Category: Technical Implementation (hardware requirements)

March 24, 2017

N5 – Technical Implementation (hardware requirements)

Description and exemplification of the appropriate type of hardware required for a specific information system including:
input and output devices
A device which is used to enter information in to a computer system is called a input device. E.g. Keyboard, microphone, mouse, etc. A device which the processor can send data to or display data on is an output device. E.g. Speakers, monitor, printer, projector, etc. Some devices are both input and output devices. Touch screen, rumble controller.
processor type and speed (Hz)
Some processors are better suited to certain tasks. So a processor that uses less power might be better suited for a mobile phone or laptop. In general, the faster the processor the more power it requires, so mobile processors often run a slow speed to desktop processors.
memory (RAM, ROM)
The more memory a computer has the more things it can do at the same time. More memory requires more power, so mobile computers often have less RAM and ROM than desktop computers.
memory capacity (RAM)
Computer memory is measure in GB. Often computers don’t have the maximum amount of memory installed, this is often due to the costs involved.

April 25, 2016

Higher – Technical Implementation Hardware Requirements – Revision

Comparison of

input devices
- Digital Camera
  - Resolution – Measured in mega pixels, typically the larger the better.
  - Optical Zoom – How close you can make the image appear without losing any quality.
- Touch Screen
  - Resistive – Single touch
  - Capacitive – Multi touch
output devices
- Printers
  - Resolution – Measured in DPI (dots per inch)
  - Speed – Measured in PPM (pages per minute)
  - Type – Laser or Ink Jet
- Monitors
  - Size – Measured diagonally in inches (9″,21″)
  - Resolution – Measured in pixels (1920×1080)
  - Type – LCD/TFT uses a flat panel of coloured cells to change the colour of the light shining through it. OLED uses a matrix of tiny LEDs to produce an image.
processor type – How many bits can be processed in a single operation (16bit, 32bit, 64bit )
number of processors – Single Core, the processor can appear to do more than one thing at a time using time slicing. Multi core, different processes are run on different cores.
Processor speed (Hz) – The number of times per second the processors voltage is switched, this allows the processor to carry out an operation. Typically measured in Gigahertz (GHz).
memory
- RAM – Volatile, losses contents when power disconnected. Dynamic, requires constant refreshing to remember contents.
- ROM – Non Volatile, contents kept when power disconnected. Not writeable, contents can not be changed.
- cache – Located on (or very near) processor. Static, contents do not need refreshing.
device type
- Desktop – Used for tasks that require a fair amount of processing power and storage.
- Laptop – Portable devices that use a battery and keyboard.
- Tablet – Ultra Portable device that uses a battery and touch screen.
- Smartphone – Small Ultra Portable device that uses a batter and small touch screen.

April 25, 2016

National 5 – Technical Implementation hardware requirements (Revision)

Input devices – put data into the processor e.g scanner, keyboard, mouse
output devices – display data from the processor e.g. monitor, printer, projector,
Processor type – dual, triple and quad code
- speed (Hz) – 1.8GHz to 3.4Ghz (faster)
Random Access Memory – used for current files, temporary storage of data which is lost if the device is switched off.
Read Only Memory – ROM retains its memory even after the computer is turned off.

Device types

Supercomputer – large processing power and memory, used by large organisations.
Desktop – processing power but not portable.
laptop – portable but generally less powerful than a desk top
tablet – portable but no physical keyboard.
smartphone – use 3G or connect to wifi. same functions as a tablet.

June 10, 2015

Evolution of BBC website

Over the years the BBC website has seen a number of changes. These changes were often driven by the rise of new technology.

Take for example the display you are currently viewing this post on. In 1997 the standard PC display was about 1024×768 at best and most people were using SVGA (800×600) as the 14″ CRT screens of the time were a little small. So we moved up to larger CRTs before dropping them and moving to TFTs and introducing widescreen 1920×1080 (1080p). Laptops brought problems of their own with fiddly input devices and small screens that had large pixels counts. Then tablets and smart phones brought in touch screens that didn’t have the pixel perfect aim of a mouse. Faster Internet connections meant that we could start to access and stream audio, then video.

Every time there was an evolution in hardware or software, the site needed to be changed. As well as the hardware changes, society was changing as well. We wanted our information displayed and interacted with in a different way. This means that the BBC’s site today is quite different from the site that started in 1997.

Take a look at the posts below for more information.