Computer Ports Discussion

Computer Technology & Repair Model

2 types of ports: Serial and ParallelBoth are bi-directionalSerial ports send information one bit at a time

down a single wire. A two-way street. Serial ports were made for devices that don’t

require much data to be processed quickly like mice and keyboards.

Parallel ports send information several bits at once down multiple wires. A multi-lane highway.

Parallel ports were made for devices that require data to be processed much quicker, like printers.

PS/2 Ports6-pin mini-din connector

Only used for mice and keyboards.

Color coded purple for keyboard and green for mouse

LAN Port (RJ 45)Resembles a

telephone connectionUsed for network

connectionsCan be 10, 100, or

1000 megabits per second (Mbps)

USB – Universal Serial Bus Port3 standards: 1.1 (obsolete),

2.0, and 3.01.1 transferred at 12Mbps2.0 transfers at max

480Mbps3.0 transfers at max

4.8GbpsUSB devices are hot-

swappable (do not have to turn off or restart the computer)

USB devices can be daisy chained (up to 127 devices connected via USB hubs)

Firewire – IE 1394a & bUsed mainly for digital

video devices2 standards: Firewire 1394a

Firewire 1394bFirewire 1394a transfers at

400MbpsFirewire 1394b transfers at

800MbpsFirewire devices are hot-

swappable (do not have to turn off or restart the computer)

Firewire devices do not necessarily need a computer to connect to each other.

Video Connection PortsVGA - Older LCD monitor

connection port – 15 pin connector

SVGA – Also an older LCD monitor connection port – 15 pin connector

S-Video (Separate Video)– small round port for connecting to a television monitor

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) – Similar to DVI in process and will carry audio signal also

Auxiliary/Audio PortsLine-In: For sound to enter the

computer from an external source. Color lt. blue

Line-out: Where sound is output to headphones or speakers. Color lt. green

Mic-in: Microphone port. Color pink

-----------On Some Units-----------

Center/Subwoofer: An added center channel. Color orange.

Surround Left/Right : For surround sound. Color black

Surround Back Left/Right: For surround sound. Color silver

Co-axial Digital Out.