ELECTRONIC WORKSHOP

The point at which a peripheral attaches to. Communicates with a system unit so that the peripheral can send data to or receive information from the computer.

External devices often attaches by a cable to a port on the system unit. The term JACK is sometimes is used to identify audio and video ports. The front and back of system unit on desktop personal computer contain many ports. The ports of notebook computers including netbook and Tablet PCs are on the back, front and sides.

Joins a cable and a port. A connector at one end of the a cable attaches to a port on the system unit. A connector at the other end of the cable attaches to a port on the peripheral.

Male Have one or more exposed pins (end of an electrical cord). Have matching holes to accept the pins on a male connector or ports (electrical wall outlet). Female Gender changer is a device that enables to join a port and a connector that are both female or both male.

Universal serial bus port Connect to up 127 different peripherals together with a single connector. USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed USB) more advanced and faster than USB. USB 3.0. USB 2.0 & USB 3.0 are backward compatible (they support older USB devices as well as USB 2.0 & USB 3.0) To attach multiple peripherals using a single USB port, can use USB Hub.

A device that plugs in a USB port on the system unit. Contains multiple USB ports in which can plug cables from USB devices. Self-powered or bus-powered Self-powered USB hub draws power from an electrical outlets whereas bus-powered USB hub draws power from USB bus in the computer. Wireless USB hub is a receiver plugs into a USB port on the computer and it communicates wirelessly with the receiver. USB supports hot plugging and Plug and Play (attach peripherals while the computer is running)

IEEE 1394 port Connect multiple types of devices that require faster data transmission speeds. The three latest version (FireWire 800, FireWire 1600 and FireWire 3200 ) have speeds faster than the original FireWire 400. Use FireWire hub to attach multiple devices to a single FireWire port. Supports Plug and Play.

Bluetooth technology uses radio waves to transmit data between two devices. Have to be within about 33 feet to each other. Contain a small chip that allows them to communicate with other Bluetooth-enabled computers or devices. Bluetooth headsets allow smart phone users to connect their telephone to a headset wirelessly. Bluetooth wireless port adapter that will convert an existing USB port into a Bluetooth port. Bluetooth PC cards and ExpressCard modules (traditional notebook computers and Tablets PCs). Bluetooth cards (smart phones and PDAs).

A special high-speed parallel port. Allows to attach SCSI peripherals (disk drivers and printers). SAS (serial-attached SCSI) transmits at mush faster speeds than parallel SCSI. For small computer system interference can daisy chain up to either 7 to 15 devices together.

The printer connects to your computer with a Parallel connector. This connector has 25 pins. Parallel means the device is capable of receiving more than one bit at a time (that is, it receives several bits in parallel).

The PS/2 connector are use for connecting keyboard and mouse on the modern PCs. The PS2 mouse connector and port is usually green in colour to distinguish it from the PS2 keyboard, which is purple.

A type of interface that connects a device to the system unit by transmitting data one bit at a time. Some modems that connect the system unit to a telephone lines use a serial port because the telephone line expects the data in a specific frequency.

A Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector is a three-row 15-pin DE-15 connector. The 15-pin VGA connector is found on many video cards, computer monitors, and high definition television sets. On laptop computers or other small devices, a mini-VGA port is sometimes used in place of the full-sized VGA connector.Video Graphics ArrayDE-15 high definition television mini-VGA

LAN or (Local Area Network) uses a CAT5 cable and a RJ45 connection. The CAT 5 cable is also called the Ethernet Cable. Network connection generally uses a 10/100 Mbps speed. This means it has two different speeds 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The electronic music industry’s standard that defines how devices (sound cards and synthesizers) represent sound electronically. A special type of serial port that connects the system unit to a musical instrument. (electronic keyboard). A synthesizers can be a peripheral or a chip, creates sound from digital instructions. Has the capability of recording sounds that have been created by a synthesizer and then processing the sounds (the data) to create new sounds.

External Series Advanced Technology Attachment. Allows to connect an external SATA hard disk to a computer. SATA hard disks are popular because of their fast data transmission speeds. Connections provide up to 6times faster data transmission speeds than external hard disks attached to a computer’s USB or FireWire port.

Infrared Data Association. Transmit data via infrared light waves. For these wireless device, to transmit signals to a computer, both the computer and the device must have an IrDA port. Align the IrDA port on the device with the IrDA port on the computer. Example : smart phone, PDA, keyboard, mouse and printer. Several of these devices use a high-speed IrDA port, sometimes called a fast infrared port.

Figure shows a common type of 230 VAC receptacle used to connect the power cord to things such as personal computers and test equipment.

These are used with UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cables. Figure shows an RJ11 connector commonly used with 4-wire telephone cables. An RJ12 connector is the same size but used with 6-wire cable. RJ45 connector is of different size & used with 8-wire local area network (LAN) cables.

Figure 1 shows what is commonly called an "RCA" plug and jack. They are two-conductor connectors typically used with shielded cable. They are used in applications such as connecting microphones and small speakers to audio amplifiers.

Figure 2 shows a "phone" (old telephone type) or "phono" plug and jack. They can be two or three conductor connectors used for one (mono) or two (stereo) audio signals carried on a shielded cable. There are several other types of connectors used for audio signals.

The BNC connector is a miniature quick connect /disconnect RF connector used for coaxial cable. It features two bayonet lugs on the female connector; mating is achieved with only a quarter turn of the coupling nut. BNCs are ideally suited for cable termination for miniature- to-subminiature coaxial cable (e.g., RG-58, 59, to RG-179, RG-316).BNC connectors are made to match the characteristic impedance of cable at either 50 ohms or 75 ohms.RF connectorcoaxial cable characteristic impedance

Like the BNC connector, it is used on coaxial cables carrying RF signals. It can be used on thicker cable such as RG8. A UHF connector is threaded to screw onto the receptacle.