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Hardware Components

Hardware

It is named to the physical parts of these systems. Very concisely, any computer system Hardware has the following composition:

Input/output Elements.

Central Processing Unit (CPU).

Then, we will describe briefly the functions assigned to each of this components within the system.

Input/output Units or Elements.

A computer system must have, at a minimum, an entry element that allows user’s communication with the central processing unit. Such is the case of the keyboard and mouse, through which we can send to this unit, the appropriate information. Other input devices are microphones, web cameras, scanners, readers of CDs or DVDs, the collectors of fingerprints, etc.

Similarly, there should be at least an output element through which the computer gives the user information already processed for use.

As examples of output devices, we can mention the video unit, printers, headphones, CDs or DVD recorders, the audio outputs of the computer, etc.

On the other hand, there are components that behave in both ways, that is, work with information to and from the central processing unit. Typical cases of these elements are memory storage units, touch screens, the multifunction equipment to send and receive Faxes through your computer and in general, all input/output type USB ports, network or communication ports, ports serial or parallel to be used for communication with other devices, etc.

Central Processing Unit (CPU).

This component of the system is considered the most important, owing to its performance as “smart element” or brain of the computer. In its origins, they were formed by a series of electronic circuits known as integrated circuits or “chips”. Those Chips, fulfilled the functions of processing and storing information. Since the 1970s, when INTEL launched the 4004 microprocessor which integrated into a single component all the functions of the CPU comprised of independent circuits, microprocessors became the CPU by excellence and relegated to oblivion to all the circuitry which had fulfilled this function.

Generally, the central processing units are divided into three basic areas:

Control unit: is responsible for organizing the execution of a sequence of instructions known as program.

Logic-arithmetic unit: it is responsible for running the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (arithmetic), in addition to the operations of “Boolean logic” when verifying a number is positive, negative or zero.

Memory resident or accommodation: in this area of the central processing unit, the information is “saved” and is where is hosted the program from the system.

Another very important internal element of the microprocessor is the internal clock, which is nothing more than an element that works through a quartz crystal that oscillates (electrically) at a constant speed to mark the rhythm or pulse in the CPU operations.

This clock defines the processing speed of the microprocessor and is also used as a reference for the actual time elapsed when it works on the basis of a cumulative counter. To specify the characteristic quantitatively more important of internal clocks of microprocessors, is used as unit of measurement the Hertz and its multiples.

The rest of the Hardware elements, which complement the work of the microprocessors, are basically the interfaces or internal cards for the management of audio, video, work and storage memories, and input/output ports.

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Chronology of the computer equipment development.

Chronology

1642: Pascal designed the first calculating machine (addition and subtraction) based on gears.

1694: The mathematician Leibniz, working on the original design of Pascal, achieves a machine that in addition to adding and subtracting, also multiplied, divided and even extracted square roots.

1822: Babbage, an English mathematician, established the principles of operation of an electronic computer. He worked in a project of machine called “differential machine”, which could solve polynomials up to 8 terms.

1833: A new work of Babbage gives like result the design of a machine that it can be regarded as a prototype of the current computers. He called it “analytical machine” and introduced the concept of feedback of information.

1889: Hollerith patented the first electric tabulator machine, which is considered as the mother of the modern machines for data processing. This machine was used in 1890, for the Census of population of the United States of North America.

1944: Von Neuman proposes the idea of “internal program” and develop a theoretical basis for the construction of an electronic computer.

1945: As a result of the second world war, and because the implied military needs, builds the first electronic computer which was called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator). Its first practical applications were, be used in the construction of tables for the calculation of the trajectory of projectiles.

1952: The construction, on a trial basis, of the computers MANIAC-I and MANIAC-II, set this date as the birth of modern digital computers and the end of the “prehistory of computing”.

For to complete this Chronology, we need to say that, after this last event, the term “Computer” became in a word frequently used in Universities, Investigation Labs, Electronic Companies, etc. And in 1970 with the launch to the market of the Intel 4040 Processor, many companies start with the studies for making Computers Commercially.

There were many Brands fighting for take advantage on the microprocessors market, and with this competence did lower the prices of this element. Since hundreds of dollars, what did almost impossible produce a low cost computer, to the $20’s that was the cost, for example, of the 6502 processor that have had a very important rol in this history.

But the most important historical jump was made in 1976, when two young people undertook the adventure called Apple Computer Inc.

In only one year after their first “commercial attempt” with the Apple I, they launched to the market, in April of 1977, the Apple II.

That Computer was considered the first Popular Personal Computer of the History.

That event gave rise to the birth of many brands of Computers: Commodore 64, TRS 80, Sinclair and many others. Immediately after that, they started appearing many Software companies offering their products for satisfy the incipient market.

Thereafter, the speed that has had the development of this marvel of the human invention has been so fast, that we could hardly describe it, even using several volumes of information. A lot of men focused their lives on Projects that legated us the technology usability.

One of the best demonstrations of technological advancement in this regard, is to see as today everyone can have access to computers that exceed, by far, to those achieved by these precursors. And, as if out, carry them in a pocket or wrist as if it were a conventional watch.

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