Homework #1 Solution

Description

Answer the following questions in a paragraph or two each, or with a small diagram, on a separate sheet of paper. You’ll need to research some information online, if you don’t know it.

This assignment addresses several aspects of computer hardware, including interesting but little-known components, similarities between components, PC disassembly, and some historical and political aspects of the primary vendors. Enjoy the process! You’ll gain a deeper insight into the content presented in week 1.

When you’re done, please convert what you have into a .pdf file and upload it to Canvas.

Questions

1. What does the clock generator on a motherboard do? What is the resonant circuit in the generator usually made from? (4 points)

2. What is an anti-static wrist strap for? Why is it important to be grounded when working inside a PC? (4 points)
3. What is the commonly-given maximum resolution of the ubiquitous VGA connector at 85 HZ? Does it surprise you that it reaches that resolution? Why or why not? (4 points)
4. Discuss the term “Wintel”, and its dominance in the PC marketplace. (6 points)

5. A customer of yours wants to replace the CPU in their custom PC (i.e. it’s built from off-the-shelf parts, not made by a big vendor like HP, Dell, etc.). Write up a brief set of instructions, walking the user through how to do it (this will probably be easier to answer after you complete Lab 1). (8 points)

6. What is a motherboard beep code? Why are they important? (4 points)

7. What is USB-C, and how is it an improvement? (4 points)

8. Draw the following video jacks: (6 points)

a. HDMI (full-size)

b. VGA

c. DisplayPort (full-size)

d. DVI-I