Question | Answer |
Certified W-USB | A Wireless USB |
ATA | Advanced Technology Attachment |
Charging USB port | Port providing power to charge & run unpowered attached device, ie. flash drive. |
Coaxial | Type of cabling used in video connections - copper core, insulated & shielded from EMO |
PCI | Peripheral Component Interconnect. (older 32 & 64 bit, 66 MHz local bus standard found in computers) |
UEFI | Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (replaced traditional BIOS, has boot manager instead of controlling boot processor - allows for graphic interface, use of mouse, and antivirus, before O.S. loads) |
IDE | Integrated Drive Electronics (interface that evolved into the ATA standard that supports internal storage devices) |
PCI | Peripheral Component Interconnect |
PCIe | Peripheral Component Interconnect Express |
Form Factor | The shape and size (height, width, depth) of M/B, adapters, memory chips, power supplies, etc. (form factor must fit case) |
ESD | Electrostatic Discharge (cumulative effects of ESD weaken or destroy electronic components) |
EMI | Electromagnetic Interference (electronic noise created by electrical devices) |
Dual-voltage | A type of power supply that can be used with 120 or 240-volt electrical systems. |
Dual-rail power supply | Power supply that has two +12-volt lines available. |
Current | Measure, in amps, of electrons running through a circuit. |
CPU Throttling | Adjusting speed of CPU, also called 'dynamic frequency scaling'. This slows down computer when possible to use less energy & conserve battery. |
Continuity | An electrocal resistance measurement to see if a wire is good or broken. |
CMOS | Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor - special type of memory on a M/B in which setup configuration is saved. |
Capacitor | electrical component that can hold a charge. |
Blackout | Total loss of AC power |
Brownout | Loss of AC power due to overloaded circuits |
Auto-Switching | Type of power supply that monitors incoming voltage from wall outlet & switches itself accordingly |
ATX | Advanced Technology Extended - a form factor for M/B, cases & Power Supplies. |
ATX power supply form factor | Shape and size of a power supply that is designed to fit & function with an ATX M/B and ATX case. |
ATA standard | Advanced Technology Attachment - The original IDE interface that supported two drives (3 types: SATA & PATA) |
Anti-static wrist strap | Strap connecting the technician to computer that equalizes the voltage potential between the two to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) |
Amps | Ampers, measurement of electrical current. |
ACPI | Advanced Configuration & Power Interface. Technology that allows M/B & O.S. to control power needs and operation modes of various devices. |
AC circuit tester | Device that checks a wall outlets wiring. |
24-pin main power | Main ATX M/B power connector |
20-pin main power | Older M/B power connector. |
15-pin SATA power | Internal SATA power connector |
8-pin PCIe | Video card power connector sometimes labeled as a 6 + 2, meaning it can be used with a 6-pin or 8-pin connector. |
8-pin 12v | CPU power connector used with ATX 12V v1 power supply |
6-pin PCIe | Power connector for PCIe video adapter |
Ohms | Measure of resistance, amount of opposition to current in a electrical circuit. |
MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet or Safety Data Sheet - contains information about cleaning solutions. |
MOV | Metal Oxide Varistor - electronic component in surge protectors protects computer or device plugged into the strip preventing extra voltage from passing to outlets. |
4-pin 12V | Power connector for CPU that is sometimes labeled AUX |
3-pin | Used to monitor fan speed. |