LS 25A: Automation in Information Work

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LS 25A Automation in
Information Work

• Unit 1.1 Hardware Overview

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0.0 What I Will Cover

• The Objective of this Unit
• Some key definitions
• Classify computer hardware in the context of
• Input
• Output
• Processing
• Storage
• Summarize the key points of the lesson

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Learning Objectives

• Define computer hardware its purpose in
  computer systems
• Identify various types of hardware
• Place example hardware in classes of Input,
  Processing, Output or Storage hardware
• Recognize at least two examples of hardware in
  each class

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KEY DEFINITIONS

• Computer
• An electronic device which interprets and
  executes programmed commands for input, output,
  computation and logic operations
• (Long Long).

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KEY DEFINITIONS

• Computer System
• Implies Additional interconnected hardware all
  interconnected computing hardware
• (Long Long).
• Information System
• hardware, software, data, people and procedures
  working together to manage
• information
• (Szymanski et al).

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HARDWARE BASICS

• Hardware is the physical part of the computer
• Accepts data INPUT DEVICES
• Processes data PROCESSOR or Central Processing
  Unit
• Output data OUTPUT DEVICES
• Store data 2o STORAGE DEVICES

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• INPUT HARDWARE
• Purpose
• Translation of human language/ graphics
  into form computer can process
• binary code
• Also called digitizing
• Types
• Traditional
• Source data devices

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• INPUT HARDWARE - Traditional
• Keyboard-based types
• Traditional ones
• Keyboard
• Layout from typewriter with additions
• QWERTY layout
• Other layouts available
• Special-function ones

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• INPUT HARDWARE Point Draw
• mice variants

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• Mouse
• Pointing device
• Ball rolls as the mouse moves against a surface
• Rollers gripping the ball transfer the movement
  to pointer
• Buttons control selection
• laser mouse use LEDs!

• Trackball
• Use less space to operate
• Roll the track ball on top or side only
• Requires more dexterity
• Reduces the probability of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• Glide Pad
• Touch-sensitive pad for cursor control
• Cursor follows finger movement
• Buttons (or tap of pad!) used to select
• hand tires faster without support

• Pen Input (PDA)
• Input by writing, pointing or using gestures
• Train device to recognize handwriting
• Can train device to recognize gestures
• Loose pen readily

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• Game Devices
• Vertical stick or arrow buttons control cursor
  movement
• Additional buttons for special functions
• Well-adapted to experience motion
• Tend to be bulky

• Touchscreen
• Select by touching screen
• Screen made of specialized material
• Useful when few choices are to be made
• Lots of real estate required to select by touch

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• SOURCE DATA DEVICES
• Digital data fed directly into processor
• Digitizers Graphic Tablets
• Convert pictures, drawings, writing etc to
  digital format directly
• Specialized command set required
• Speech recognition systems
• Speech to text
• Voice recognition systems
• Several classes
• Speaker independent, speaker dependent, discreet
  speech, continuous speech, natural language
  processing

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• Video
• Digital video
• Scanner
• Scanner captures images that already exist
• Several types
• flatbed, drum etc.
• Color
• Gray scale
• Pixel - picture element basic unit of
  programmable color

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• MARK/CHARACTER RECOGNITION
• Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
• e.g. the data line on a cheque
• Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)
• e.g. Multiple Choice Test Answer Paper
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• Radio Frequency Input Device (RFID)
• Biometric Devices
• e.g. iris scanners fingerprint devices
• Environmental sensors
• e.g. humidity control sensors
• Fax machines
• Video Input Cards/Webcam

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HARDWARE BASICS - INPUT

• Document Reader (Assistive Tech)
• Converts electronic file to form suitable for use
  by those visually-impaired
• Consists of scanner, OCR program, speech
  synthesizer Braille display
• Two classes
• zoomers transcribers

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HARDWARE BASICS INPUT

• Issues surrounding the human-computer interface
• Addressed by human factors engineering
• Cost of hardware

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HARDWARE BASICS OTHER INPUT DEVICES
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HARDWARE BASICS - PROCESSING

• SYSTEM HARDWARE
• Motherboard, chipset, processor, cache, memory
• Motherboard
• Main circuit board (PCB) and housing for
  processor, memory, cache, peripherals
• Chipset is the circuitry on the board
• Control features set
• Choice of memory, peripherals, bus speed, etc.
• Processor CPU
• System buses
• Electrical channels that convey signals between
  peripherals

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HARDWARE BASICS PROCESSING

• Role of CPU
• microelectronic brain of the computer control of
  input, output processing via
• Control Unit
• reads, decodes, directs execution and control
  data flow
• Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
• Handles computation logic processing
• Several types of CPUs
• Determined by word size 16-bit, 32-bit 64-bit
  and processing capacity
• Speed
• In MHz

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HARDWARE BASICS PROCESSING

• Memory RAM
• RAM capacity has implications for software
  applications machine can run speed of operation
• Many brands
• Intel AMD PowerPC

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HARDWARE BASICS OUTPUT

• Purpose is to transform information to form
  humans can understand
• provide a record of processed data
• Two general output classes
• Soft data shown on a display screen, audio or
  image form
• It is intangible temporary
• Hard prints of text or graphics, principally
• Film, microfilm microfiche also hard copy

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HARDWARE BASICS - OUTPUT

• Display Screen (VDU or Monitors)
• Two types
• CRT old analog technology
• vacuum tube used as display
• Flat panel
• Plates of glass surrounding a substance
  manipulated by light
• e.g. Liquid Crystal Display technology
• Active matrix or TFT passive matrix display
• TFT brighter and sharper than passive matrix
• MORE DIGITAL DEVICES NOW

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HARDWARE BASICS - OUTPUT

• Display Screen (VDU or Monitors)
• Colour Resolution Standards
• Graphics Cards convert D/A computer signals to
  video signals for display
• Screen clarity affect by
• Dot pitch amount of space between pixels
• Closer is better
• Resolution pixels per square inch
• More per inch is better
• Refresh rate times/second pixels recharged
• Higher rates mean better quality images

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HARDWARE BASICS -OUTPUT

• Printers output device that prints graphics,
  text etc on a hardcopy medium
• Two major classes
• Impact
• e.g. Epson FX1260 Dot matrix
• e.g. Genicom Line Printer
• Non-impact
• inkjet HP DeskJet 960c
• Laser - HP 5500 Colour
• Specialized
• plotters

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HARDWARE BASICS - OUTPUT

• Printer
• Duty cycle important monthly volume speed
  ppm are factors
• Sharpness of image measured in dpi
• Multi-function device - printer, fax, scanner all
  in one very popular

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HARDWARE BASICS - OUTPUT

• SOUND
• Speakers produce digitized sound or digital data
  into speech
• Computer speakers must be shielded from magnetic
  effects
• VIDEO
• Video players
• Photographic material displayed 15-29 fps for
  full motion video effect

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HARDWARE BASICS - STORAGE

• Purpose
• To provide permanent storage
• Multiple storage technologies
• magnetic devices media
• drives both fixed removable
• size and capacity are important features
• optical devices media
• drives both fixed and removable
• size and capacity differ

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HARDWARE BASICS - STORAGE

• Magnetic Disk
• HDD
• Optical Disk
• COLD
• Computer Output to Laser Disk
• Network Attached Storage (NAS)
• Storage Area Networks (SAN)

• Removable Disk
• Diskette (FDD)
• Format important
• Zip Drives
• Format important
• CD-ROM
• CD-R
• CD-RW
• Formats not standard
• DVD
• Formats not standard

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SUMMARY