Millennium City Academy: Teaching Plan

DG0K 33: Hardware Concepts

Required Textbook: Exam Cram 2: A+ (Second Edition)

There are 4 x 2.5 hour teaching sessions each week. Each of these is
followed by a half-hour revision session which allows the students to read
over that day’s work. There is also a 3 hour directed study session each
week, when the students can read over that week’s work and complete
logbook entries. These revision/study sessions are part of the student’s
scheduled workload and must be completed.

Each teaching session is divided up into four half-hour sub-sessions to give

the lecturer guidance on the appropriate rate of progress. The remaining
half-hour is balance time, which can be used to review student assessments,
carry out remediation or devote additional time to topics which students find
particularly difficult.

While it is not necessary to adhere rigidly to the sub-session timing, every

effort should be made to ensure that all topics scheduled for a particular day
are completed and it is absolutely essential to ensure that all scheduled work
is covered within the specified week.

You should have several PCs available that students can take apart and
handle and install components. These machines do not need to be new, or
even operational, but it is essential that students should have experience of
practical work with components.

If you have any problems or queries please email ted@hastings.nu.

Please email me at the end of each week with details of the work you have
completed that week.
Week 1

Lesson 1.1

Chapter 2: Motherboards 19
System Boards: A Brief History 20
Signal Traces and Integrated Circuits 21

The Advanced Technology (AT) Form Factor 22

CMOS 26
Baby AT and ATX 27

Internal Cooling Systems 30

Liquid Cooling Technology 32
Low Profile Extensions (LPX) 33
NLX 34
Summary—Form Factors 35

Note: the three Motherboard videos on the Exam Cram A+ CD can be a useful
supplement to this lesson.

Students should be able to complete the “Motherboard” and “Firmware” items in

Section 1.1 of the Logbook after this lesson. This gives an excellent opportunity to
introduce them to the process of completing the Logbook.
Lesson 1.2

Data Transfers—The Bus 36

Throughput and Data Path 36
Bandwidth 40

Expansion Bus Architecture 43

Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) 43
MCA and EISA 44
VESA Local Bus—32-Bit 45
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) 46
Bus Mastering 47
North Bridge and South Bridge 48

Supplementary Information 50
Conventional PCI 51
PCI-X (Revision 1.0b) 53
PCI-X (Revision 2.0) 53
Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 54

Memory Buses 56
Front Side Bus 58
PC Card (PCMCIA) 59
Summary—Bus Architectures 60

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 62 during the
next directed study session.
Lesson 1.3

Chapter 3: Memory: Types and Forms 67

Conceptual Overview 69
Read-Only Memory (ROM) 70
RAM Versus ROM 71

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) 72

Programmable ROM 73
Flash BIOS 74
CMOS Memory 74
Random Access Memory (RAM) 75
Dynamic RAM (DRAM) 76

Static RAM (SRAM) 78

Asynchronous Memory 79
Synchronized DRAM (SDRAM) 80
Cycles and Frequencies 81
Clock Speed and Megahertz 82

Clock Multipliers 83
The PC100 Standard 86
NRZI and DDR 88
Pipelining 88
Larger Bytes and Wider Buses 89
Summary—Basic Memory 89

Notes to lecturer:

The Memory video on the Exam Cram A+ CD can be a useful supplement to this
lesson.

Students should be able to complete the “Memory” item in Section 1.1 of the
Logbook after this lesson.
Lesson 1.4

Cache Memory 90
Memory Caches 91
L-1 and L-2 Cache Memory 93
L-3 Caches 94
Memory Pages 94
Page Ranges 95

Burst Mode 96
Fast Page Mode (FPM) 96
The Data Output Buffer 97
Extended Data Output (EDO) RAM 98
Rambus Memory (RDRAM) 99
RDRAM 99
Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM) 101
DDR-II 101

Serial Transfers and Latency 102

Video RAM (VRAM) 103
Supplemental Information 104
Multibank DRAM (MDRAM) 105
Packaging Modules 105
Dual Inline Package (DIP) 106

Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMMs) 107

Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) 108
Rambus Inline Memory Modules (RIMMs) 108
Memory Diagnostics—Parity 109
Even or Odd Parity 110
Error Correction Code (ECC) 111

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 113 during
the next directed study session.

End of Week 1: Please email ted@hastings.nu with details of the work

completed this week and any problems or difficulties encountered.
Week 2

Lesson 2.1

Chapter 4: Processor Mechanics, IRQs, and DMA 117

Numbers, Symbols, and Words 119
Bytes and Words 120
Binary Numbers 121
Numbering Systems 123
Binary Numbers—Base-2 123
Hexadecimal Numbers—Base-16 124

Logic and Numbers 125

Interesting Areas Inside a CPU 126
Microcode 127
CPU Manufacturing 130
The Processor Core 131
The Micron Manufacturing Processes 132

The Original Microprocessor—4004 133

Inside the CPU 133
The Internal CPU Bus and Registers 135
The Address Bus 136
Row-Column Addresses 137

Processor Bus Bottleneck 138

Split Transfers 140
Addressable Memory 142
Micro Buses 143
The System Bus—Motherboard 144
F—The PCI (Conventional) Bus 146
A—The Front-Side Bus 147
B—The Processor Bus 147
C and D—The Address and Backside Bus 148
E—The Memory Bus 148
Summary—How CPUs Work 149

Interrupt Requests (IRQs) 150

IRQ 2 Cascades to IRQ 9 151
PCI Steering 151
Default IRQ Listing 153
IRQ 14 and Secondary Controllers 154
Direct Memory Access (DMA) 155
DMA Channels 156
Port IRQs and Addresses 156
COM Ports 157
LPT Ports 158

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 159 during
the next directed study session.
Students should be able to complete Item 1.2: Resource Requirements in the
Logbook after this lesson.
Lesson 2.2

Chapter 5: Processors and Chipsets 165

Original Processors 166
Intel 8086 and 8088 167
Real Mode 168
The 16-Bit 80286 168
Original Protected Mode 170
Third Generation: The 32-Bit 80386 171
32-Bit Protected Mode (386 Mode) 172
Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Software 174
The Fourth Generation 80486, DX, SX, and SL 175
386-SX 175
386-SL and Power Management 176

80486-DX 177
Clock Multipliers Again 178
80486-DX2 179
Summary—Original Processors 180
Fifth Generation: Pentium Processors 180
Technology Overview 181
MMX—Multimedia 182
Pentium: First Series 184
Pentium: Second Series 185
Pentium: Third Series and MMX 186
Pentium III 187
Celeron 188

The Pentium 4 189

Net Burst Technology 191
Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology 192
Mobile “Centrino” Technology 192
The Core Naming Convention 193
AMD 200

Summary—Modern Processors 202

Chipsets, Slots, and Sockets 203
Sockets 204
Slot Technology 205
AMD and Socket A 206
Chipsets 208
Hub Architecture 210

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 212 during
the next directed study session.

Students should be able to complete the “Processor/CPU” item in Section 1.1 of the
Logbook after this lesson.
Lesson 2.3

Chapter 6: Basic Electronics 219

Analog Versus Digital 220
Basic Electricity 222
Current 223
Negative to Positive Movement 223

Amps and Volts 224

Circuits 225
Electronic Components 226
Resistors and Ohms 226
Multimeters 227

Capacitors and Dielectrics 228

The Power Supply 231
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) 232

Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) 233

Supplemental Information 235
Data and Reference Line 236

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 238 during
the next directed study session.

Students should be able to complete the “Power Supply” item in Section 1.1 of the
Logbook after this lesson.
Lesson 2.4

Chapter 7: Peripherals: Input Devices 245

Keyboards 246
Switch Technology: Mechanical 247
Capacitive Technology: Non-mechanical 248

Mice and Trackballs (Pointing Devices) 250

Mechanical Mouse 250
Types of Mice 251
Supplementary Information 252
Modems 253
UART Chips 253

Basic Modem Commands 254

Scanners 256
Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) and Resolution 256
Scanner Connections 258

Supplementary Information 259

Troubleshooting Input Devices 260
Substitute First 260
Test a Solution 261
Faulty Connections and Corrupted Drivers 262
Summary—Input Devices 262

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 264 during
the next directed study session.

Students should be able to complete the “Input Devices” item in Section 1.1 of the
Logbook after this lesson.

This section may also provide an opportunity for students to trouble shoot a hardware
problem and complete the “Module 1” or “Module 2” troubleshooting sheet for Item 2.1
in the Logbook.

End of Week 2: Please email ted@hastings.nu with details of the work

completed this week and any problems or difficulties encountered.
Week 3

Lesson 3.1

Chapter 8: Peripherals: Storage Devices 269

Historic Drives 270
Shugart Drive Interface 271
Terminology 272
Disks Transfer Concept Overview 273
Standards Organizations 274

Table of Acronyms 275

Disk Geometry 276
Magnetism and Field Effects 277
Drive Construction 278

Head Actuator Motor 281

Logic Boards (Controllers) 283
Tracks, Cylinders, Sectors, and Clusters 284
Track 0 286
Density: Bits Per Square Inch 287

Logical Formatting: Clusters 288

Supplementary Information 288
Int 13h 289
CHS (Cylinder/Head/Sector) 289
Large Block Addressing (LBA) 291
The 137GB Limit 292
Summary—Hard Disks 293

Notes to lecturer:
Lesson 3.2

Floppy Disks 294

Floppy Disk Types 295
Media Sensor Jumper 296
Drive Select Jumper 297
Diskette Change Line 298
Troubleshooting Floppy Drives 298

The ATA Specification 299

Timing Signals and Buffers 300
Table of Transfer Rates 301
ATA Modes 303
ATA-3: Fast ATA 303
ATA-4: Ultra ATA/33 304
ATA-5: Ultra ATA/66 305
ATA-6: Ultra ATA/100 306
ATA-7: Ultra ATA/133 306
Supplemental Information 306

The SCSI Specification 307

Host Adapter: 8 ID Numbers 308
SCSI-1—Only Hard Drives 309
SCSI-2—Additional Peripheral Devices 310
SCSI-3 (Ultra SCSI) 311

Tape Backup Systems 312

Tape Formats 313
Optical Disks 314
CLV and CAV 315
CD-R 316
DVDs 318
Flash Memory 320

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 323 during
the next directed study session.

The ATA video on the Exam Cram A+ CD can be a useful supplement to this lesson.

Students should be able to complete the “Storage Devices” item in Section 1.1 of the
Logbook after this lesson.

This section may also provide an opportunity for students to troubleshoot a hardware
problem and complete the “Module 1” or “Module 2” troubleshooting sheet for Item
2.1 in the Logbook.
Lesson 3.3

Chapter 9: Peripherals: Output Devices 331

Transient Versus Final Output 332
Video Displays 333
Colors: RGB and CMY 333
Pixels and Triads 334
Dots Per Inch (dpi) 335
Resolution 335

Screen Size 337

Scan Cycle and Refresh Rate 339
VGA 341

XGA 342
SVGA 342
Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) 343
Graphics Accelerator Cards 345

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) 347

LCD Panel Construction 348
Color and Light Revisited 349
Scan Rates and Response Time 350
Troubleshooting Monitors 351
Summary—Monitors 352

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be able to complete the “Display Devices” item in Section 1.1 of the
Logbook after this lesson.

This section may also provide an opportunity for students to troubleshoot a hardware
problem and complete the “Module 1” or “Module 2” troubleshooting sheet for Item
2.1 in the Logbook.
Lesson 3.4

Printers 353
Form Feed 354
Impact Printers 354
Paper Movement 356

Ink Pixels and Resolution 359

Thermal Paper and Thermal Printers 360
Troubleshooting Printers 360
Laser Printers 361
The Laser Printing Process 362
The Printing Components 363

The Printing Steps 364

The Paper Feed Process 370

Troubleshooting Laser Printers 371
Summary—Printers 372
Fonts 372
Raster Versus Bitmap Fonts 373
TrueType Fonts (.TTF Files) 373

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 375 prior to
the next lesson.

This section may also provide an opportunity for students to troubleshoot a hardware
problem and complete the “Module 1” or “Module 2” troubleshooting sheet for Item
2.1 in the Logbook.

End of Week 3: Please email ted@hastings.nu with details of the work

completed this week and any problems or difficulties encountered.
Lesson 4.1

Chapter 10: Basic Networking 381

Plug ‘n’ Play (PnP) 382
Chaining Devices 383
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 385

USB 1.0 and 1.1 387

Powered USB Hubs 388
USB 2.0 390
USB Troubleshooting 391
Supplementary Information 392

IEEE-1394 393
Summary—Bus Transfers 395
Networking Overview 395
Categories and Types 396
Network Interface Card (NIC) 398
Network Software 399
Media 399
Ethernet (IEEE-802.3) 399

Terminators 400
Token Ring (IEEE-802.5) 401
Bus and Star Topology 402
Bridges and Routers 403
The Router 403
TCP/IP Addresses 404
The OSI Model 405
Summary—Network Overview 407

Notes to lecturer:

This section may also provide an opportunity for students to troubleshoot a hardware
problem and complete the “Module 1” or “Module 2” troubleshooting sheet for Item
2.1 in the Logbook.
Lesson 4.2

The Internet 408

Email Addresses 409
Online Connections 410

Troubleshooting Networks 412

802.11 Wireless Networking 415
Radio 415
IEEE-802.11 and Spread Spectrum Radio 416

Frequency Hopping 417

802.11 Components and Structure 418
A Wi-Fi Home Network 419
WLAN Configuration 420
Wireless Equivalency Privacy (WEP) 421

Setting the Channel 422

Bluetooth 423
Infrared Wireless 424
Fiber Optics 424
Connectors 425

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 428 during
the next directed study session.
Lesson 4.3

Chapter 11: Cables and Connectors 435

Legacy I/O Interfaces 437
Floppy and Hard Disk Controllers 439
15-Pin VGA 439
Parallel (LPT) Ports: 8 Bits Across 440

Types of Parallel Ports 441

Serial (COM) Ports: 1 Bit After Another 441
DB25 442
RS-232 and DB9 444
36-Pin Centronics Connector 445
SCSI Connectors 445
PS/2, USB, and FireWire Connectors 446

Back Panel Connectors 447

Summary—Standard Cables 448
Network Cables and Connectors 450
Coaxial Cable 450
Terminators 451
RG Coaxial Cable Types 452

Twisted Pair 454

Categories 455
STP and UTP—Shielded and Unshielded Twisted Pair 455
Summary—Network Cables 456
Twisted-Pair Categories 457
RJ-11, RJ-45, and Modular Connectors 458
Oxidation and Data Integrity 459

Notes to lecturer:

Students should be directed to attempt the Exam Prep Questions on P. 461 during
the next directed study session.

Students should be able to complete Item 1.3: Ports and Cabling in the Logbook
after this Lesson.
Lesson 4.4

Hardware Revision / Assessment

Notes to lecturer:

Any final assessment, including submission of the student logbook and/or repeats of
previous assessments should be carried out during this session.

Students who wish to attempt the A+ Core Hardware Technologies exam should be
should be directed to attempt the Hardware Practice Exam on P. 467 before doing so.

End of Week 4: Please email ted@hastings.nu with details of the work

completed this week and any problems or difficulties encountered.

By this time ALL the work for the unit and ALL assessments should be
completed. Please let Ted Hastings know of any students who have
assessments outstanding.