CHAP 1

• A type of video connector has a 24-pin or 29-pin female connector and provides compressed digital output to a monitor.
• The connector is primarily made for the consumer market, including camcorders, VCRs, and DVDs.
• Active matrix, also called thin film transistor (TFT), allows each pixel to be controlled, which creates very sharp color images.
• DLP projectors use a spinning color wheel with a microprocessor-controlled array of mirrors called a digital micromirror device (DMD).
• Brightness is the image’s intensity.
• Most computers have audio support either integrated into the motherboard or on an adapter card.
• The color wheel then adds the color data to complete the projected color image.
• Light-emitting diodes (LED) monitors are the latest types of monitors on the market today.
• LED monitors are said to use much lesser power than CRT and LCD and are considered far more environmentally friendly.
• LCD comes in two forms—active matrix and passive matrix.
• Position is the vertical and horizontal location of the image on the screen.
• An electronic current aligns the crystals so that light can either pass through or not pass through.
• Passive matrix is less expensive than active matrix but does not provide the same level of image control.
• LED monitors are flat panel, or slightly curved displays which make use of light-emitting diodes for back-lighting, instead of cold cathode fluorescent (CCFL) back-lighting used in LCDs.
• Each mirror in a DMD reflects light toward or away from the projector optics.
• Digital light processing (DLP) is another technology that is used in projectors.
• The effect of light passing through in certain areas and not in others is what creates the image.
• LCD Monitors are becoming the most common type of computer monitor.
• Printers are output devices that create hard copies of computer files.
• Each mirror in a DMD corresponds to a specific pixel.
• LCD: Liquid crystal display is commonly used in laptops and some projectors.
• LCD consists of two polarizing filters with a liquid crystal solution between them.
• Audio support includes ports that allow input and output of audio signals.
• Reset returns the monitor settings to the factory defaults.
• This creates a monochromatic image of up to 1024 shades of gray between white and black.
• The audio card has an amplifier to power headphones and external speakers.
• Contrast is the ratio of light to dark.
• Monitors have controls for adjusting the image quality.
• Speakers and Headphones are output devices for audio signals.
• Information Technology (IT) is a term that encompasses the relationship between hardware, software, networks, and technical assistance provided to users.
• PCs, safe lab procedures, troubleshooting, operating systems, laptop computers, printers and scanners, networks, security, and communication skills are topics covered in this course.
• Two hardware and software skills-based industry certifications, CompTIA A+ and EUCIP, are focused on in this course.
• This course is only an introduction to the world of IT.
• RAID adapter connects multiple hard drives to a computer to provide redundancy and to improve performance.
• Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) is an 8-bit or 16-bit expansion slot, which is older technology and is seldom used.
• Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) is a 32-bit or 64-bit expansion slot, which is the standard slot currently used in most computers.
• Wireless NIC connects a computer to a network using radio frequencies.
• Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) is a circuit board that holds SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and DDR2 SDRAM chips with 168-pin SDRAM DIMMs, 184-pin DDR DIMMs, and 240-pin DDR2 DIMMs.
• Modem adapter connects a computer to the Internet using a phone line.
• SCSI adapter connects SCSI devices, such as hard drives or tape drives, to a computer.