high-quality gaming and
other applications that use high-end
graphics.