Self-Healing Microchip: A Super Chip With Super Powers!

Don’t you hate it when you’ve got a sweet, hot rod computer where all of your most valuable files live and then suddenly, you watch in terror as it endures a painful meltdown? (Well, due to the fact that it’s an inanimate object, you’re doing your best to feel it’s pain.) Of course it doesn’t just “hurt” your computer, it’s making you scream, “Why???!!! Why???!!!” in agonizing emotional pain from the depths of your soul. Well, just know, that help is on the way. Maybe not for this particular computer, but maybe say, the computer you own five years from now. I know it’s not too terribly encouraging now, but know that the technology to prevent this sort of thing from happening has begun to come into existence. You’re just dying to know what it is, aren’t you. I’ll save it for the next paragraph… just to keep building the suspense…

Infographics: A Comprehensive History of Computers

A computer is a programmable machine designed to automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem. An important class of computer operations on some computing platforms is the accepting of input from human operators and the output of results formatted for human consumption. The interface between the computer and the human operator is known as the user interface.

Conventionally a computer consists of some form of memory, at least one element that carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control unit that can change the order of operations based on the information that is stored. Peripheral devices allow information to be entered from an external source, and allow the results of operations to be sent out.

The first electronic digital computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). Originally, they were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). In this era mechanical analog computers were used for military applications.

A Comprehensive History of Computers by Tech King

Infographics: The Microprocessor Timeline

A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit, (IC) or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results as output. It is an example of sequential digital logic, as it has internal memory. Microprocessors operate on numbers and symbols represented in the binary numeral system.

The advent of low-cost computers on integrated circuits has transformed modern society. General-purpose microprocessors in personal computers are used for computation, text editing, multimedia display, and communication over the Internet. Many more microprocessors are part of embedded systems, providing digital control of a myriad of objects from appliances to automobiles to cellular phones and industrial process control. 

Below is an information graphics on the 40 years of the microprocessor.

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the original article. Visit V3.co.uk for all the latest UK technology news, reviews and analysis

Computer Hardware Familiarization.

We may be in a new year but still a lot of people out there who has or is using computer still do not know enough of what's inside the machine they are using. So i decided to do a post where the contents is 90% picture. A warning to all these post is intended to educate people who has little knowledge or do not have knowledge of the inner components of a simple desktop computer. If you want to learn or educate yourself then please by all means read and look on. Below are the most basic parts of a computer hardware.

Click on the image to make it bigger. Have Fun learning

Motherboard
 

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

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Motherboard Side Connector

Image by fsse8info via Flickr

There is a ton of different types of motherboard in the market. But all of theme if you look closely has the same identical parts only the color and position of those parts change.


Central Processing Unit or CPU and it's accessories the Heat sink and Cooling FAN

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The central processing unit together with the Heat sink and Cooling Fan go hand in hand. The CPU will become hot as soon as you turn on the computer. To absorb the excess heat it needs the Heat Sink and to continue absorbing the heat generated by the CPU, it need the Cooling Fan. Without the heat sink and Fan the CPU would eventually burn-out due to the heat it generates while in operation.

The Random Access Memory or RAM

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The RAM or Memory is another key components of the computer. These hardware parts must be compatible with the motherboard for it to work properly.

Continue to Page 2 of the post.

Computer 101: What is a Computer Motherboard Really Part 2?

Let’s go back so far several items have been mentioned as being connected to the motherboard, they are the following hard disk drive which connect via the older IDE or the newer SATA interface cable, then the memory or RAM which is connected via the memory slot and then there’s the graphics card which is generally built-in or is connected via the graphics card slot which could be the now phase-out AGP slot or the newer PCIE slot. All the three system mentioned previously communicates with each other via the motherboard and also communicates with the central processing unit or CPU. The motherboard also serves as the manager of all different systems connected on it. The motherboard also facilitates the proper flow of data from one point to another. One important function of the motherboard is to regulate the flow of current from the power supply unit to all the different components that needs them. The power supply unit is also connected via the motherboard using several color coded wire where in each wire color correspond to a specific value of power that flows thru it.

Also other additional system that interacts with the motherboard are the sound card which processes information to be converted to sound and is play out via a speaker system. Another expansion system is the NIC controller which comes in two configurations. The first type is built-in NIC controller and the second is add-in card. The NIC stand for network interface card or controller, this system allows the computer to be connected to a network, or to the internet. The expansion NIC is also connected via the PCIE slot located next to the graphics card. Also all motherboard have external connector for external devices such the printer, mp3 player, Smartphone, external drive, flash drive, microphone, speaker and many other devices. As we can see the motherboard is the host for all the devices that can connected to the computer. Other devices can also use the external ports of a motherboard to charge their battery. This feature was not available before, but as technology evolves and develops the computer allows other devices such as smart phone and mp3 player to charge their battery via the usb ports.

Motherboard Chips

Memory

One important feature of the computer motherboard is that there are no moving parts. All different systems are electronic there is no wear unlike parts that has a clear movable parts where the continuous movement through constant usage at a long period of time will eventually result in that parts succumbing to wear and tear. But since all components are small, to be exact micro in size or even smaller that power they consume less power compare to conventional devices which would eat a considerable amount of power. While wear and tear is not common to electronic component, power surges are common. These small electronic component when feed with the right amount of power will function correctly but if the power being feed increases dramatically at a given time then that electronic component is very susceptible power burn-out which will cause the main system to malfunction and eventually failure. Just like what I posted a couple of days ago regarding motherboard failure cause by blown-out capacitor, the same is true with IC based components.

CPU

Integrated circuit is the main components of all type of motherboard and much other electronic system. All integrated circuit consume certain amount of very low power from 4 volts DC to 15 volts DC. So if there is a power surge on the motherboard system most IC would not be able to withstand such a sudden increase in power and will always burn-out once the power flowing through is suddenly increased instantly. The main benefit of very small circuits is that a lot of system can be built and compacted which in turns would produce smaller system and greater efficiency in operation. Also the cost of building such system is very chip as well since free made smaller system is already working and linking them together is the only problem. A problem that be easily solve by proper design and configuration. So whenever we are giving importance to other components of the computer the motherboard should also be at the top or near the top of your list because it plays a very important function in your computer over-all performance.

Computer 101: Capacitor Failure in some Motherboards.

The computer motherboard is the central connection of every piece of hardware that a computer can have. All connectors, processor, memory, storage and display are connected via this one piece of hardware.  That makes the computer motherboard one of the most important pieces of hardware. Without the motherboard the central processing unit would not be able to accept and process information. The document that we create with our computer cannot be sent to the printer to make hard copy of it without the data going thru the motherboard. Now that I have cited how important the motherboard is, we need to know what are the signs that it is about to go south on us. But if your motherboard is new then these article does not concern you but is like to know the sign then continue reading on.

There is one component in the motherboard that would displayed the sign that e are looking for. Oh by the way before we go on I will clarify that there is only one sign that you’re going to read in these article and where only motherboard component to look for to see these sign. The component that we need to look out for is the capacitor every motherboard has one. There are several capacitors in each motherboard. The sign that we need to look for from these capacitor is if each one of them is already started to grow their top side. If you observe each new motherboard and look at the capacitors that are installed, we will notice that each top side of the capacitor is flat. After a few year of usage each capacitor has tendencies to the wear and tear and this will result in a gradual destruction of its inner working. If each one of these capacitor started to bulge each top side, once all capacitor has each top side bulging already then the motherboard has already gone south.

The following information was taken from Wikipedia regarding capacitor failure or capacitor plague. I have made a copy of some parts of the information from Wikipedia and put a hyperlink from the page where it was taken from please read on.

This Part of the article came from the Wikipedia. Capacitor Plague

Capacitor Plague

“The capacitor plague (also known as bad capacitors) is an ongoing problem with premature failure of large numbers of electrolytic capacitors of certain brands. Capacitors are used in various electronics equipment, particularly motherboards, video cards, compact fluorescent lamp ballasts, LCD monitors, and power supplies of personal computers. The first flawed capacitors were seen in 1999, but most of the affected capacitors were made in the early to mid 2000s. News of the failures (usually after a few years of use) forced most manufacturers to repair the defects and stop using the capacitors, but some bad capacitors were still being sold or used in equipment as of early 2007, and faults are still being reported as of 2011.

Cause

An incorrect electrolyte formula within a faulty capacitor causes the production of hydrogen gas (confirmed by mass spectrometry[1]), leading to bulging or deformation of the capacitor's case, and eventual venting of the electrolyte. The failed capacitors analyzed by two University of Maryland researchers (by ion chromatography and mass spectrometry) contained no traces of the depolarizing agent normally found in such capacitors in order to retain the hydrogen in solution. The root cause of failure for bulging Taiwanese capacitors has been hypothesized to be dissolution of the aluminium into the electrolyte due to poor phosphate-electrolyte balance, rather than the normal evaporation of the electrolyte that all such capacitors undergo. This hypothesis has been confirmed by analyzing the electrolyte using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), which confirmed the presence of dissolved aluminium in the Taiwanese capacitors' electrolyte, but not in Japanese ones, and by electrical testing, which confirmed a thinning of the dielectric, because the capacitance increased before failure, rather than the normal decrease through electrolyte evaporation. The industry standard test failed to capture this behaviour, likely because the high voltage used in the test significantly retards the dissolution, whereas it occurs faster at the production environment voltages. 

A serious quality control problem is that the issue only manifests after use over a period of time; poor quality electrolytic capacitors have the same measurable parameters as good ones when new. Only extensive accelerated life testing with high ripple currents and high operating temperatures can identify inferior components. After some normal usage, the bad capacitors predictably fail far sooner than normal end-of-life; most electronic components do not systematically fail in this way. “

To read the complete article from Wikipedia just click the link provided. Capacitor Plague

Again the information above came from Wikipedia I just want to share it because in my work I have already experience these capacitor failure several times already in the same motherboard brand that we purchase back in 2007. I will not say what the name of the motherboard or the manufacturer. So far we purchase several computer with the same motherboard back in 2007 and already four units have that has the same motherboard brand has already fail with all four having the same cause a blown capacitor or the capacitor top part has bulge. To get the units back in action i replace the motherboard with a new one that matches the processor and memory so that both item would not need to be change only the motherboard needs replacing. I have shared this information so that it will help to others in determining the cause of a motherboard failure. So if ever the motherboard in your computer fail and that motherboard are purchase during that time period better have a look at those capacitors.

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Computer 101: What is a Video Card?

A video card or video graphics adapter is a computer hardware device that processes all the things that can be seen via the monitor or LCD device. It processes all those binary information and output them through the monitor of LCD which the user can see. Back in the early days of the computer the video cards cannot completely process all those information that need to be seen by the user. The main processing is still done via the CPU or the Central Processing Unit of the computer. All the video could do is to output the data via the monitor and with the help of the bigger memory built in them it can make the output a lot nicer compare to a standard size memory amount of a built in video card.

In those early days most stand alone video card can have a memory capacity of 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 megabytes of memory while the high end video card can have as much as 128 or 256 megabytes of memory. Also early types of video cards do not have a GPU or Graphics Processor Unit. This early GPU comes only with the high end type and since they have GPU, it has its own cooling fan attach on top of it.

The same is still true for today’s latest video card, most of them have those GPU for faster processing and they can also have a large amount of memory installed. This is the standard video of today they can have up to 1 gigabytes of memory. For high end graphics application such CAD/CAM processing and video rendering, CGI rendering and all other professional application the video has evolve in such a manner those they can be compare to a regular desktop computer in terms of pricing and characteristics. Objects that need to be manipulated and edited via software that requires the video card to let the editor see and work on the finer detail of the images, they can response faster and better to the application that uses them. They let the graphics editor or designer to see all the aspect of the image that they are working on.

Image via Wikipedia

High end video card has more power and characteristics to offer compare to conventional video cards that has a standard GPU and amount of memory installed in them. Another application of a high end video card is in gaming. People who plays games that uses heavy graphics processing needs high end video cards or else they would not be able to appreciate the game they are playing. There will be a lot of contortions and graphics folding and drag which would lead to hardware crashes because the hardware cannot handle the needed amount of graphics they the software is trying to feed it. LAN games which would require several computers link together would slow down because the video cards cannot cope up with the intense amount of bits being use by the software.

Image by marklinkphoto via Flickr

Okay which choosing the right video for your need make sure to read the box and information that pertains to that video card. Gone are the days that only large amount of memory and a GPU is the main requirement in buying a Video Card for your system. Remember every hardware in your computer must work together for you to have an enjoyable use of your computer. You may buy the very latest in this video card but if it will not cooperate with the rest of the hardware and software in your computer than that video card is called trash become it wasted money and time. So read and check all the information before your buy one for upgrade or replacement.

Computer 101: Parts on the Outside Part-2

Now the CPU or the Central Processing Unit or System Unit contains the main inside hardware parts of the computer. Let see there the motherboard, the memory module(s), the CPU chip, the hard drive, DVD RW drive, the Power Supply Unit, the cooling fan and heat sink on top of the CPU. Lets see did i miss anything, well the motherboard contains all the connecting point of all the hardware devices mentioned above. Ah h theres the graphics card or video card, the sound card for high end users and the network or LAN card optional for others.

Inside a typical CPU

Today's motherboard comes with a built-in S/V/L, wait what an S/V/L. It stand for Sound, Video. and LAN. The only thing missing if your purchasing a new motherboard is the CPU and it cooling system and the memory module which is sold separately. But if your purchasing a whole computer set then that not applicable. Okay lets focus on the motherboard that is found inside every computer. The motherboard is where it all connects. The monitor using its cable is plug into the video card port which is connected or built-in the motherboard. The same is true for the mouse and keyboard, they connects via the PS2 or USB port which is usually built-in into the motherboard. The same is true to all external devices that we can connects to the computer, your Web cam, Mic, Speaker system, your smartphone, printer, scanner, external drive and a host of other devices. The most common port used in interconnection for today devices is the USB port. Your supposed to just plug it in and let it connect to your computer.

USB, LAN, PS2, MIC and Speaker port

Okay where suppose to blog about the external parts not the inside parts, but i thought i should give you a sneak preview of my nest post. Back to the external parts. The CPU Case is also important not just for appearance but also for the cooling system it can provide to your CPU unit. You should know where are those FAN located so would not be able to block them when placing your computer on tight spot. Also it should be strong enough to handle the daily grind that it would experience. The air should be able to get in and out of your CPU Case with the aid of those cooling fan properly positioned in your case design. The CPU is where all the work is done, the input, processing and output is done all in there. Make sure to also check on your CPU regularly so that dust build up and other stuff like small insects should not make your CPU there permanent abode. It should be check regularly, lets say weekly to maintain it in top form.

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