Project: University of Management and Technology Lahore
Project: University of Management and Technology Lahore
Project: University of Management and Technology Lahore
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
SUBMITTED BY
UNIVERSITY OF
MANAGEMENT AND
TECHNOLOGY LAHORE.
TYPES OF MONITORS
CRTs
The most prevalent type of monitor today is the cathode ray tube (CRT).
Despite its rather sci-fi sounding name, a CRT is the same as the picture
tube inside your TV. They work by firing beams of electrons at phosphor
dots on the inside of a glass tube. The phosphors in a CRT are chemicals that
emit red, green or blue light when hit by electrons. These monitors are
capable of multiple resolutions, give the best look to full-motion video and
provide better control over colour calibration for graphic artists.
On the down side, they hog a lot of room and weigh more than several sacks
of potatoes. You can get more compact CRTs called short-depth or short-
neck monitors which are a couple of inches shallower than regular CRTs.
Unless space is a primary consideration, most people buy a CRT display
because they offer good performance at an affordable price.
LCDs
In the opposing corner are flat panel displays or LCDs (liquid crystal
displays) commonly used in laptops and fast becoming popular as desktop
monitors. Their major selling points are a slim profile and lightweight. A
CRT can be deeper than it is wide, whereas a LCD with a base is only about
a hand span deep. No heavy lifting required with a LCD; they weigh less
than half the average CRT. LCDs require half the power of CRTs and emit
much less electromagnetic radiation, which can interfere with other
electronic devices.
In the screen of a LCD monitor, each pixel is produced by a tiny cell, which
contains a thin layer of liquid crystals. These rod-shaped molecules bend
light in response to an electric current. It's the same display technology that
resides in your digital watch but more sophisticated.
LCDs tend to be clearer than CRTs, which can suffer from convergence or
focus difficulties. Their improved clarity means that even small LCDs can
display higher resolutions than the corresponding sized CRT. They also
make small text easier to read. Unlike CRTs, LCD monitors have only one
optimal resolution. At lower resolutions, the screen is redrawn as a smaller
area or all the pixels in the image are blown-up to fill the screen. The latter
solution can make images look jagged and blocky so be sure the resolution
of the LCD is the resolution you want to use.
CRT FEATURES
Refresh Rate
If you've decided to get a new CRT then it should have a sufficiently high
refresh rate. This refers to how often the screen is redrawn per second. With
low refresh rates you can get screen flicker and eyestrain. Aim for a rate of
75 Hz for a monitor up to 17 inches in size and 85 Hz for any larger monitor.
LCDs are basically flicker free so refresh rates aren't important.
Dot Pitch
Another consideration for CRTs is dot pitch. This is the distance in
millimeters between phosphors of the same colour. The smaller the dot
pitch, the sharper the image. Opt for a dot pitch of 0.26 mm or smaller. You
can measure dot pitch both horizontally and vertically, but monitor specs
usually quote horizontal dot pitch. Occasionally, the dot pitch is measured
diagonally. By multiplying diagonal dot pitch by 0.866, you can calculate
horizontal dot pitch.
LCD FEATURES
Viewing Angle
One of the main disadvantages of LCDs when compared to CRTs is their
limited viewing angle. When viewing a LCD straight on it looks fine. But
the screen will appear washed-out if you move your head over to the side
and look at it from an extreme angle. Low-end LCDs can have viewing
angles of only 100 degrees which won't give everyone crowded round your
desk a clear view. For a standard 15 inch LCD try to get a 140 degree
viewing angle. Up that by 20-40 degrees when shopping for an 18 inch
LCD.
Brightness
The brightness of LCD monitors is another important factor. LCD monitors
have several backlights that provide illumination. Brightness is measured in
units called nits. The majority of LCDs produce 150-200 nits which is fine
for most users. The backlights in a LCD are good for 10 to 50 thousand
hours of operation.
Since they're fairly fragile and more likely to break, backlights usually come
with only a one year warranty. This warranty is separate from the one for the
screen so you might want to extend the backlight warranty to match the
duration of your screen warranty.
Positioning
LCDs can provide a range of options for positioning a display. The common
way to view a screen is landscape mode (longer than wide). Some LCDs let
you pivot the screen 90 degrees so you can view it in portrait mode (taller
than wide), which is great, if you're growing tired of scrolling so often. You
should also check out whether the screen can both tilt and swivel. Easy
adjustment is important if you'll be doing presentations. You can even mount
some LCDs on the wall like a picture.
If space and aesthetics are important to you, then a flat panel is the way to
go. Compared to CRT displays they use very little power, emit less heat and
radiation, take up a smaller amount of space and are easy on the eyes.
If space is not an issue, it's probably better to get a good quality 19" CRT
monitor than an entry-level 15" flat panel. As well, if you use your computer
a lot for graphics and games, a CRT offers a sharper and more detailed
display.
The best thing you can do is spend some time at an electronics store and put
a flat panel through its paces. Open up Word and start typing, read the text
and view images and video if possible.
If you're an apple enthusiast, you're in luck. The Apple flat panels are top of
the line and display incredibly clear images, text and video. The price is
steep but the results are worth it.
PRINTER
Definitions of printer:
TYPES OF PRINTER
The two main types of printer are impact and non-impact.
Impact Printers use a print head containing a number of metal pins,
which strike an inked ribbon placed between the print head and the paper.
Some print heads have only 9 pins to make the dots to build up a character;
some have 24 pins, which produce a better resolution.
Serial printers.
Line printers.
Chain printers.
Bar printers.
Daisy Wheel printers.
Dot Matrix printers.
Serial printers
A port, or interface, that can be used for serial communication, in which
only 1 bit is transmitted at a time.
Most serial ports on personal computers conform to the RS-232C or RS-422
standards. A serial port is a general-purpose interface that can be used for
almost any type of device, including modems, mice, and printers (although
most printers are connected to a parallel port).
Line printers
A high-speed printer capable of printing an entire line at one time. A fast
line printer can print as many as 3,000 lines per minute. The disadvantages
of line printers are that they cannot print graphics, the print quality is low,
and they are very noisy.
Chain printers
An early line printer that used type slugs linked together in a chain as its
printing mechanism. The chain spins horizontally around a set of hammers.
When the desired character is in front of the selected print column, the
corresponding hammer hits the paper into the ribbon and onto the character
in the chain. Chain and train printers gave way to band printers in the early
1980s.
Bar printers
A kind of impact printer in which the character slugs are moved on a type
bar.
speed: Given in characters per second (cps), the speed can vary
from about 50 to over 500 cps. Most dot-matrix printers offer different
speeds depending on the quality of print desired.
print quality: Determined by the number of pins (the mechanisms
that print the dots), it can vary from 9 to 24. The best dot-matrix
printers (24 pins) can produce near letter-quality type, although you
can still see a difference if you look closely.
In addition to these characteristics, you should also consider the noise factor.
Compared to laser and ink-jet printers, dot-matrix printers are notorious for
making a racket.
Thermal Printers.
Laser Printer.
Ink Jet Printers.
Thermal Printers
Laser Printer
A laser printer
Laser Printers use a laser beam and dry powdered ink to produce a fine dot
matrix pattern. This method of printing can generate about 4 pages of A4
paper per minute.
An inkjet printer
AUDIO OUTPUT
Audio is a necessary part of any target device. In addition to entertainment it
also provides verbal information to the driver as part of the overall strategy
to control the driver distractions.
Speakers
Headphone
SPEAKERS
Definition of Speakers:
• Device that lets you have a conversation with others, listen to music,
or hear sounds generated from the computer.
• A loudspeaker is a device which converts an electrical signal into
sound.
• An electro acoustic device that is connected as a component in a
computer system, its function being to make speech or music audible.
•
An output device that allows you to hear voice, music, and other
sounds from your computer.
• You need speakers to hear the sound generated by a sound card. You
should buy speakers with a built-in amplifier to strengthen the sound
signal and improve the performance.
HEADPHONES
Definition of Headphones:
• Placed on your head so you can hear an incoming track while mixing,
headphones are an essential part of DJing. Choose a good quality pair
with closed backs for better bass response and their ability to shut out
external noise. Sony® makes good headphones.
• Devices that can be worn on the head with small speakers that fit over
the ears (or sometimes into the ears).
Fax Machine
Telephone
Mobile Phones
SMS
Pager
FAX MACHINE
TELEPHONE
Definition of Telephone:
• A device that converts your speech into an analog signal suitable for
transmission over a phone line.
• Electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that
can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals
back into sounds; "I talked to him on the telephone".
• Call: get or try to get into communication (with someone) by
telephone; "I tried to call you all night"; "Take two aspirin and call me
in the morning".
• Transmitting speech at a distance.
MOBIL PHONES
SMS
• It is Short Message service; also commonly known as a text message.
PAGER
Definition of Pager:
• An X program that allows the user to see and switch between multiple
“desktops”.