Datasheet
28
Chapter 1
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Personal Computer System Components
Newer motherboards have color-coded the PS/2 mouse and keyboard con-
nectors to make connection of keyboards and mice easier. PS/2 mouse
connectors are green (to match the standard green connectors on some
mice), and the keyboard connectors are purple.
Peripheral Ports and Connectors
In order for a computer to be useful and have the most functionality, there must be a way
to get the data into and out of it. Many different ports are available for this purpose. We
will discuss the different types of ports and how they work later in this chapter.
Briefly, the seven most common types of ports you will see on a computer are serial, par-
allel, Universal Serial Bus (USB), video (see Chapter 3), Ethernet, sound in/out, and game
ports. Figure 1.19 shows some of these and others on a docking station or port replicator
for a laptop. From left to right, the interfaces shown are as follows:
DC power in
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Analog modem RJ-11
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Ethernet NIC RJ-45
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S-video out
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DVI-D (dual-link) out
ßN
SVGA out
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Parallel (on top)
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Standard serial
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Mouse (on top)
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Keyboard
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S/PDIF (out)
ßN
USB
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FIGURE 1.19 Peripheral ports and connectors
Figure 1.20 shows an example of a game port (also called a joystick port because that
was the most common device that connected to it). As discussed later in this chapter, the
game port can be used to connect to Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) devices
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