Chapter 9

Supporting I/O Devices

Objectives
How to use standard resources on a computer system when installing add-
on devices
How to resolve resource conflicts
How to install a new device on a computer
About keyboards, pointing devices and video subsystems

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Peripheral Installation Overview

Install the device

1
(learn about the driver:
• Is the driver for your OS?
• Lastest driver available?

2
Install the Driver
Installing a
(Check the Device
Peripheral Manager after Installation)

Install the
Application Software
(that comes with the
3
device)

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Device Drivers (page 451-453)
2 Types of Drivers: 16-bits and 32-bits
Characteristics 16-bits Driver 32-bit Driver
Operating Mode Real Mode Protected Mode
User of Memory Use conventional memory Stored in extended memory
May use upper memory
How loaded Loaded by a command line in Automatically loaded by Win9x at
config.sys or autoexec.bat startup or when the device is
used
How changed Edit the config.sys or From Device Manager, select the
autoexec.bat device and use Properties, Driver
tab
How to identify In Device Manager, look for an Look for no exclamation point
the type exclamation point beside the beside the device name in Device
device name Manager. Typically “32” is
included in the driver name.
When to use this Use 16-bit driver under Use 32-bit driver, they are
type Windows only when 32-bit faster
driver is not available.
When operating in DOS
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Serial Ports
What is the Serial Port use for? How can you disable a serial port?
Use to connect Serial devices eg mouse, In BIOS
modem. It convert PC’s Parallel signal to
serial and vice versa.

What is the Port also known as?

RS-232 port (RS-232C - standard)

How many ports are normally found in a

PC?
2

What types of connector is found on

the PC?
Male D-connectors. 9-pin and 25-pin.

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Null Modem Cable Connection
What is purpose of a Null Modem What need to be Setup before both PCs
Cable? can be connected?
To connect your PC to another nearby 1. Direct Cable Connection
PC. Useful for file transfers  Control panel
 Add/Remove program
Which ports are being used?  Windows Setup
The serial port in each PC.  Communication
2. Install Microsoft NetBUEI
protocol
 Network Neighborhood
 Properties
 Add Protocol
3. Enable File and Printer Sharing
 Network Neighborhood
 Properties
 File and Print Sharing

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Infrared Transmission
How is infrared radiation use in PC? Is the transmission it fast?
Commonly implemented in Keyboard, IrDA ports support roughly the same
Mouse and Printer. transmission rates as traditional
parallel ports.
How is it supported?
Computers and other devices (such as What is the limitation?
printers) come with IrDA ports. This The 2 devices must be within a few feet
enables you to transfer data from one of each other and there must be a clear
device to another without any cables. line of sight between them.

Example?
If both your laptop computer and
printer have IrDA ports, you can simply
put your computer in front of the
printer and output a document, without
needing to connect the 2 with a cable.

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Parallel Port
What is Parallel Port used for? What is EPP?
Connecting external devices eg printer Supports bi-directional communication
that requires relatively high band width between the PC and attached devices.
About 10 times faster than the older
What are the 3 types of Parallel port? Centronics standard. The standard is
merged in IEEE 1284.
1. Standard Parallel Port
2. Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)
3. Extended Capabilities Port (ECP).

What is SPP? DB25-pin Connector

Support 1 direction flow of data, from (PC end)
PC to printer. Use for printer, plotters,
etc. Currently, use for older printers.
Maximum cable length is 15m.

What is SPP standard also known as? 36-pin Centronics

Connector (printer end)
Centronics

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Parallel Port – ECP/IEEE 1284
What is ECP?
Supports bi-directional communication
between PC and printers.

What is IEEE 1284?

Supports SPP, EPP and ECP. Provide high
speed bi-directional communication up
to 50 – 100x the original parallel port.

What is required to supports IEEE

1284?
IEEE 1824 cable, printer must support
ECP/EPP.

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Universal Serial Bus
What type of data transfer is it good
for?
Goof for asynchronous data, ie data
are transferred in Packets

What is the advantages?

Support 127 equipments yet sharing
only 1 set of System Resources. It
support Hot-swappable.

What is the current version?

Version 1 supports up to 12Mbps. USB
Version 2 supports up to 480Mbps

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IEEE 1394 Port
What is 1394 commonly known as? What other advantages it has?
Firewire. In fact it is a Serial SCSI. Use only 1 set of System Resources and
support 67 devices
What type of data transfer is it good
for?
What is the current standard?
Fast, contiguous data transfer. Good
for real-time transmission eg TV, video Supports up to 400Mbps and cable up to
4.5m. In future, supports up to 3.2gbps
and cable up to 100m
Example of 1 application for Firewire?
Digital Video Recorder
What should you do if the PC does not
What types of connectors does it use? have the IEEE 1384 connector?
1. 4-pins and 6-pins (2 pins used for By a IEEE 1394 host adapter
voltage and ground)

Does Firewire support hot-pluggable?

Yes. Device can be plugged into and
remove without rebooting

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Keyboard and Mouse
What are the types of keyboard and What is the difference between PS/2
mouse available? keyboard and mouse connector?
Serial Same type of connector.
PS/2
USB
Wireless

What is the difference between serial

keyboard and mouse connector?
Serial keyboard uses 5-pin DIN. Serial
mouse uses 9-pin D-connector
(commonly used) or 25-pin D-connector.

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Monitor – Sreen Size/Refresh Rate
What is Screen Size? What is Refresh Rate?
The diagonal width of the monitor. The number of time it refresh from
Measured in inches. The most popular Left to Right and Top to Bottom is
known as Refresh Rate.
sizes for monitors are 14", 15", 17", 20"
and 21".
What is the problem with slow Refresh
Rate?
What is Viewable size of monitor? Screen Flicker.
This is the actual size of the screen  Most individuals notice flicker at
that is viewable. It is less than the refresh rates below 60 Hz.
Screen Size. Eg. 17” monitor probably  Many individuals have a problem
has a viewable screen of 15.8” with flicker at 60 Hz.
 Some individuals see flicker at
What is Screen Refresh? refresh rates above 60 but below
72 Hz.
To maintain a stable image, the electron
beam must sweep the entire surface of  A small percentage of individuals
notice flicker at 72 Hz.
the screen and then return to redraw
it, many times per second.  Very few people notice flicker at
refresh rates above 72 Hz

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Monitor - Interlaced
What is Interlaced? What make up an Image?
Redisplaying every line of the screen, Pixel
when in an interlaced mode the electron
guns sweep alternate lines on each pass.
What is Pixel?
So the first pass, odd-numbered lines
are refreshed, and the next pass, even- Horizontal and Vertical combination of
numbered lines, and so on. 3 colored dots: Red, Green, Blue

What use Interlaced? What is Dot Pitch?

Enable the monitor and VGA card to Distance between adjacent colored dots
support higher Refresh Rate than they on the screen. The smaller it is the
possibly could. Less Flicker. sharper the display, eg 0.24 is sharper
than 0.28
Allows the refresh rate to be "doubled"
because only half the screen is redrawn
at a time. What is Resolution?
The number of pixels that can be
displayed on the screen at one time is
normally. Measured in Dot per inch (dpi)

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Monitor – Flat Panel
Characteristics Thinner
Consume less power
Don’t emit radiation
Digital
Types Active matrix
TFT (thin flim transistor)
sharper image, more expansive
Dual-scan passive matrix
Signals Can receive both Analog and Digital signal

Converts to
Digital Data Analog Converts back
(RAMDAC) to Digital Requires
Digital Signal

Analog signal

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Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
What can you find the CRT? How can you discharged the Anode?
Inside the Monitor Put the Screw driver blade into the
suction cap to discharge it. Repeat
Should you attempt to repair a after 15 mins
Monitor?
No. Leave it to Trained Technician.

Why you should not Earth yourself

when working inside the monitor?
The high static charges may discharge
through you. You body has much lower
potential (voltage) compared to the
monitor.

Where can you find the highest tension

area in the monitor?
Anode. As high as 25,000 volts. Charges
can remains for weeks. Discharging

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Video Cards (page494-500)
Known as Video controller card, graphics card, graphics adapters, display card
Interface between monitor and the PC
Buying a card?
 Bus it used and the amount of Video ram it has (or supported)
Digital signals get converted to Analog signal used by monitor

Data in Video RAM

Video RAM is passed to RAMDAC
Video chip writes digital for conversion to
2 data to video memory 3 Analog signal

Video chip set

4
RAM-DAC RAM DAC
passes
Analog data
Digital data goes from
1 system bus to Video chip
to Monitor

PCI Connector

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Video RAM
What is Video RAM? What are the other types of RAM
Special-purpose memory used by video used?
adapters. EDO RAM – Extended Data Out RAM
SGRAM – Synchronous Graphics RAM
How is different from normal RAM? WRAM – Windows RAM
1. Can be accessed by 2 different MDRAM – multi-bank RAM
devices simultaneously. This allow
the RAMDAC to access the VRAM
How does it affect the PC?
for screen updates at the same
time that the video processor The amount of VRAM is a determining
provides new data. factor in the resolution and color depth
of the display. VRAM is also used to
hold graphics-specific information such
2. VRAM yields better graphics as 3-D geometry data and texture
performance but is more expensive maps.
than normal RAM.

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Video RAM Required

Video 16 colors 256 colors 65,000 16.7 million 32-bit color

Resolution (4-bit) (8-bit) color color
(16-bit) (24-bit
True)
640 X 480 256K 512K 1MB 1MB 2MB

800 X 600 512K 512K 1MB 2MB 2MB

1,024 X 768 1MB 1MB 2MB 4MB 4MB

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