DESKTOP POWER SUPPLY

THE POWERPACK – Power Supply to the System Unit

The power pack is the shiny metal box located at the rear of the system unit. It is a device that provides electrical power for every component inside the system unit. It converts commercial electrical power received from a 120 VAC, 60Hz or 220 VAC, 50Hz (outside the US) outlet into other levels required by the components of the system. Several bundles of cable emerge from the power supply to provide power to the components of the system unit and its peripherals. Typical desktop/ tower power supplies produce 4 or 5 different levels of efficiently regulated DC voltage. These are +3.3V, +5V, -5V, +12V, and -12V. The power supply unit also provides the system's ground. The +3.3V and +5V levels are used by the microprocessor. Other IC devices on the system board and adapter cards use the +5V level.
Now comes the cable analysis

1.       Power Supply Connector - 3.3V, 3.3V, COM, 5V, COM, 5V, COM, PW OK, 5 VSB, 12V, 3.3V, -12V, COM, PS ON, COM, COM, COM, -5V, 5V and 5V. Attached to the power supply connector pin is a 4-PIN ADD-ON with +3.3V, COM, +12V and +5V. So that makes it 24-PIN EXTENDED ATX. It is used to supply power to the mother board whether ATX or EXTENDED ATX

2.       Fan Power 4-PIN EPS CLIP-ON EXTENSION Connector PIN – COM, +12V, +12V and COM. This is an extension to the standard 20-PIN ATX power connector that converts it to meet the minimum requirements of the Entry-level Power Supply (EPS) specification.

3.       Optional 8-PIN EPS CONNECTOR PIN – GROUND, GROUND, +12VDC, +12VDC, GROUND, GROUND, +12VDC and +12VDC. This provides the full implementation of the EPS specification for those system boards that require this connector. The full EPS implementation delivers even more 12VDC power sources to the system board than standard ATX 20, 20+4 and 24-PIN connections.

4.       AUXILIARY (Disk Drive) POWER CONNECTOR – PIN 1 (+12VDC), PIN 2 (GROUND), PIN 3 (GROUND), PIN 4 (+5V). This is used for connecting hard drives, CD-ROM drives, tape drives to power supply

5.       6-PIN PCIe POWER CONNECTOR - +12VDC, +12VDC, +12VDC, GROUND, GOUND and GROUND. This is used to supply additional power to adapter cards mounted in the system board’s PCIe expansion slots. Some of these cards may require more current from the power supply than the system board can deliver through its expansion slots.

Advanced Auxiliary Power Connectors - More advanced power supplies offer additional power connection options such as the wide flat 5 and 15-PIN SATA connectors. They are used to supply power to the newer serial ATA-style disk drive units.

SATA Analysis

1.       15-PIN SATA POWER CONNECTOR - +3.3VDC, +3.3VDC, +3.3VDC, GROUND, GROUND, GROUND, +5VDC, +5VDC, +5VDC, GROUND, RESERVED, GROUND, +12VDC, +12VDC and +12VDC.

2.       5-PIN SATA POWER CONNECTOR - +3.3VDC, GROUND, +5VDC, GROUND and +12VDC

Now you know what the power supply is like, so when you try to connect the various components of the system unit together, you have to plug in the correct connector to its port.

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MICROSOFT WINDOWS TIMELINE

Microsoft Windows Timeline

1985 – Windows 1.0

1987 – Windows 2.0

1990 – Windows 3.0

1992 – Windows 3.1
1993 – Windows NT 3.1
1995 – Windows 95
1996 – Windows NT 4.0
1997 – Windows CE
1998 – Windows 98
2000 – Windows 2000 Professional
2000 – Windows Millennium Edition
2001 – Windows XP Home and Professional
2001 – Windows XP Tablet PC
2002 – Windows XP Unlimited
2007 – Windows Vista
2009 – Windows 7
2011 – Windows 8
2013 – Windows 8.1
2015 – Windows 10

I think I have been able to help you know the numerous Windows developed by Microsoft Company and the year of development. Thanks

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COMPUTER CONNECTORS

COMPUTER Connectors

I see that many of us can only connect the various parts of the computer together but if we are asked to tell the name of these connectors, some find it difficult to even mention one. You need to understand the many types of connectors and ports used by different devices. Connectors are what a computer device uses to connect and communicate with the motherboard. The connectors are plugged to their respective ports such as USB connector to a USB port. All of these connectors have their own naming conventions that you should know. So you don’t go around saying mouse port or printer port but you can say that is a Mini DIN or Mini DB-25.

Although PCs use close to 50 different connectors, almost all the connectors fit into one of seven major types which are discussed below:

1.       DB Connectors – These have a slight D shape, which allows only one proper way to insert a plug into the socket. They have group of small pins and sockets (male/female) that insert as a group. DB connectors can have from 9 to 37 pins but major DB connectors carry 25 or less pins. It’s an old fashion in the PC world. E.g. DB mouse, DB gamepads, DB VGA (Monitor)

2.       DIN Connectors – All PCs carry round DIN connectors. It comes in two sizes: DIN and mini-DIN. The sockets are always female. E.g. PS/2 style mouse and Keyboard

3.       Centronics Connectors (Parallel) – These are similar to DB connectors in shape but use one large central tab covered with contacts instead of pins. A Centronic connector has 36 contacts and therefore called a 36-pin connector. They also possess wire (wings) that lock the plug to the socket to reduce accidental removal. Sockets are always female. E.g. printer Centronics or Parallel port

4.       RJ Connectors – You may be familiar with these as it is used in cybercafés for networking. It is of two types which are RJ-11 (for connecting telephone to the computer to be used as modem and called phone jack) and RJ-45 (for network cabling). Most network cards have an RJ-45 socket.

5.       BNC Connectors – These are also known as coaxial or coax connectors. They are also old fashion in the PC world. They are common on a type of network card called thinnet card. As they slowly fades from the PC world, some screw-type coax connectors may show up at the back of a PC. Even some cards still have them today. E.g. TV card

6.       Audio Connectors – The only one popular type is the mini audio connector which has been around for years. They are just like the plug you use to insert headphones into a Sony Walkman. They are used almost exclusively on sound cards.

7.       USB (Universal Serial Bus) – These seems to be the most popular connector seen on PCs. It is a general purpose connector as different versions of many different devices can be connected or disconnected through it without any stress of restarting the computer. With its rectangular shape it is easily recognizable. It supports ‘plug and play’ which makes it very easy for you to connect your devices anytime if the device driver is installed correctly.

One other connector worthy of mention is the amazing FireWire, also called IEEE 1394. Although rare, it moves data at high speeds, making the perfect connection for highly specialized devices such as streaming video. Nowadays, it is found only on USB to FireWire (check your techno or visafone cable or attachable devices such as external DVD)

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COMPUTER CABLES

Computer Cables

Computer cable, also known as a cord, is one or more wires covered in a plastic covering that connects a computer to a power source or other device. They are used for communication and to send signals between connected devices. There are two main types of computer cables, namely:

a.       Power Cables – These are used to supply electricity to the computer system. A power cable consists of two or more electrical conductors usually held together with an overall sheath.

 

b.      Data Cables – These are cables that provides communication between devices. They allow baseband transmissions (binary 1, 0’s) from a transmitter to a receiver. There are various types of data cables. Their classification depends on the type of data transmitted and the destination port of the receiver. Examples are printer cable, Universal Serial Bus (USB), monitor cable, serial cable.

i.    Printer Cable – This carries data between a computer and a printer. There are many different types of printer cables such as Serial, Parallel, FireWire, USB.

ii.   Monitor Cable – This, also called VGA (Video Graphics Adapter) is a three-row 15-pin DB-15 connector. The 15-pin VGA connector is found on many video cards, computer monitors, and some 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. VGA connectors and cables carry analog component RGBHV (Red, Green, Blue Horizontal Sync Vertical Sync) video signals, and VESA DDC (VESA Display Data Channel) data. The monitor can be connected via VGA or DVI or HDMI connector.

iii.  Serial Cable – This cable can be used to transfer information between two devices using serial communication. The form of connectors depends on the particular physical layer used.

A cable wired for connecting two DTEs (Data Terminal Equipment) directly is known as a null modem cable. An example of a serial cable is monitor or VGA cable.

iv.  IDE/ATA/PATA – Integrated Drives Electronics/AT Attachment/Parallel ATA is an interface standard for the connection of storage devices such as hard disk drives, floppy disk drives and optical disc drives in computers.

v.   SATA – Serial AT Attachment is a computer bus interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives, optical drives and solid-state drives. This succeeded the older Parallel ATA standard, offering several advantages over the older interface; reduced cable size and cost (seven conductors instead of 40 or 80), native hot swapping, faster data transfer through higher signaling rates, and more efficient transfer through an (optional) I/O queuing protocol.

iv.  Network Cables – Network cables are used to connect and transfer data between computers and a network. There are different types of network cable. These cables are used depending on the structure and topology of a network. The most commonly used types of network cables are:

Twisted Pair – This cabling is a type of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are twisted together for the purposes of cancelling out electromagnetic interface (EMI) from external sources. Twisted pair cables were invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1881.

Twisted pair cables are mainly used for Ethernet networks and telephone lines.

There are two types of twisted pair cables, namely: unshielded twisted pair and shielded twisted pair. A shielded twisted pair has a material covering the wires to prevent electromagnetic interference. 

Coaxial Cable – This is an electrical cable with an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible tubular insulating layer surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis. Coaxial cable was invented by English engineer and mathematician Oliver Heaviside.

Coaxial cable is used as a transmission line for radio frequency signals. Its applications include feedlines connecting radio transmitters and receivers with their antennas, computer network connections, digital audio, and distributing cable television signals. 

Optical Fiber Cable – This is a technology that uses glass or plastic threads or fibers to transmit data. A fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves.

Fiber optics has several advantages over traditional metal communications lines:

*   Fiber optic cables have a much greater bandwidth than metal cables. This means that they can carry more data.

*   Fiber optic cables are less susceptible than metal cables to interference.

*   Fiber optic cables are much thinner and lighter than metal wires.

*   Data can be transmitted digitally (the natural form for computer data) rather than analogically. 

The main disadvantage of fiber optics is that the cables are expensive to install. In addition, they are more fragile than wire and are difficult to splice.

Fiber optics is a particularly popular technology for local-area networks. In addition, telephone companies are steadily replacing traditional telephone lines with fiber optic cables. In the future, almost all communications will employ fiber optics.

Telephone Cable – This is a type of male connector used to connect a telephone to the telephone wiring in a home or office, and in turn to a local telephone network. It is inserted into its female counterpart, a telephone “jack” commonly fixed to a wall or baseboard. The standard for telephone plugs varies from country to country, though the RJ11 “modular connector” has become by far the most common. A connection standard such as “RJ11” specifies not only the physical connector but now it is wired (the “pin out”)

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COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THE COMPUTER'S CPU

Common problems with the Computer’s CPU

The CPU (Central Processing Unit), found on the computer’s motherboard, serves as the main information processor in a computer. A CPU also known as microprocessor is made from a wafer of semiconducting material usually silicon with millions of electrical components on its surface. The CPU is the heart of the computer as it times, controls the rest of the system and also performs arithmetic and logic operations on data.

There are problems that can be faced with the CPU. These problems can be divided into various categories, which will be discussed in this blog.

1.       Hardware Problem

Assembly Error – This could be a factory error though there are always quality checks to ensure good quality of product. Error can come in during construction of part such as broken pins or connectors, even missing part. If you purchased the PC as new, then it will be under warranty for at least a year.

Loose or Damaged Component – Part may be loosed or damaged or even wear out. You can always check to see if your CPU is properly secured on the motherboard.

Device Manager – You can check for missing hardware driver using the device manager. The device manager will also report the origin of any hardware malfunction or problem.

To use Device Manager, open Control Panel – System – Device Manager.

CPU Overheating – This can cause a problem in operating. If you modified your computer to operate at a higher processing speed than the original setting by overclocking, your PC is prone to overheating. This can be solved by installing an external fan for your desktop PC or a higher powered heat sink. For a laptop, you will need an external cooling fan. You can also monitor the temperature of your PC using available software.

2.       Software Problem

Driver’s Update – If your computer begins to crash, you may need to update or replace some of your device drivers. You can also use Windows Update to make necessary corrections for some unknown device drivers.

Booting up Problem – At system start up, the POST (Power On Self-Test) displays any hardware malfunctions.

Slow Booting or Loading – There may be a problem with your operating system or hard drive space. Try to free up some space on your hard drive by removing unwanted temporary files, empty recycle bin, internet junks, photo thumbnails etc. You can as well defragment your hard drive to make PC function simultaneously.

Bad Audio Output – This is caused by one of the three problems; Your processor is beyond its capacity or insufficient memory space (RAM) or the audio is set to PIO (Programmed Input/Output) mode. If in PIO mode, change to DMA (Direct Memory Access).

Problem with New Software – Some new software may cause problems after installation due to incompatibility issues. You are advised to uninstall if that is the case as it might overload the CPU.

CPU Auditory Signs Problem – It is abnormal for your PC to make extraordinary sounds while operating. It might be overworking itself. If the CPU fan runs high speed constantly at normal room temperature, then the CPU is being overheated. Always use PC in a well ventilated area.

Perform a Virus Scan – Virus can pose high threat to your CPU. Make sure you have an antivirus installed and updated. Set to run regularly and automatically. Download an antivirus for free below.

Safe Mode Option – You can run your PC on safe mode to see if there is still a software malfunction of problem.

Damaged or Missing DLL Files – The DLL (Dynamic Link Library) contains tiny mini-programs that are, as their name indicates, stored in a "library" section outside the RAM (random access memory). They save memory space in your RAM, while they command the EXE (executable program) to execute specific functions. They perform their duty only when called to do so by your PC, such as functions in your Control Panel like defragmenting. If you have somehow a damaged or missing DLL file, the operation of your CPU will be disrupted. When you troubleshoot as mentioned above, you will receive a message and remedy for this predicament. It will instruct you how to download a replacement DLL file.

The Blue Screen of Death – When this suddenly appears on your monitor screen, it is a warning that your PC has a problem such as a DLL file missing or damaged, malfunctioned hardware, corrupted software, missing or damaged driver etc. The blue screen is to tell you identified problem and the code to fix it. Sometimes, all you need do is to restart when you see the blue screen.

3.       CPU Operating at Maximum Level

If your CPU is suddenly slow and/or crashing constantly, it may be running at maximum capacity. The CPU first gathers instructions for processing. The rate of processing these instructions is in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). Each rate of processing is measured in a standard called hertz (Hz) per second. One MHz is 10⁶, or a million cycles/second, and GHz is 10⁹, a billion cycles/ second. This is an overwhelming amount processed constantly each second that must be synchronized, or "clocked". Your CPU, understandably, has a limited number of cycles that can be handled each second. Once it hits the threshold of MHz or GHz, it becomes slow. Ideally, your PC normally operates at about 50 percent. If it hits the maximum, it will have problems.

What can cause the CPU to operate at a maximum level are as follows:

a.       Too many applications running simultaneously

b.       Malfunctioning driver

c.       Overheating

d.       Virus

e.       Insufficient RAM 

Your computer is a modern marvel, but many of us now take our computers for granted. It can be used for a wide array of tasks, and for many of us we need it as a valuable career tool. Thanks to computer pioneers and engineers, it is user-friendly. If suddenly the CPU has a problem, as the "brain" for your Laptop or PC, the entire operation is affected severely. Licensed computer repair technicians are highly skilled, and can certainly diagnose and repair (or replace) any problem. However, to save time and money, first follow the remedying steps above for various causes. Chances are that you can DIY (Do It Yourself), and have your computer up and running smoothly shortly.

Related CPU Problems

First of all, if not manufacturing problems and all of the correct guidelines for installation procedure have been followed by the manufacturer, then suffice to say CPU related problems are quite rare. The end results of CPU abnormality will fall under one or two categories:

a.       Random failures – This are irregular issues that could come up frequently.

b.      Catastrophic Failure – These failures are easy to identify since the computer doesn’t boot up.

How to solve catastrophic CPU Problems

Since the PC doesn’t boot up, it is very easy to suspect that there is something wrong the CPU and could be solved by doing any of the following:

Typically, the PC motherboard will produce a couple of beep sounds when it encounters any error. The user should jot down or count the frequency, as well as the number of beeps, and then compare what's on the list with those that are in the motherboard manual. This must be done to ascertain if there is really an issue in the CPU.

Random CPU Problems

The majority of CPU related problem symptoms are unpredictable and irregular in nature. This is why an excellent Problem Log is relevant when it comes to diagnosing the cause of the CPU problem. The computer user needs to follow the given guidelines, which can be found in irregular Problems section until he or she is able to ensure that the main problem is the CPU and not another computer part.

Among the most usual reasons for the misbehavior of the CPU are:

Power Problems – This can be a problem if the Power Supply Unit is not giving the CPU sufficient power or it has difficulty in maintaining a continuous power supply. This can be solved by changing the Power Supply Unit.

Heat Problems – This becomes a problem when the CPU is overheating or becoming too hot. It can be solved by blowing dust out of the CPU heat sink. If it continues to overheat, then install an extra fan to push air across the computer.

Motherboard Related Problems – This becomes a problem when a component such as transistors, capacitors, coils etc. on the motherboard is misbehaving or has been damaged. This can be solved by changing the affected component or replace motherboard completely.

Best way to care for the CPU

*       Detach connectors from the motherboard.

*       Carefully find a way to remove the CPU cooler. There might be screws and plate on the back of the motherboard; so, you will need to take the whole motherboard out of the desktop.

*       When the CPU cooler has been removed, clean the cooler thoroughly.

*       Blow the dust out of the cooler and the motherboard.

*       Replace the fans of the cooler with new ones of the same diameter. Make sure that they use the same power connectors to avoid installing a fan that will not be powered.

*       Clean the CPU with alcohol by using a tissue or napkin and let the CPU dry a bit.

*       Then, apply the thermal paste to the center of the CPU and distribute it evenly with a plastic card. The surface must be level and even.

*       Reattach the CPU cooler to the CPU and put the motherboard back. Reattach all connectors.

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PC EXPANSION BUS SLOTS

Expansion BUS slots

It would be impossible or expensive to build a computer that fits every user application. To fix this, PC designers include standardized connectors that enable users to configure the system to their particular computing needs.

Most PCs use what is called EXPANSION BUS SLOT connectors to help connect various types of peripheral devices to the system. Interface adapter cards are plugged into these slots to connect the devices to the system’s address, data and control buses (these are the three basic channels of information contained in the adapter card used to carry out data transfer between the system and the peripheral device). This is a means through which the system board communicates with the various optional I/O and memory systems. The slots are located along the left rear portion of the system board so that the external devices they serve can access them through openings at the rear of the case.

The expansion slot supplies the power required to operate the adapter card circuitry. However, different expansion slot types employ different connection layouts, timing, speed requirements, and operating signal levels. Therefore, you should be aware that given adapter cards can only be used in slots they are designed for. So it is important to know which type of slot is available when dealing with adapter cards.

Note – A particular system board may contain only one type of slot, or mixture of the expansion slot types. The following expansion slot types are commonly found on Pentium-class system boards.

1.       PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots – These 32/64-bit slot have been the most widely used expansion slots in the Pentium PC environment replacing the 16-bit ISA (Industry Standard Architecture). They conduct data transfers at rates between 132 and 528MBps.

2.       AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Slot – This is a 32-bit derivative of the PCI bus. It was developed to provide interface for advanced VGA (Video Graphics Adapter). Data pass back and forth at rates of up to 2.1GBps

3.       AMR (Audio Modem Riser) Slot – This is developed to handle specialized modems and sound cards that interacts directly with the system.

4.       CNR (Communications and Networking Riser) Slot – This was developed to replace the AMR slot. It is designed to handle special communication and audio cards.

5.       PCI extended (PCI-X) Slots – These have a high performance version of the original PCI bus specification but maintained the same connectors. They employed advanced signaling techniques to provide performance levels of 266 and 533MHz and data transfer rates up to 2.1 and 4.3GBps.

6.       PCI express (PCIe) Slots – These have a collection of high-speed serial versions of the PCI bus standard. They possess slot specifications that are not compatible with other PCI devices. They push performance levels to 2.5GHz and data transfer rates to between 250MBps and 4GBps.

 

The least expected is the ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slot also known as the Advanced Technology (AT) but you may still encounter this 16-bit slot. Unlike others, it is non-plug and play; it is a legacy slot on older Pentium system boards. It has served as a standard expansion slot specification for many years and through several generations of processors. The ISA slot ran at 8.33MHz and could transfer data at a whopping of 8MBps.

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INCREASING YOUR PC SPEED AND PERFORMANCE

How to increase your PC speed and Performance

Use a Registry Cleaner. This will free up resources and show you how to increase PC speed with a few clicks. This is one of the best answers to "how to speed up PC performance?" These easy point and click programs also defrag your hard drive and remove spyware. All that with the push of a button weekly will keep your computer running at its original PC speed specs. There are dozens of different registry cleaners’ software and registry cleaner tools available for use with the registry. Uniblue's Speed Up My PC is one of the easiest and best. I still recommend CCLEANER.

Defrag your hard drive over time. The data on your hard drive gets scattered. De-fragmenting your hard drive puts your data back into sequential order, making it easier for Windows to access it. As a result, the performance of your computer will improve. An excellent registry cleaner will show you how to speed up your PC using defrag techniques. Check out how to defrag your hard drive in one of our posts titled: Is there any other way I can make my PC run faster.

Scan for Adware/Spyware and Viruses. These nasty little worms can wreak havoc on your PC speed. Detecting and cleaning viruses is an excellent way to improve your system's performance and increase PC speed. Registry cleaners will help to remove these buggers also. Out of the abundance registry cleaner, I recommend Advanced System Care Program.

Adjust your computer’s Visual effects. Windows provides a number of resources hogging and interesting visual effects like animated windows and fading menus. These effects, however, can slow down your computer and kill your PC speed. By Altering your preferences and performance needs you can learn how to increase PC Speed in seconds. This is one of Microsoft's tips on how to increase PC speed and performance. Visit Adjust Visual Performance page for assistance. This can easily be done in minutes. An excellent registry cleaner can perform all but number 4.

Use a Window's Optimization Tool. Using a Windows Optimization tool can give you a big boost in the performance department. This takes the work out of your regular maintenance of organizing files, defragging your hard drive and other optimization task.

Manage Your Startups. By managing your Windows startup programs and services you can be free of vital CPU resources that can re-allocated your PC performance. This is a quick and easy tweak learn how to speed up PC CPU access time. I recommend CCLEANER to deactivate irrelevant programs that start up automatically.

Clean Windows Temp Files. Your Windows Temp files can swell to enormous sizes. This will eat up free space that could be allocated for applications you would like to use. I recommend CCLEANER for this action or type in %temp% or temp in the Open options in Run App to view temporary deleted files, you can select all and delete them permanently.

Cheers!!!

Written from AdeDanCompTech’s Desk