Chapter 3

Peripherals and Expansion

The following CompTIA A+ 220-801 objectives are covered in this chapter:

• 1.4 Install and configure expansion cards.
  • Sound cards
  • Video cards
  • Network cards
  • Serial and parallel cards
  • USB cards
  • FireWire cards
  • Storage cards
  • Modem cards
  • Wireless/cellular cards
  • TV tuner cards
  • Video capture cards
  • Riser cards
• 1.7 Compare and contrast various connection interfaces and explain their purpose.
  • Physical connections
  • USB 1.1 vs. 2.0 vs. 3.0 speed and distance characteristics (connector types: A, B, mini, micro)
  • FireWire 400 vs. FireWire 800 speed and distance characteristics
  • SATA1 vs. SATA2 vs. SATA3, eSATA, IDE speeds
  • Other connector types (Serial, Parallel, VGA, HDMI, DVI, Audio, RJ-45, RJ-11)
  • Analog vs. digital transmission (VGA vs. HDMI)
  • Speeds, distances and frequencies of wireless device connections
  • Bluetooth
  • IR
  • RF
• 1.11 Identify connector types and associated cables.
  • Display connector types:
  • DVI-D
  • DVI-I
  • DVI-A
  • DisplayPort
  • RCA
  • HD15 (i.e., DE15 or DB15)
  • BNC
  • miniHDMI
  • RJ-45
  • miniDIN-6
  • Display cable types:
  • HDMI
  • DVI
  • VGA
  • Component
  • Composite
  • S-video
  • RGB
  • Coaxial
  • Ethernet
  • Device connectors and various connector pin-outs
  • SATA
  • eSATA
  • PATA (IDE, EIDE)
  • Floppy
  • USB
  • IEEE1394
  • SCSI
  • PS/2
  • Parallel
  • Serial
  • Audio
  • RJ-45
  • Device cable types
  • SATA
  • eSATA
  • IDE
  • EIDE
  • Floppy
  • USB
  • IEEE1394
  • SCSI (68-pin vs. 50-pin vs. 25-pin)
  • Parallel
  • Serial
  • Ethernet
  • Phone
• 1.12 Install and configure various peripheral devices.
  • Input devices
  • Mouse
  • Keyboard
  • Touch screen
  • Scanner
  • Barcode reader
  • KVM
  • Microphone
  • Biometric devices
  • Game pads
  • Joysticks
  • Digitizer
  • Multimedia devices
  • Digital cameras
  • Microphone
  • Webcam
  • Camcorder
  • MIDI enabled devices
  • Output devices
  • Printers
  • Speakers
  • Display devices

With the core system components of the typical personal computer system under your belt, it is time to turn our attention to some of the peripherals that are available for connection to the computer. In doing so, we will also discuss the interfaces and cable assemblies associated with those peripherals.