1. Notebooks, PDAs, and Printers
Chapter 12
Notebooks, PDAs, and Printers

2. You Will Learn…
How to support, upgrade, and add peripheral devices to notebooks
About technologies relating to personal digital assistants (PDAs)
How printers work and how to troubleshoot them

3. Notebook Computers

4. Notebook Computers Use same technology as PCs, but with modifications
Use less power
Take up less space
Can withstand movement and jars
Use thin LCD panels for display
Use small memory modules and CPUs
Cost more than comparable PCs

5. Notebook Computers Power sources Types of batteries
AC adapter
DC adapter
Battery pack
Types of batteries
Ni-Cad (nickel-cadmium)
NiMH (nickel-metal-hydride)
Lithium Ion
Future battery solution
Fuel cell battery

6. Notebooks versus PCs Notebooks PCs
Generally purchased as a whole unit; not likely to upgrade hardware and OS
Tend to be proprietary
Have some universal support issues, but procedures vary between brands
PCs
Highly modular
Components can be interchanged, upgraded, and enhanced

7. Types of Memory Used by Notebooks

8. Upgrading Memory

9. Upgrading Memory

10. Upgrading Memory

11. Other Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) for Notebooks
Hard drive
LCD panel
Motherboard
CPU
Keyboard
PC Card socket assembly
CD-ROM drive
Floppy drive
Sound card
Pointing device
AC adapter
Battery pack
DC controller

12. Comparing Hard Drives

13. Replacing a Hard Drive

14. Connecting Peripheral Devices to Notebooks
Port on notebook itself
Port replicator
Docking station
PC Card
Also called PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) Card
USB port

15. Connecting Peripheral Devices via Notebook Ports

16. Connecting Peripheral Devices via a Port Replicator

17. Example of a Docking Station

18. Connecting Peripheral Devices via PC Cards

19. PC Cards
Once intended only for memory cards, PC Card slots are now used by many devices
Four standards
Latest specification: CardBus
Improves I/O speed
Increases bus width to 32 bits
Supports lower-voltage PC Cards while maintaining backward compatibility
Three types (Type I, Type II, and Type III), which vary in thickness

20. PC Cards OS must provide two services
Socket service
Card service
Might contain a data cable to an external drive, or might be self-contained
Other smaller slots include one for a Secure Digital (SD) Card and one for a Compact Flash Card
Can be hot-swapped
Can interface with a network

21. PC Cards

22. PC Cards

23. PC Cards

24. Using a PC Card to Interface with a Network

25. Adding Devices with a USB Port
Popular way of adding devices to notebooks
Easy installation

26. Adding Devices with a USB Port

27. Supporting Notebooks
Apply same troubleshooting guidelines as for desktop PCs
Be aware of warranty issues
Loaded OS and hardware configuration are specific; see documentation for details

28. Notebook Manufacturers

29. PDAs Small, handheld computers with their own OS and applications
Battery powered
Use either a grayscale or color active matrix or dual-scan passive matrix display
Can sometimes benefit from additional memory
Include a stylus
Might use an AC/DC adapter
Might have fold-out keyboard option

30. PDAs

31. Optional Accessories for PDAs

32. Considerations When Purchasing a PDA
What applications come with it; what can be added later?
Easy to use? Thorough documentation?
Is synchronization easy?
What support is available from manufacturer?
Type of batteries? Battery life?
continued…

33. Considerations When Purchasing a PDA
Can it use and the Web? Extra hardware or software required?
Can additional devices be purchased?
What OS does it use? How easy to use?
What is the warranty?
What is the price?

34. Battery Life on a PDA
Short battery life is the one largest complaint; risk losing data and applications if battery runs all the way down
Use cradle and adapter

35. Applications on a PDA
Some come with all application software preinstalled
Some require user to download applications at additional cost
Some support applications that come preinstalled and cannot download others
Some allow downloading or Web site content
Some can access Internet directly by way of a modem or wireless connection

36. Connecting a PDA to a PC Synchronization
Process by which PDA and PC “talk” to each other through universal cradle, cable, and USB or serial connection
Capabilities
Backup information from PDA to PC
Work with PDA files on PC and download applications from Web
Some PDAs synchronize with a desktop or notebook computer through wireless technology

37. PDA Operating Systems
Principal difference between the two main OSs for PDAs is in the applications they support
Pocket PC
More versatile
Palm OS
Less complex
Easier to use
Best choice for simple tasks

38. PDA OS Manufacturers

39. Printers
Local printers connect directly to computer via parallel port, serial port, USB port, infrared connection, wireless connection, IEEE 1394 port, SCSI port, or PC Card connection
Network printers are accessed over the network

40. Main Types of Printers Laser Ink-jet Dot-matrix
Thermal printers and solid ink printers

41. Laser Printers Use electrophotographic process
Range from small, personal desktop models to large network printers capable of handling and printing large volumes continuously
Require interaction of mechanical, electrical, and optical technologies

42. How a Laser Printer Works
Places toner on electrically charged rotating drum
Deposits toner on paper as paper moves through the system at same speed the drum is turning

43. Six Steps of Laser Printing
Cleaning
Conditioning
Writing
Developing
Transferring
Fusing
Take place inside toner cartridge
Use components that undergo the most wear

44. Six Steps of Laser Printing

45. Step 1: Cleaning

46. Step 2: Conditioning
Conditions drum to contain a high electrical charge

47. Step 3: Writing
Laser beam discharges a lower charge to only those places where toner is to go

48. Step 3: Writing
Data from PC is received by formatter (1) and passed to DC controller (2) which controls laser unit (3)
Scanning mirror (4) is turned clockwise by scanning motor
Laser beam is reflected off scanning mirror, focused by focusing lens (5) and sent to the mirror (6)
Mirror deflects laser beam to a slit in the removable cartridge and on to the drum (7)

49. Step 3: Writing

50. Step 4: Developing
Toner is placed onto the drum where the charge has been reduced

51. Step 4: Developing

52. Step 5: Transferring
Strong electrical charge draws toner off drum onto paper; takes place outside the cartridge

53. Step 6: Fusing
Heat and pressure fuse toner to paper

54. Ink-Jet Printers Small Print color inexpensively
Tend to smudge on inexpensive paper
Slower than lasers

55. How an Ink-Jet Printer Works
Print head moves across paper, creating one line of text with each pass
Shoots ionized ink at a sheet of paper in a matrix of small dots
Several technologies are used to form ink droplets (eg, bubble-jet)
Uses ink cartridges

56. Ink-Jet Cartridges

57. Photo-Quality Ink-Jet Printers
New generation of ink-jet printers that give photo-quality results
Mix different colors of ink to produce a new color that then makes a single dot

58. Dot-Matrix Printers Less expensive; lesser quality
Impact printer; can print multicopy documents
Print head moves across width of the paper, using pins to print a matrix of dots on the page
Uses a ribbon
If print head fails, buy a new printer

59. Dot-Matrix Printers

60. Thermal Printers and Solid Ink Printers
Relatively new printer technologies
Non-impact printers that use heat to produce printed output

61. Thermal Printers
Use wax-based ink that is heated by heat pins that melt ink onto paper
Internal logic of the printer determines which pins get heated in order to produce the printed image
Popular in retail applications for printing bar codes and price tags
Can burn dots onto special paper or use a ribbon that contains wax-based ink

62. Solid Ink Printers
Store ink in solid blocks that are easy to handle; several can be inserted in printer to be used as needed
Solid ink is melted into the print head which spans the width of the paper
Head jets the liquid ink onto the paper as it passes by on a drum

63. Solid Ink Printers Advantages Disadvantage Simple design
Excellent print quality
Easy to set up and maintain
Disadvantage
Time it takes (~15 minutes) for the print head to heat up

64. Printer Manufacturers

65. Installing a Local Printer
Physically attach printer to computer (via parallel, serial, USB, SCSI, IEEE 1394 port; PC Card or Infrared connection; or wireless access point)
Install printer drivers
Have Windows do it
Use printer manufacturer’s installation program (best way)
Alternately, use Windows Printer window to install
Test the printer

66. Installing a Network Printer
Network printer contains a NIC and connects directly to the network or is shared on the network by another PC
Can use Network Neighborhood or My Network Places to install a network printer on a remote PC

67. Troubleshooting Guidelines for Printers
Printer maintenance
General printer troubleshooting
Problems with laser printers
Problems with ink-jet printers
Problems with dot-matrix printers

68. Printer Maintenance
Procedures vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer and printer to printer
Make sure consumables for the printer are on hand
Research printer documentation or manufacturer’s Web site for specific maintenance tips
Clean inside and outside of the printer

69. General Printer Troubleshooting
Isolate the problem
Application attempting to use the printer
OS and printer drivers
Connectivity between PC and printer
Printer itself

70. Addressing Printer Problems Caused by Hardware
Verify a printer self-page can print
Problem with printer cable

71. Problems with Laser Printers
Poor print quality due to low toner
Printer stays in warm-up mode
Paper Jam or Paper Out message is displayed
Printer images are distorted
Printing is slow
A portion of the page does not print

72. Problems with Ink-Jet Printers
Print quality is poor
Printing is intermittent or absent
Lines or dots are missing from the printed page
Ink streaks appear on the printed page

73. To Clean Ink-Jet Nozzles

74. Problems with Dot-Matrix Printers
Print quality is poor
Print head moves back and forth, but nothing prints

75. Chapter Summary
Devices that provide for greater portability and how to support them
Notebook computers Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
Printers and how to support them