Laptop Hardware ID

Please list ideas for Laptop Eval including steps, things to ID etc.

Curriculum

Introduction

• Examples of different hardware combos
• Start with a spread of assorted laptops
• Paradigm of desktops vs laptops, i.e. the lack of modularity, predictability.
• Different brands, differences between them.
• Overview

External (Stage 1)

This part deals with the most visable parts of a laptop; the screen, keyboard, power adapter, and access panels. The most important take away from this is the power adapter, specifically the voltage, amperage, and the rating type. The voltage must match what is printed on the bottom of the laptop, but the amperage printed in the same place is more of a minimum. This means if you can't find an adapter with a matching amperage, but you can find one with a higher amperage (and matching voltage), than you're in luck. The third, and possibly most anoying part, is the barrel type. Barrel refers to the round connector that slides into the back or side of the laptop. If a barrel matches or not can very by manufactuar and model, and you may or may not find a matching adapter from the same manufactuar. It's preferable to do so, but if not, you just need to match the voltage, have the minimum amperage, and matching barrel type.

• I/O: Keyboard, trackpad, monitor
• Electron flow: battery, power adapter
  • Exercise: Matching AC adapters to their appropriate laptop. Give volunteers a spread of example laptops and and AC adapters to match up, taking into account voltage, amperage, and barrel type.
• Plates (AKA case, access panels)

Inside (Stage 1 & 2)

This sections focuses on several internal componets of a laptop; the RAM, the Hard Drive, and the PCI/PCI-e interfaces.

The RAM is the short-term, working memory of a computer. It comes in four types: SDRAM, and the three versions of DDR (see Types & Speed Chart).

Hard Drives are the long-term storage device of a computer. They come in a range of form factors, the ones we deal with are 2.5 inches and 1.8 inches (not very common). Hard Drives have two different interfaces with which they connect to a computer; IDE and SATA. IDE is the older of the two, and is characterized by two rows of exposed pins (which you should be careful not to bend, though it is fixable). SATA is the newer, characterized by two plastic tabs, with pins flush against one side.

• RAM
  • Exercise: Sorting w/ chart: Give volunteers a pile of unsorted RAM, varying in speed and type, to be sorted using the RAM Speed & Type Chart.
• Hard Drive
  • Exercise: Insert into appropriate slot on motherboard: Give volunteers some HDDs with different interfaces and laptops (or just bare motherboards) to be matched. Include different kinds of adapters to be found.
• PCI/PCI-e

Componets (Stage 3 ?)

• RAM sorting
• PCI Cards: Wifi vs Modem
• PCMCIA (PC Card)