Motherboards a source of notschool research projects, and as wall mounted stimulant for each researcher to find more projects.
Motherboard as the Morris 1000 of computing, the last easily understood and self-maintained car.
For computer science, all hardware and much system software knowledge is triggered by a glance at the patterns in the boards. Data flows in series and parallel ++. Economies of scale. Future improvements.
Basic circuit theory V=IR can be practiced on any part with resistance from 0 ohms to infinity. Pd’s of 12V and 5V from mains, purple and yellow. Currents from 0 and nanoAmps up to fan power. Power by P=VI and power loss IsquaredR Energy by VIt and IsquaredRt especially for chip heat loss and capacitor breakdown.
Heat losses from heatsink by conduction, convection, radiation and forced cooling.
Trace the main bus lines.
Networking is pre-figured, the relation between CPU, memory and off-board peripherals stands comparison with the server-client relations.
Comparisons with city, company, corpoarate, cell, brain, evolution, packing density in all complex systems, planned and normal obsolescence, self repair and self-addition, plug-in spaces for undeveloped technology, trsting methods, chip replacement life-cycles, recycling of valuable and dangerous components, adolescent attachment to a device (tomaguchi efeect) or a technology. Even for cathedral and bazaar comparisons for independant action. The 'when will computers become conscious' debate.
Wiring up project: add RAM, connect to memories, monitor and projector, phone line and network cable, router, keyboard types and mouse, archiver, keyboard, camera, webcam, sensor, security socket (drill hole for Kensington model, use chain and lock)
EXTRA TOPICS
Dangers and risk assessment:
SHARPS: MANY OF THE CONTACTS ARE VERY SHARP. Handle boards only with thick gloves or wrappings or by flat hand on edges.
POISONS:
1 The heat connecting paste under many heat sinks on chips is nasty and sticky. Do not touch.
2 The chips contain life-threatening impurities. Dispose safely at correct waste site.
3 The capacitors emit lethal featherlike fumes of carcinogenic etc PCB’s if opened or worse exploded by age or over-voltage. Inspect all capacitors for ooze when first seen, and do not apply even the normal working voltage if old.
ELECTROCUTION and EXPLOSION
Never connect a raw unshielded power supply to the mains.
Never apply a higher voltage to a component than specified.
DISPOSAL: Be wary, use an approved council dump only, and then use the high tech skip. The Japanese tech island dump is leaching unspeakable poisons into the sea.
GIFT HORSES. Inspect clearly before accepting only what you need and can store.
RISK ASSESSMENT FATIGUE AND MOCKERY. Do not give way to these. The judge expects you to have been aware of all dangers, and to have taken all reasonable precautions. Your personally edited copy of this on file would help your barrister. They can be made into a fun way of exploring the ultrafeminist dominated antipathy to fun in physics, so enjoy! But do well.
[ 1 comment ] ( 7 views ) | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 2.9 / 232 )
Calendar
