Teardown & Rebuild (PC)
Time
5.8 hrs
Difficulty
Intermediate
Prerequisites
Teardown and Rebuild (Electronics)
Departments
Human Technologies
Authors
Ross Parker
Groupings
Individual
Pairs
Threes
Fours
Pairs
Threes
Fours
Minimum Year Group
None
Blurb
Almost all computers share the same basic design, so tearing down a PC desktop can give you an insight into how computers work, and you might fix certain problems.
License
This work is shared under the following license: Creative Commons BY-SA-NC
Outline
| The Pitch Why should I bother learning this?
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| Resources What is needed to run this unit?
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Interdisciplinary Links Do not try and force this. What areas of other subjects might this reflect and/discuss language. For IB, links with ToK. |
| Teacher Reflection What was successful? What needs changing? Alternative Assessments and Lesson Ideas? What other Differentiation Ideas/Plans could be used? |
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| Credits Any CC attribution, thanks, credit, etc.
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5 mins
Shouldn't You Know?
The Pitch
- Computers power almost every aspect of your life. Shouldn't you at least understand a little of how they work?
- In this unit you get to take a computer apart, learning what makes it go, and what might cause it to stop working.
10 mins
Main Components
Theory
- Almost all computers have the following components:
- Case - this is the body of the computer, it prevents damage from heat, shock and dust.
- Motherboard - the motherboard is the component that all others connect to: it coordinates the work of the computer, and allows the other components to talk to each other.
- CPU - the CPU performs the calculations and computations that make the computer work: in a sense, it is the computer. Desktop CPUs gets very hot when they work, as they operate at over 2GHz (roughly speaking this is 2 billion operations per second).
- Storage - usually a hard disk drive (HDD), but more and more likely to be solid state drive (SSD), this is where all of the computer's program instructions and data are stored. It is permanent, relatively cheap, can store a lot, but is very slow.
- Memory - also known as random access memory, or RAM. Because the CPU is very fast, and storage is very slow, we use RAM as temporary memory to hold things we use a lot. RAM is volatile, meaning it loses all of its data when the power is switched off: so, eventually, everything must be copied back to the hard disk drive. However, it is very fast, so once something is moved from storage into memory, it can be re-accessed quickly if needed. RAM gets filled up when we open applications, which is why having too many things open slows our computer down.
- Power Supply - takes power from an external source (such as a wall socket) and converts it to the 5-12V that most computer components need.
- Input/Output - I/O includes all the ways that computer can be moved onto or out of a computer, including:
- Input - keyboard, mouse, microphone, network
- Output - screen, speakers, network
- Do not try and memorise this list, but use it for reference during the next sections.
5 mins
WARNING!
Electricity Kills
- Electricity is a powerful force: IT CAN KILL YOU!
- AT NO POINT IN THIS UNIT ARE YOU TO WORK ON YOUR COMPUTER'S COMPONENTS WHEN IT IS PLUGGED IN
- The power supply is especially dangerous. NEVER TAKE THE COVER OFF! When removing it from the case, undo only the screws holding it to the case, not the screws holding it together:
- If your power supply ends up with no cover, you are in big trouble!
50 mins
Teardown & Rebuild 1
Getting Started
- Choose a desktop PC from the school's collection.
- At this point, do not get a screen, keyboard and mouse: just get the main computer unit of the PC.
- The aim of this first attempt is to become familiar with the main components, and to work out what screws and fixtures are used.
- Open the case, and take out some of the main components.
- Try to identify the main components identified above, taking photos as you go.
- Make sure you get the computer back together before time is up, and have everything backed up.
70 mins
Teardown & Rebuild 2
All The Way
- With some experience under your belt, you now have a chance for a full tear down and rebuild.
- Using the same computer as last time, try to take out every component down to and including the motherboard.
- Identify each component, and start trying to remember what each component does:
- Case - this is the body of the computer, it prevents damage from heat, shock and dust.
- Motherboard - the motherboard is the component that all others connect to: it coordinates the work of the computer, and allows the other components to talk to each other.
- CPU - the CPU performs the calculations and computations that make the computer work: in a sense, it is the computer. Desktop CPUs gets very hot when they work, as they operate at over 2GHz (roughly speaking this is 2 billion operations per second).
- Storage - usually a hard disk drive (HDD), but more and more likely to be solid state drive (SSD), this is where all of the computer's program instructions and data are stored. It is permanent, relatively cheap, can store a lot, but is very slow.
- Memory - also known as random access memory, or RAM. Because the CPU is very fast, and storage is very slow, we use RAM as temporary memory to hold things we use a lot. RAM is volatile, meaning it loses all of its data when the power is switched off: so, eventually, everything must be copied back to the hard disk drive. However, it is very fast, so once something is moved from storage into memory, it can be re-accessed quickly if needed. RAM gets filled up when we open applications, which is why having too many things open slows our computer down.
- Power Supply - takes power from an external source (such as a wall socket) and converts it to the 5-12V that most computer components need.
- Input/Output - I/O includes all the ways that computer can be moved onto or out of a computer, including:
- Input - keyboard, mouse, microphone, network
- Output - screen, speakers, network
- Make sure you get the computer together before your time is up.
- You still do not need to power on the machine.
140 mins
Troubleshooting
Serious Problem Solving
- This is your last hands on hardware experience in this unit.
- Very possibly, over the last two sessions you have made some mistakes, and your computer will not boot.
- Get the same computer again, and any tools you need.
- This time also get keyboard, mouse, screen and power cables.
- Put the whole computer together and see if it boots.
- If it does not boot, troubleshoot the hardware to see why not.
- If it does boot, install a copy of Ubuntu Linux on your machine.
- Ubuntu is a free, open source operating system that can be used as an alternative to Windows or Mac.
70 mins
Evidence
Finishing Up
- Use this final time to compile and submit your evidence for this unit, seeking to show what you have learned during this unit in a style of your choosing (e.g. technical, reflective, etc).
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Anki & Katie Shared on 15/03/2019 |
