The Importance Of Current Sense Resistor In Switch Mode Power Supply

Writen by Jestine Yong

Current sense resistor is usually located in the switch mode power supply section. Newer version of monitor-the b+ (boost) circuit also have this current sense resistor. If you repair electronic equipment especially the switch mode power supplies, the current sensing resistor is connected to the source pin of power FET (field effect transistor) and the other end to HOT GROUND. The value of current sense resistor is in the range of 0.1 ohm to about 1 ohm. The values are depends on the design of each power supply.

In monitor power supply where pulse width modulation (pwm) ic UC3842 are used. Pin 3 of this power ic is called I-sense which means current sense and this pin is connected to source pin of POWER FET. The purpose of this current sense circuit is for overcurrent protection. This circuit usually samples the voltage drop across a resistor in series with the switching fet transistor. If the current rises abnormally due to some short circuit in the secondary side such as a shorted secondary diode or horizontal output transistor (HOT), the voltage will exceed a reference level and shutdown the pulse generator which is the PWM ic. This circuit provides protection to components in the event a problem occurs. In some cases where overload happen-the power section will blow and most of the time the components changed are fuse, power fet, pwm ic, zener diode and current sense resistor.

Do you know that a small change in this current sense resistor value have a great impact on the secondary output? A little change in value say from 0.22 ohm to 0.44 ohm can caused your ouput voltage to drop into half! I have seen a lot of repairer can't detect this type of problem (low output voltage) due to that they used analog or digital meter that don't have the low ohms range. You can't differentiate if the low ohms resistor has its value changed by using normal meters. I personally use the Dick Smith ESR Meter which have the capabilities to check resistor value down to 0.01 ohm! If you don't have this special meter you may just direct replace the current sense resistor to see if the generated secondary output will back to normal voltage.

Another tip is that if the current sense resistor in the monitor B+ circuit have changed value it will caused the output in the boost circuit to become low and you will have a small width display and of course the high voltage will become low as well. Instead of 24Kv it becomes 15-18Kv.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer. For more information on electronic repair please visit his website at http://www.noahtec.com/electronic-repair-articles.htm

Notebook Computer Memory Upgrading Your Laptop

Writen by Charlie Cory

With the proliferation of laptop computers, choosing to upgrade or implement notebook computer memory is not as straight forward as it may seem at first.

There is a variety of different types of memory, and it is important that you choose memory that is compatible with your notebook computer. Memory is also a little delicate, so you need to be very careful when handling it.

Adding Computer Memory - Some Tips

You should ensure that the Notebook is turned of and disconnected from any exterior power supply. No lights should be visible, and if they are, stop and double check for any live power sources.

Notebook computers are a little different to desktop PC's in that there is no need to take them apart in order to add memory. Access to the memory slots is via a panel located (usually) in the bottom of the laptop. Once you have found this panel, it should be a small matter of using a screwdriver to open up the panel and view the existing memory. In fact, you can do this to check the exact type of memory that your Notebook currently uses, because it is usually shown on the front of the memory strips and should be visible when you open up the memory panel.

The memory strips are usually locked in with small clips on the ends of the strips. To remove existing memory, simply flip the clips and then pull the memory strips gently from their holding place. If you are simply adding memory of course, and there is space available, just add the new memory, gently pushing it in to ensure it is fully seated in the slots, and then close the clips to hold the new memory in place.

Once you have replaced or added your Notebook computer memory, it is simply a case of replacing the access panel, and then screwing the panel back in place.

Finally, power up the Notebook, and ensure that the memory has been read by the Notebook. When the PC starts up, it should count the memory and tell you how much it thinks it has access to.

If any problems occur, repeat the whole procedure, checking very carefully that the memory is properly seated in the notebook.

Get the scoop on notebook computer memory. Tips on choosing the right memory and on how to install it into your notebook.

Robotic Arms And Robotics

Writen by Gordon Petten

The word robot comes from the Czech word "robota", meaning "forced labor." The stuff of science fiction robotics in the 21st century is different than your parents or your grandparents' ideas of robotics. What used to be thought of as futuristic improbability is now becoming a reality.

There are, theoretically, three Laws of Robotics. The Laws of Robotics were developed by a small group of scientists who believe that robotics is the wave of the future. The first law, referred to as law zero, is that a robot may not injure humanity, or, though inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. The second law states that a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate a higher order law. This law was created so that mankind would seek not to create robots that would harm people. The third law is that a robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with a higher order law. And finally the final law is that a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with a higher order law. These were used in a recent Hollywood movie however many people don't know that the Laws of Robotics actually exists.

According to The Robot Institute of America a robot is a "reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move materials, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks." This is a scientific sounding description however most people just think of robots as machine that mimic their counterparts. In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which performs automated tasks.

The most developed robot in practical use today is the robotic arm and it is seen in applications throughout the world. We use robotic arms to carry out dangerous work such as when dealing with hazardous materials. We use robotic arms to carry out work in outer space where man can not survive and we use robotic arms to do work in the medical field such as conducting experiments without exposing the researcher.

Some of the most advanced robotic arms have such amenities as a rotating base, pivoting shoulder, pivoting elbow, rotating wrist and gripper fingers. All of these amenities allow the robotic arm to do work that closely resembles what a man can do only without the risk.

Rotary Tables

Linear Actuators

Usb The Clear Winner

Writen by Preston Wily

The technology world is no stranger to format wars
Since the showdown between Betamax and VHS to the current struggle between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, companies intent on owning technology standards are willing to spend big bucks persuading other companies to join their respective camps. Some companies do this for the royalties while others do it to increase the availability and distribution of their intellectual property.

A much quieter format war has been waged on the PC over the past ten years
The Universal Serial Bus standard, more popularly known as USB, was distributed with the Windows operating system in late 1996. The standard was jointly created by Compaq, IBM, DEC, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, and Northern Telecom and is now available on 90% of all computers manufactured today.

FireWire owned the high-speed market from the beginning
In 1995, the same year that the USB standard was being formalized, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) approved the IEEE-1394 standard, also known as FireWire or i.link, which had been developed by Apple. The fast speeds promised by FireWire (100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 400 Mbps) was overkill for most peripherals not requiring a massive amount of bandwidth, such as mice and keyboards. Sony quickly embraced the technology (referring to it as i.link) and, along with a host of other manufacturers, integrated it into bandwidth-hungry peripherals such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, optical drives, scanners, web cams, etc.

USB and FireWire lived together happily in the beginning
In the early days these formats were not mutually-exclusive - there was very little overlap between the technologies and hence little competition. FireWire owned the high-bandwidth market while USB owned the low-bandwidth. At a max speed of 12 Mbps USB could not begin to compete with the 400 Mbps standard that evolved from FireWire for data transfer.

USB 2.0 is introduced
The end of the year 2001 marked a drastic change in the competitive landscape for these two standards: USB 2.0 was released. USB 2.0 offered the ease of use of (renamed) USB 1.1 and, at 480 Mbps, comparable speeds to FireWire. Note that while the theoretical limit of USB 2.0 is 80 Mbps faster than FireWire, empirically FireWire seems to be more efficient and thus has a higher effective transfer rate.

FireWire lost its competitive advantage
To simplify the process of purchasing peripherals and devices, manufacturers have identified no clear advantage of including FireWire ports on many new laptops and desktops and it is becoming increasingly more common to find new computers with only USB 2.0 ports. Even the digital video industry, which has long favored FireWire as the interface of choice, has begun to accept USB 2.0 as an alternative to FireWire because of the universal availability of USB ports.

Who will win the next battle?
So while there may be slight performance gains by using FireWire, many people are abandoning the technology in favor of the more popular USB standard. To compete for high-end, data intensive applications, FireWire 800, with a maximum speed of 800 Mbps, is helping FireWire maintain its position as the interface of choice for bandwidth-hungry devices - it will be interesting to see how the release of a faster USB technology will be received by the consumer market.

Preston Wily is the Director of Marketing for Sewell Direct, a retailer of USB adapters and accessories. Sewell is currently securing relationships with manufacturers of Wireless USB hubs and devices to prepare for the inevitable wireless revolution.

Color Laser Printers

Writen by Kevin Stith

In 1993, the 'ColorScript Laser 1000' was introduced by QMS for $12,499 as the first color laser printer. Today, laser printing has steadily grown as a useful means of communication. This has been given a good backing by color laser printers. Today, 60% of the home printers and 8% of office printers have color capability.

The basic idea was to combine the features of both laser and inkjet technology in order to achieve a printer package serving many purposes. In color laser printers, a CMYK toner mixture was used instead of the traditional black toner. This additional quality increased the cost of color laser printers to twice as much as that of monochrome laser printers.

A fine color laser printer has features such as good speed, low price, high quality, and excellent output. Samsung is believed to be the one of the best brands for getting a color laser printer. A color laser printer of entry-level can be obtained for about $1,300.

Saving time and increasing productivity are some of the obvious benefits of a color laser printer. The importance of getting a color laser printer is evident from the fact that color output has become a crucial element in building the image of a company, like that of an advertising agency, marketing institute or a media house, which is why it is looked upon as an 'investment' and not a 'buy'. Even after purchase, the operating costs are very low. In case of outsourced printing, a 20% color covered page will be cheaper.

In this era of high-competition and a constant struggle to achieve excellence, it is imperative for organizations to run their businesses with the help of color laser printers in order to maintain their image.

Laser Printers provides detailed information on Laser Printers, Color Laser Printers, Laser Printer Toners, Laser Printer Reviews and more. Laser Printers is affiliated with Laser Toner Refill .

How To Shop For Inkjet Printer Cartridges

Writen by Clive Cavallaro

Keeping Shipping Costs Down

When shopping for inkjet printer cartridges online keep in mind that postage can add significantly to the cost of a single inkjet cartridge. In some cases the cost of postage can be as much as the cost of the inkjet printer cartridge effectively doubling the price you pay. While this is still often cheaper and more convenient than going to your local office supply shop or newsagent to buy your inkjet cartridges it's not really the best way to maximise your shopping experience.

Instead you should always buy a minimum of two especially if you tend to buy printer cartridges on a regular basis.

If you don't buy printer cartridges very often then why not combine an order with a friend or group of friends and split the shipping costs.

Don't get caught short

Have you ever noticed that your inkjet printer cartridge always runs out of ink just when an important document is half way through printing? This means you have to rush out to the nearest stationery shop and pay through the nose for a replacement printer cartridge. The solution to this is simple. Always have a replacement printer cartridge stored in your draw or on the shelf so you can replace it straight away. Then reorder another cartridge straight away. That way you never have to wait or worry if for some reason your printer cartridge delivery is delayed in the postal system.

Choosing a printer

When shopping for an inkjet printer you should ensure that you take into account the cost and availability of replacement inkjet cartridges. In particular look the availability of compatible inkjet cartridges which will save you substantially over the life of the printer. Remember that OEM inkjet printer cartridges often exceed the cost of the printer after the purchase of a few replacement cartridges.

Register and Join the mailing list

Most Internet shops give you the option of joining a mailing list and registering when you make your first purchase. Registering saves time as you are not required enter your details every time you visit. The mailing list gives you access to information about regular specials and product updates and information. They are often researching the market to bring you the best available products at the best prices. Stay up to date the easy way. Just remember to check their privacy policy to ensure that they won't sell or pass on your contact information to any one else.

By C. Cavallaro of The Inkstop

The Inkstop a quality Australian discount inkjet printer cartridge supplier.

For more information visit http://www.theinkstop.com.au

A List Of Essential Tools You Should Have When Working On A Pc

Writen by Gary Hendricks

So here's a short list of essential tools you need to have when working on a PC. Remember to bring them along - you will most certainly have an easier time when working on that PC of yours.

A computer tool kit for PC maintenance

Philips Screwdriver

Gosh, this is the most important tool for me as a computer hardware enthusiast. All computer parts are connected by screws - from add-on card slots to drive bays and PC casings. Remember to get a screwdriver that does not have a magnetic tip - magnetized objects inside your PC may damage some circuits.

Cable Ties

If you're like me, you'll hate the sight of untidy cables. Whenever I open up an old PC, I just roll my eyes at the mess of wires inside. Here's where the humble cable tie (also known as zip ties) came in really handy. Organize those untidy cables into bundles, route them through specific paths and tie them up. Not only does this improve the look of your computer's insides, it also helps airflow.

Tweezers

I always remember these. How are tweezers useful when working with a computer? Well, when you accidentally drop a screw into the deep, dark regions of the motherboard! Use those tweezers to reach into tight spots or for retrieving that lost screw. I also tend to use tweezers for removing or changing jumpers on hard drives, optical drives and the motherboard.

Lint Free Cloth

If you have an old computer, you can be sure dust is accumulated inside that PC. This can cause lots of problems - in particular, it can clog up fans and air slots, raising the PC's temperature. Using a lint free cloth to wipe off that dust from your case or components.

Grounding Strap

If you've read my guide on maintaining a PC, you'll be well aware that static electricity can cause severe damage to electrical components in your computer. Prevent this by using a grounding strap. This is usually a Velcro strap with a metal contact to help discharge any static charge built up on your PC.

Windows Installation CD and Boot Disk

Many people forget that the original Windows installation CD and its accompanying boot disk is a very important toolkit for a computer enthusiast. The Windows installation CD is very useful whenever the operation system asks for a Windows driver. The boot disk, on the other hand, is very useful if the computer fails to boot up. If you don't have a boot disk, check out this link which offers free boot disk images for download.

Toolkits

I like to have a big tool kit to store all of the above things. It also makes me feel like a handy computer guy too . A tool kit helps to keep all your important tools in a central place so you never forget anything.

Conclusion

Well, you now know what tools to bring along when next working with your PC. Remembering to bring these tools will help your maintenance or setup job that much easier. Good luck!

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

Computer Memory Why Its Important

Writen by Michael Russell

Many of you have probably asked yourselves this many times. For those of you who are looking to buy or have already purchased a computer may still be asking yourselves what this piece of hardware does for your computer. Buying computer memory is not as simple as going to the store and asking a sales representative for it. Each computer can only support a certain type of memory.

Walk into any computer store and either look at the cute little sticker they put on the case or just ask the sales representative and they will almost always let you know exactly how much memory, or RAM, the computer has. Ask them what it means and depending on where you're shopping you may or may not get an answer. The purpose of this article is to help you get a better grasp on what you need to look for when it comes to computer memory.

A more common name for computer memory is RAM. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. For those of you who are not fluent in computer lingo you may still be complexly lost.

To help you understand better about the purpose of RAM we will go over how anything gets done on your computer without RAM. Each time you start an application on your computer it goes through many steps to bring up the application you are wanting. It usually starts with an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. Let's pick on a well known application that most of you are probably familiar with; Notepad. You would start by taking a hold of your mouse and clicking on the start menu. Doing so would in turn pop up a menu. From that menu you would find and click on notepad. Once you click on the notepad icon, information is sent electronically through the wire of the mouse down to your USB or PS/2 port on your motherboard. When it gets there the information then travels to your processor. The processor then decides where it needs to send this information. Most of the time, the information is needed to be sent to your hard drive, since your hard drive is where most of your information is kept. Once the information gets to your hard drive it then searches for Notepad. All the files needed to run Notepad are sent back to your processor. The processor then sends the files where they need to go to run Notepad.

Now that seems like a long journey to pull up an application as simple as Notepad, doesn't it? This is what makes RAM so wonderful. All those files that are needed to run Notepad can be stored on RAM. When you click on the Notepad icon on your start menu your RAM will actually send the required files needed to run Notepad rather than the long trip explained above. This alleviates a lot of stress on your computer. Instead of worrying about where the files that are needed are and searching for them, RAM will step up and let your computer know, "Hey, I have those files right here! You can start Notepad now!"

If you have ever seen a stick of RAM you may have noticed that it looks a lot like little black squares attached to the greenish colored circuit board. These little black squares are where the information is stored.

RAM does this for starting and running all applications on your computer. The most important thing you must remember when looking at memory is that each application you need to run requires a certain amount of RAM in order for it work correctly. The more you have the better off you will be and the faster your computer will run. You have to be cautious though, having too much RAM can cause problems. The problems mainly arise because of a combination of both hardware and software restrictions. If you have a fairly recent computer you could safely get away with running 2GBs of computer memory. The operating system you probably use, Windows XP, will only support up to 4GBs. This isn't a lot when you compare the size to hard drive space. But your computer doesn't need a lot of RAM because the information that is stored in it is not permanent. It would be almost impossible for you to run so many applications and work on them all to 'fill up' your RAM with application information. But as technology grows applications will require more and more RAM to operate. So the amount of RAM that you can safely use will eventually increase. Windows XP 64-bit version already supports up to 16GBs of RAM and although it hasn't gone retail yet, Windows Vista will also support up to 16GBs. This will allow for programmers to create a more diverse range of applications to run on your computer.

The underlying factor in the benefits of getting RAM is two-fold. It relives stress on your CPU and can make your computer a lot faster. Now if you upgrade from 512MB to 1GB you may not see much of a difference. Going from 512MB to 2GB will undoubtedly show you some massive speed improvements with your computer. Always be sure to check with your motherboard documentation before getting RAM for your computer. Each motherboard will only support a certain type of RAM. Don't make the mistake of buying RAM that you can't even use.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Computer Memory

Batteries That Overheat Stop Working

Writen by Dan Hagopian

I had an interesting conversation with a customer this morning and the customer's scenario went like this: A customer with a 4G iPod states that his iPod overheats and his battery is completely drained when attached to his computer's USB's port. In addition his backlight does not work unless connected to AC power.

We discussed software settings: iPod has backlighting, so you can see the display in low light. This will help save your battery power so your battery will last longer. You can configure the iPod so the backlight turns on for a set amount of time when you press a button or move the scroll wheel. See your manual for specific instructions, but in short you can have backlight always on or have it off after a period of time between 2 and 20 seconds.

There is also a condition with iPod's called the "Black Screen of Death" (iPod users have named this condition not I) where an iPod's screen gets dark after a few minutes of operation and the back of the iPod gets hot hot. It is a condition where the iPod itself is defective.

But what to me is interesting is that the iPod was only getting hot when connected to a USB port. It reminds of the worst possible condition of lithium ion or lithium polymer.

The worst condition is keeping a fully charged battery at elevated temperatures, which is the case when running a battery powered device on AC power for extended periods of time. If used on main power, the battery inside a device will only last for 12-18 months. Also the battery will not all of sudden stop working but over time gradually lose the capacity to power your device little by little.

This raises the question then; should a battery pack be removed when the device is running on main AC power? Considering the fact that a fully charged battery operates at an internal temperature of 113°F and then keeping a battery in the device and keeping it fully charged will create a constant state of elevated internal temperature and ultimately cause a decline in battery capacity over time.

Removing the battery in a device then will protect the internal circuitry from maintaining a high internal temperature. It is interesting how Apple warns against the iPod battery from being operated at high temperatures over 95°F. It seems then that a prolonged USB connection to an iPod will indeed cause a battery to decline gradually since the battery can be charged via a USB connection. Obviously the longer the prolonged connection then the faster the battery capacity decline!

But since removing an iPod battery is not the easiest thing to do use the USB connection in temporary states and you will avoid most overheating issues with your iPod battery and help prolong its life.

Dan Hagopian of Batteryship.com authored this article. http://www.Batteryship.com offers PDA Battery Replacement Kits with tools and instructions for iPod battery, iPAQ battery, Clie battery, Palm Battery, Axim battery, Treos, and Blackberries.

Bluetooth Can Be Cracked

Writen by Walter Vandenhoute

Nothing is completely safe today. Adobe has recently released a patch for a security hole in different graphical software, so why should Bluetooth be safe?

... and Bluetooth isn't safe off course! ;)

Two researchers of the Tel Aviv University School of Electrical Engineering Systems say they have discovered a technique for taking control of Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. After you've established a connection with an other cell phone, the attacker can easily make calls with your phone. If there is a Bluetooth connection with a PC, the hacker can even transfer data between his Bluetooth device / cell phone and the hacked computer. Bluetooth can be very dangerous as you can see! Even when the handsets have security features switched on, your cell phone isn't save at all!

Avishai Wool, senior lecturer and Yaniv Shaked, graduate student and both researchers of the Tel Aviv University School of Electrical Engineering Systems have published recently a paper about three methods for forcing a repeat of the pairing process, "Cracking the Bluetooth PIN" ( http://www.eng.tau.ac.il/~yash/shaked-wool-mobisys05/ ). In this paper, a passive attack is described, in which an attacker can find the PIN used during the pairing process. The eye-opening conclusion of these two researchers: "Our results show that using algebraic optimizations, the most common Bluetooth PIN can be cracked within less than 0.06-0.3 seconds. If two Bluetooth devices perform pairing in a hostile area, they are vulnerable to this attack."

A Belgian Master student is making a fresh attempt to keep a list with Bluetooth security links on http://student.vub.ac.be/~sijansse/2e%20lic/BT/welcome.html.

Ollie Whitehousen security researcher of @stake, a digital security consulting firm ( http://www.atstake.com ) has written in October 2003 a paper that "examines methods of assessing the security of Bluetooth devices in relation to the protocol's design and implementation flaws" ( http://www.atstake.com/research/reports/acrobat/atstake_war_nibbling.pdf ).

In general, the most critical point is the 'pairing' - connection procedure of two Bluetooth devices. When a Bluetooth device asks you to re-enter the PIN number for re-pairing, once the two devices are re-connected, the hacker can now easily crack the PIN code.

Links:

- http://www.atstake.com/research/reports/acrobat/atstake_war_nibbling.pdf

- http://student.vub.ac.be/~sijansse/2e%20lic/BT/

- http://www.eng.tau.ac.il/~yash/shaked-wool-mobisys05/

For feedback on this article, please visit http://wallies.info/blog/item/145/index.html

Walter V. is a self-employed internet entrepreneur and founder-webmaster of several websites, including
wallies.info :: A snappy blog about snappy blue things :: blog | wiki | forum | links - http://wallies.info
mblo.gs :: A snappy moblog community - http://mblo.gs

Large Format Flatbed Scanners

Writen by Damian Sofsian

Flatbed scanners, also called desktop scanners, are undoubtedly the most versatile and the most widely used of all large format scanners. They can scan pages of a book without having to detach the pages. They are also found to be economical for scanning dried botanical specimen. The medium does not move in the flatbed scanner, unlike in the case of a drum type scanner, and so the scanning speed is not limited by the medium-feed speed, which also rules out any chance of the original getting damaged at the feed rollers. The thickness of medium is also adjustable in a flatbed scanner. However, they require a large table size, and the scanners are not easily carried around. Also, though many small images may be scanned simultaneously in a large format flatbed scanner, the resolution for scanning very small images (such as 35mm film) is often insufficient. Flatbeds with resolution of up to 600dpi (dots per inch) will perform satisfactorily in digitalizing photo prints, paintings and art documents. Scanning film may require up to 2400dpi to show the details in an enlarged print. Flatbeds are not as efficient as drum scanners when it comes to working with long textiles. But for the vast variety of applications, they are the best choice.

Leading manufacturers of large format flatbed scanners in the USA include ACTion Imaging Solutions (formed by the merger of ANAtech, Colortrac, and Tangent), Altek Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Purup-Eskofot Inc., and Vidar systems. Cruse provides high-end reprographic scanners with the best quality of image and admits scanning media of maximum thickness. However, it is neither intended, nor affordable, for home application. Fujifilm brings out very excellent flatbed scanners for a wide range of applications, including the digitalizing of photo prints and films. The resolution of these flatbeds is comparable with that of drum-type scanners, and the versatility is unmatched. Epson, Screen and CST are other manufacturers of flatbed scanners.

Large Format Scanners provides detailed information on Large Format Scanners, Large Format Color Scanners, Large Format Flatbed Scanners, Used Large Format Scanners and more. Large Format Scanners is affiliated with Home Theater Projector Screens.

Some Notes About Notebook Computers

Writen by Martin Coleman

Are you interested in laptops? Perhaps you are interested in buying one, or you already have one and just like to read more about them. Either way, I have some good information for you regarding laptops and their use. I really like laptops. I think besides executives, gamers, multimedia guys and the like that have their own dedicated purpose PCs, more and more people will have their own laptops as their primary and only computer.

You see, they are very portable. How many times have you tried lugging your computer tower from location to location? If you have not tried this, you are not missing much. It's a pain to have to carry the bulky tower, then collect your monitor and then pick up your keyboard and mouse. With your laptop, you close the screen/lid, shove it into it's carry bag and away you go.

They are also all-in-one. What this means is, all the components and peripherals you might buy for a standard PC such as the monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone, camera, network card, modem, wireless adapter, etc are all built into the laptop case. This means nowhere near the amount of messy cables to connect everything. You may have an external mouse (which I highly recommend) and plug in the phone line or network cable for your internet, but beyond that, there is little else that you need to have. It's all in there. That saves cable mess and desktop space that might have otherwise been used up by other peripherals.

As a side note however, despite the hype, they are not designed for speed. The processor (brain of the machine) may be fast, but there are so many other factors that come into play regarding how fast and responsive a machine is. So, if you are a keen gamer, a laptop might not be doing you many favours. It is certainly not going to be a bad purchase, but the built-in video accelerators still have a good long way to go before they match their desktop counterparts.

A major concern is price. However, this is becoming less and less of an issue, as many laptops are now the same price if not cheaper than some particular desktop computers and laptop computer are outselling desktop computers in many, many places.

One other note is compatibility. You wont be able to use standard off the shelf components in your machine, if you decide to perform some hardware maintenance yourself. Laptop components are generally pricier than their desktop equivalents, so keep that in mine. However, most USB and firewire devices should work out of the box if you wish to extend your laptop's capabilities that way.

They are not the promised land of computing, but they have come a long way in portability, ease of use, speed and price. You certainly wont be making a bad decision buying one, and you should that they are really reliable little machines. Consider one next time you are thinking about upgrading. Maybe you could abuse their advantages for yourself?

Martin is a technology consultant, programmer and author. He recently started a computing and technology podcast which you can download for free from http://www.techfilez.com

Make Dvd On Cdrs

Writen by Steve Valentino

A digital versatile disc, or DVD, is a form of storage media. The process of storing data onto a DVD is called 'DVD burning'. Copying a DVD onto a DVD-R is easy, but when the copying is to be done on a CD-R, the whole process becomes complicated. However, software to make DVDs on a CD-R is now available.

Requirements for burning a DVD onto a CD-R are a computer, a DVD, a blank CD-R and customized software. Freeware software is also available on the Internet, but is inefficient and slow. A user can buy customized software for this purpose on the Internet.

The software that burns DVDs on CD-Rs is a conversion application that automatically compresses the data to fit a CD-R. The software first transfers the data on the DVD to the hard disc. The burn process, which is extremely fast and stable, is then initiated. The data transferred to the CD-R is flawless, and will be of picture quality if the CD-R is good. With the help of software, a user can save money, as a DVD-R and DVD burner is not required in this process. The only investment that is required is a rented DVD.

A DVD is smaller and stores more data than a CD-R. A standard DVD can hold around 4.7 GB of information, whereas a CD-R can store only about 0.7 GB. A DVD requires a red laser to read the stored data, whereas an infrared laser reads a CD-R. These differences make it difficult to burn a DVD onto a CD-R. With the help of customized software, the process can be made much easier.

The software enables users to make back-up copies of their favorite movies, games, and audio files. One major drawback of this utility is that it is used to sell copyrighted material. This can be avoided by encrypting special codes into the DVDs to disable copying.

CDR provides detailed information on CDR, CDR Media, Blank CDRs, Make DVD On CDRs and more. CDR is affiliated with Flash Memory Cards.

Be Free With Wireless Speakers

Writen by Arno Esterhuizen

Are you tired of laying wires through your house, creeping through small places just to get the right sound effect? Wireless speakers are the answer to your headaches. With wireless speakers you gain the freedom to move your music to where you want it to be without the hassles of cables. Planning to have a party outside? Don't move your whole entertainment system outside while you can make use of outdoor wireless speakers which can move right along with the party.

Want to have hi-fi quality sound through your laptop computer? Why should you be tied to wires while using a portable computer? Make use of wireless speakers to give you the freedom to work or play on your computer where you want to, while having the high fidelity sound you deserve. Here are a few examples of how you can use wireless speakers to improve your way of living.

• Listen to your favorite music collection while taking a bath.

• Have a BBQ or party outside without having to move your whole stereo system.

• You can store all your favorite music on your computer and listen to it anywhere in your home.

• Listen to music while working in the garden.

• When your computer is doing certain time consuming tasks, have it play a sound when it is done with the task or when there is an error and have your wireless speaker notify you while you are lying next to the pool.

• Get the perfect surround sound effect by having the freedom to move the speakers to exactly the right spots without getting tangled in wires.

• Let your computer notify you of upcoming tasks or appointments by playing a sound through your outdoor wireless speakers, while you are washing your car.

• Let your wireless speaker notify you discretely of intruders by connecting it to your alarm system.

• Use you wireless speakers as a portable intercom system.

There are however a few things you need to watch out for when shopping for wireless speakers. Some are listed here:

Interference

Some wireless speakers may interfere with other wireless devices in your house like cordless phones. A good wireless speaker system will allow you to tune it to a different frequency to overcome these interferences.

Battery life

Battery life is not always too great on wireless speakers, as it consumes power to drive the speakers, internal amplifier and RF receiver. So, if you want to use your wireless speakers for extended periods of time, it may be wise to make use of the AC power adaptor. Now this may not always be practical - the whole idea of wireless speakers is to get rid of the wires. Rechargeable batteries might be the answer and some of the models even come with rechargeable batteries -something to consider when you need total freedom, even from power outlets.

Range

Most wireless speakers can work fine within a range of 150 to 300 feet from the transmitter. (Which would be located at the source of sound i.e. your hi-fi or computer) The RF frequency is high enough for it to work through walls and furniture. You do not need a line of sight, but bear in mind that obstacles weakens the signal, and the more obstacles between the transmitter and receiver, the shorter the range will become.

Weatherproof

Outdoor wireless speakers are claimed to be weatherproof, but if you do not need to use your speakers outside all the time, rather store them inside. This will definitely extend the life of your valuable outdoor wireless speakers. If you really need to leave it outside all the time, try to find a spot where it can be hidden from the most harsh weather conditions.

Stereo

Not all wireless speaker systems include two speakers to give you a stereo experience. Especially the outdoor wireless speakers are sold as single units. This can easily be overcome by purchasing two speakers, obviously doubling the price.

Legislation

Wireless speakers use RF signals which may interfere with other RF devices. Make sure that the frequency range is legal in your country. If it is sold by a reputable dealer in your country, this should not be a problem. Wireless speakers are till a fairly new technology and some still have issues to be sorted out. So you have to do your shopping wisely.

Arno Esterhuizen

http://www.wireless-speakers-guide.com
webmaster@wireless-speakers-guide.com

Pc Purchases The Benefits Of Adding Cdrw Drives

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Regardless of whether your clients are considering PC purchases of desktops or notebooks, they need to consider compatibility issues with a CD-RW drive, the accompanying operating system and other hardware components.

With a notebook, you're generally restricted to proprietary parts that only work with a particular brand, make and model of notebook. So if your clients want internal CD-RW drives, they'll probably need the sole supported brand and model from the notebook manufacturer.

With PC purchases of desktops, your clients have many more options for adding a CD-RW drive. While they could purchase internal CD-RW drives later and have your firm install the devices, it's much simpler to get the CD-RW drives bundled with PC purchases.

Foreward Thinking

Even though your firm could be forfeiting some short-term revenue by recommending hardware bundled component PC purchases, your clients will be much happier paying your hourly rates for high-level consulting work, as opposed to turning screwdrivers and connecting up ribbon cables.

By having CD-RW drives factory installed, you and your clients know the drives will work with the PC and operating system. No guesswork. No tedious calls to technical support. Minimal, if any, frustration.

Tech Support and Warranty Benefits

The PC vendor who bundled the CD-RW drive with the desktop notebook or PC purchases should stand behind the configuration as "supported," if and when you or your clients need to call for assistance.

This one-stop shopping approach also can prove invaluable, as your clients won't be subjected to the all-too-typical finger-pointing and accountability shirking between a component manufacturer and a PC vendor.

The bundled CD-RW drive will be covered by the PC's warranty.

The incremental cost of upgrading from a standard CD-ROM drive to a CD-RW drive at time of PC purchases is usually minimal.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultant business owners get steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free audio training program that shows you how to use field-tested, proven Small Biz Tech Talk tools.

A Buyers Guide To Flatbed Scanners

Writen by Jeffrey Lawrence

Flatbed scanners generally deliver the best combination of quality, flexibility, and usability in scanning. They can be used to scan different kinds of media, including photos and film (with the additional use of a transparency adapter); they can be used to scan text for OCR and document archiving; and they can be used to scan material of varying sizes and thicknesses - from small postage stamps to large mechanical blueprints and 3D objects. To determine the flatbed scanner for your needs, this buying guide covers some of the more important flatbed scanner specifications that you will need to know.

Bit depth and color pass

Practically all scanners today are single-pass types with 48-bit color. Gone are the scanners of yore that required three passes to capture the full RGB (red, green, blue) color information from an image in individual, painstakingly slow takes. Gone too are 24-bit and 36-bit scanners that proved sufficient in the past for delivering up to 68.7 billions of color.

Today's single-pass, 48-bit scanners are fast and can theoretically capture up to 250 trillion colors - clearly more color than the human eye can distinguish or what monitors and printers can reproduce - but impressive nonetheless for the promise of yielding hues as close to life as possible and delivering smoother color gradations. Ignore all but single-pass scanners when shopping for a flatbed, and aim for 48-bit color as well. Consider lower-bit models (such as 42-bits) only if your scanner of choice has other specs that a higher-bit counterpart may not have - such as patented technologies and special features - that more than compensate for the lower bit depth of your selected model.

Resolution

The resolution of a scanner determines the level of detail that can be captured; the higher the resolution, the sharper the scan will be. There are two types of resolution: optical and interpolated, with optical resolution being the more important spec, as it relates to the scanner's actual optics and amount of information that it can sample. The interpolated resolution of a scanner is helpful only in specific applications - such as scanning line art, where higher resolutions can even out jaggedness and produce smoother contours.

Most flatbeds today feature respectable specs for optical resolution, ranging from 2400 dpi to 4800 dpi. Any scanner with such resolution figures would prove a respectable choice, since these specs are more than capable of delivering sharp detail or enlarging images for most print applications. Remember, too, that scanning your images in the full resolution of the scanner is likely to yield file sizes of unmanageable proportions - without delivery any discernible benefit towards increasing image clarity or quality. So forget the resolution wars of the past when manufacturers trotted out their resolution specs to trump their closest rival. Instead, look for other features today in flatbeds that may be more important for your needs, or consider the resolution spec TOGETHER with these other features when choosing your choice of flatbed.

CCD vs. CIS Sensor Technology

Image sensors in flatbed scanners can be of two types - CCD or CIS. Scanners with CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors use a system of mirrors and lenses for redirecting light reflected from the original document to the CCD array. Because of the required optics, CCD scanners are more expensive to produce and result in bulkier scanners, compared to their CIS counterparts. The image quality produced by CCD scanners, however, is far superior to that produced by CIS scanners.

CIS, or Contact Image Sensor technology, is a more recent development in which the sensor array lies just under the scanner bed, so that the sensors catch reflected light directly. Since CIS scanners do not need a complex optical system, they are cheaper to produce and are smaller in size, resulting in portable, lightweight models that may be prove ideal for cramped desktops. CIS sensors also contain on-board logic that consumes less power than CCD. But because the on-board logic utilizes space that would normally be used for the mirrors and lenses in a CCD to sense light, scans from a CIS scanner are lower in quality. As a result, most people tend to forego the slight savings that can be obtained from a CIS scanner in favor of getting higher-quality CCD models instead.

Connectivity & Interface

Most consumer-level scanners today will feature USB ports - either Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) on more recent models, or the earlier USB 1.1 standard. Hi-Speed USB is backwards compatible with the USB 1.1 and has a data transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (Mbps). Higher-end scanner models are likely to include the FireWire interface as well, allowing scanners to be used in advanced, professional such as audio/video transfer and data storage. Scanners with either USB or FireWire interface are hot swappable - which means the scanners can be plugged or unplugged from other devices to which they are connected without having to turn the scanners off and on. Older scanners will include SCSI or parallel ports, but you shouldn't have to consider these legacy-type models - unless you are using the scanner to connect to older computers. When shopping for a flatbed, any scanner with a Hi-Speed USB port should be purchase-worthy, but consider getting a model with dual Hi-Speed USB and FireWire interfaces to expand your range of possible connections to many other devices and peripherals.

Scan Speed

Speed specifications in flatbeds are hard to determine - unless the scanner manufacturer provides the specs or the exact conditions in which material is scanned. Scan speeds can run from seconds to several minutes, depending on a wide variety of factors. For instance, to compare scan speed between two comparable models, one will need to know the size of the material being scanned, the resolution setting, the interface being used, and the processing speed and power of the computer to which the scanner is connected. Check speed claims carefully if these are made at all; it may help to do an actual or sample scan with the model of your choice, and see if you are satisfied with the speeds of the preview and actual scans. You could also check to see if your flatbed model has been reviewed in computer magazines or sites and rated for speed, as benchmark tests may give a more comprehensive picture on how fast the scanner runs.

Size of Scan Bed

Most flatbeds today will start out with a standard scan bed size of 8.5" x 11.7", approximating the dimensions of a letter-size image or document. From there, various bed-size configurations could come into play, including 8.5" x 14" to accommodate legal-size material, and 12" x 17" for large, tabloid-size scanning. It's usually a good idea to consider a flatbed with a bed size that's beyond the bare minimum - in this case, larger than the barebones 8.5" x 11.7". Not only can you fit larger-sized material onto the scan bed, you can also group several smaller pieces on the scan bed and perform batch scans (scanning in groups) to save time and effort. Dynamic Range

The dynamic range of a scanner measures how well it can capture the tonal range of an image, ranging from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows. Dynamic range is measured on a scale from 0.0 (perfect white) to 4.0 (perfect black), and the single number associated with a scanner indicates how much of that range it can tell apart. The minimum and maximum density values that can be captured by a scanner are called Dmin and Dmax, respectively. If a scanner's Dmin was 0.2 and its Dmax was 3.0, then its dynamic range would be 2.8.

While dynamic range is a term often bandied about, in truth the spec is more important for film scanners used to scan slides, negatives, and transparencies - as these types of media have a broader range of tones compared to photos, and for which a scanner's higher dynamic range can make a difference. Most flatbed scanners will have a dynamic range of 2.8 to 3.0, but don't be surprised if you can't find it in the specs, as this is not critical information needed by the average user looking to scan photos or prints.

Software

In selecting the scanner of your choice, consider the software that comes with it. Software will always include the scanner's own driver or scanning software, as well as a host of complementary programs such as image-editing software like Adobe Photoshop to which the scanned image is delivered; optical character recognition software like ABBYY FineReader Sprint for text scanning and OCR; color calibration software for higher-end scanner models; and even photo-repair software like DIGITAL ICE. Check for extras as well, such as proprietary or exclusive technologies.

How To Build You Own Computer A Parts List

Writen by Michael Quarles

Through all the articles I've done on building computers, my mantra has been "There are only eleven major parts in a computer. If you can connect just eleven items, then you can build a PC." If you are new to this hobby, you may be asking yourself what the parts are, and how to decide on which ones to buy. Let's start at the beginning.

CPU: You'll build your unit around its CPU. You can pick from Intel or AMD chips, at a wide range of speeds, and prices. This most basic decision helps determine many choices you'll make later on. Here, you must ask yourself if you want a basic "homework and internet" computer, or something faster, and higher priced.

I prefer to get a CPU-heatsink-fan bundle. It costs about the same as getting the parts separately, but by getting them together you'll have a factory tested combo you know will work properly.

Motherboard: Once you've decided on a CPU, you can pick a motherboard of the same socket type. Many features must be considered. How many PCI expansion slots will you need? Do you want video on the motherboard, or on a separate card? Likewise, do you want firewire on the board, or on a card, or not at all? Most boards come with sound, but will it be the quality you require if you're a gamer?

Hard Drive: How much storage capacity do you need? A homework PC will find 40GBs to be oodles of space, while a video editor should be looking at 200GBs or more. If you're doing captures of analog video, get the fastest hard drive you can find to avoid dropped frames.

CD/DVD: Yes, there are still plain CD-ROMs on the market, but since the common medium of exchange for data of all kinds is the CD and DVD, I say get a good rewritable drive. If you want to share movies you've made, spend a couple more bucks for a drive that will do DVDs as well as CDs.

Floppy: Many people have eliminated floppy drives. Don't. They provide a last chance to save a computer crippled by a virus. Also, the disks cost only pennies.

Graphics Card: If you decided against getting video on the motherboard, you'll need to get a graphics card. The more memory on the card, 128MB, 256MB, or whatever, the better for games and such. However, more memory means more heat, and potential cooling problems. You can get cards that use AGP, PCI, or PCI Express slots.

Modem: If you are still stuck with dialup, you'll have to get a 56K modem. At least they're dirt cheap now.

Case and Power Supply: To hold all this wonderful stuff, you'll need a case. A simple fellow like me only asks for a box with airholes punched in it, but you might want a little something extra. A design statement can be made, if you're into that sort of thing.

Of greater concern is the power supply. There is an annoying tendency among manufacturers to pair perfectly acceptable cases with undersized power supplies. By that, I mean those under 300 watts. This is the minimum for a basic PC. If you're a gamer, you'll want 450 watts or more.

Case Fans: Considering the heat generated inside a computer, I like as many fans as possible. They cost only five bucks or so each.

Michael Quarles is author of Building a PC for Beginners.

Lan Server Racks

Writen by Josh Riverside

Networks form a very essential part of the computer world. LAN is a technology used to connect a computer to a network. To make networking life easier and more effective, LAN racks are used. They are very efficient and flexible.

LAN server racks are suitable for keyboard trays, drawers, power strips, and many other items. LAN server racks offer enormous storage space. The 8U cabinet is a nice place for small closets, under-the-desk applications, or countertops. An interlocking corner guard is fixed with every rack and is used to add an additional rack. Usually a LAN server rack is made up of long-lasting aluminum. It can also hold heavy cables because of its side rails.

The LAN server racks are durable, lightweight, stackable, and are completely portable. LAN server racks' prices are also cost-effective. Usually the racks are available in 25", 36", 48", and 72" width, with a height of 72" and 42". To view from seated position, a low-profile 42" unit is suitable. These racks are able to hold a wide range of accessories like caster assemblies, back panels, phone trays, book dividers, storage pedestals, etc. Generally, there are three types of LAN server racks: heavy-duty LAN racks, super-heavy-duty LAN racks, and industrial-strength LAN racks. These LAN server racks can hold up to 1,000 to 1,500 pounds.

If you do not require a mount server rack, then a LAN server rack is an excellent substitution. A heavy LAN server rack is designed for any application of floor plan, width, depth, or height. This way, a LAN server rack surely makes networking life easier and more efficient. These modular and flexible server racks help us to organize our computers and communication equipment to operate more efficiently.

Server Racks provides detailed information on Server Racks, Computer Server Racks, LAN Server Racks, Vertical Server Rack Storage and more. Server Racks is affiliated with Hard Drive Data Recovery.

Raid Disk Recovery

Writen by Brad Triggs

RAID is short for Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks, a category of disk drives that employ two or more drives in combination for fault tolerance and performance. RAID disk drives are used frequently on servers and increasingly being employed on personal computers. Array is the operative word, which also dictates what the cure is going to be, when a RAID disk recovery situation arises.

RAID disk repair, as you may expect is quite a complicated process. But the good thing going for it is the chances for retrieving lost data is higher than with most other types of disks because the typical RAID architecture strategically distributes data randomly across the array. What this sort of architecture demands of recovery professionals is to specialize in the disk’s many different levels.

In a nutshell, these are all the levels that the RAID disk recovery team is up against. RAID 0, 1, 0+1; RAID 3, 4; RAID 5; RAID 10; Hardware RAID including: AMI, Compaq, Dell, Adaptec, IBM, etc.; and, Software RAID including Mac OS; Windows Servers including 2K, XP, NT; Linux, Solaris, Novell, etc.

Just some RAID systems that most RAID disk recovery specialists should all be familiar with are: Quantum Snap Server; Maxtor MaxAttach; Adaptec AAA131; Compaq; Dell Perc Systems; IBM; AMI; Mylex; and yes, many others!

The two most common implementations of the RAID architecture are Levels 4 and 5. Level 4 provides block stripping with a parity check. When a data disk fails, the parity data is used to create a replacement disk. Level 5 provides data stripping at the byte level and also stripe error correction information, which results in excellent performance and good fault tolerance. These two types are certainly the best friends of the RAID disk recovery expert as these are the easiest to restore when the situation arises.

Brad Triggs provides more information on Data Recovery at his website:
Data-Recovery-Central.com - RAID Data Recovery

Amd Vs Intel Which Chip Offers More Bang For Your Buck In Gaming Pcs

Writen by Jordan Hall

Computer enthusiasts have long known of the ongoing rivalry between Intel, the processing giant, and Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD. Since the early nineties, Intel and AMD have vied for technical dominance in the computer hardware field and in relation to computer gaming. For many years, AMD was like the "kid brother" of Intel; the latter held a seemingly insurmountable lead in terms of market share, and the former simply eked by and scrappily etched out a place in the industry for itself. Intel was also traditionally associated with more powerful chips while AMD came to symbolize greater value. Back in the nineties when clock speed meant everything, Intel's Pentium III chip always managed to maintain a sizeable lead in terms of performance and speed over AMD's Athlon offering. Product support also tended to lean decidedly in Intel's favor; largely due to their history of success, there were no shortage of computer manufacturers ready to do business with the company. AMD, meanwhile, enjoyed an almost cult-like following amongst computer enthusiasts who lauded its price-to-performance ratio.

Eventually, however, the raw power of a processor began to be less important than its overall performance, information processing ability, and power consumption. The landscape began to really shift in about 2000. That year, AMD announced and began to develop its 64-bit line of processors, Opteron and Athlon 64. The company essentially staked its future on these chip lines, and in 2003 they released to much acclaim. The balance of power had shifted decidedly in the processor market; while Intel's Pentium 4 chips struggled with power consumption and heat issues as they steadily increased in clock speed, AMD's 64-bit offerings allowed consumers to take advantage of more powerful 64-bit code in their systems—including gaming systems. Whereas Intel enthusiasts could always point to the performance discrepancy between the two different types of chips, AMD quickly became the processor of choice for computer gaming and computer hardware enthusiasts. The processing power provided by the 64-bit AMD chips proved to be too great to pass up, and this was only reinforced in 2005 when the company released the first dual-core processors to the market. Since then, Intel has been playing catch-up in terms of hardware availability, and AMD's market share has reached its highest point at roughly 20 percent, according to eWeek.com.

What are the Advantages of AMD Processors?

As the processing landscape has shifted towards AMD's side, there are some key benefits of using AMD-based hardware that have been revealed. The first is obviously the pure power edge that AMD has attained. Tom's Hardware (www.tomshardware.com) has long been regarded as a reliable authority in the field of computer hardware reviews. While Intel for years could always claim performance superiority over AMD at the high end, Tom's reports that this is no longer the case. In conclusion to a comparison between AMD's dual core Athlon FX-60 processor and Intel's Pentium Extreme Edition, the reviewer writes, "With the exception of a few audio and video encoding benchmarks, the Athlon 64 FX-60 represents the new device to beat as far as performance goes, thanks to its two processing cores." Furthermore, the reviewer adds that the increased demands of running dual graphics cards configurations means that "this processor is a great choice for the best-possible 3D gaming experience." This status as the most powerful processor is reinforced by the fact that Alienware, renowned as the industry leader in terms of powerful custom computers, uses the FX-60 exclusively in its top-of-the-line Aurora ALX system.

Another advantage of AMD processors over Intel, at least for the time being, is the lower relative power consumption of their systems. According to Tom's Hardware, AMD's Turion 64 enjoys its status as the most efficient single core processor, and while Intel's Core Duo is technically the most efficient dual core processor, the overall power efficiency of AMD systems offsets any advantage that the Core Duo might have. When you subtract the power draw of a graphics card, which can be massive, it remains clear that AMD processors just do their job in a more efficient manner.

So What about Intel?

None of this means that Intel processors should be completely disregarded, however. One key advantage that Intel maintains is in sheer numbers. Intel still maintains a roughly 80 percent share of the market today, and as such you are more likely to find a system sporting an Intel processor rather than its AMD counterpart. Furthermore, Intel's long string of dominance ensures that there are no software-hardware compatibility issues; as Intel is the accepted leader in the processor industry, companies base their compatibility around Intel processors first.

It's not as if Intel is resting on their laurels, either. As has often happened during the rivalry between Intel and AMD, competition is breeding a new level of performance. Intel has recently shifted to a 65 nm processor core process, beating AMD to the punch in the process. The reduced core size allows for greater possibilities in terms of chip efficiency and power. Intel's top-level chip is still more expensive than its AMD counterpart, however, perhaps due to the relative newness of the 65 nm process.

So Which Chip Should you Buy for Your Gaming Computer?

All of these technical comparisons are well and good, but they don't answer the fundamental question: which chip is best for computer gaming systems? Though they continue to use the 90 nm core process for the time being, AMD processors still represent the best "bang for your buck." AMD's highest-end chips are still priced lower than their Intel counterparts, and the performance numbers available for them don't lie. Furthermore, AMD-based systems are more power-efficient in general, and certain technologies allow for technical innovation. nVidia's nForce line of motherboards, for example, is just on the verge of achieving steady dual-channel DDR2-667 memory support for Athlon 64 FX2 dual core chips. What this means for the consumer is that the memory will operate faster, with a higher bandwidth, and in greater harmony with the processor than ever before.

Jordan Hall is an avid computer gamer and technology enthusiast that enjoys providing consumers with advice concerning gaming computers and gaming laptops. For more about gaming computers, please visit http://www.Best-Gaming-Computers.com.

Adsl Routers

Writen by Ross Bainbridge

A circuit in an ADSL is defined by endpoints. A route is defined as the path that is taken between these endpoints. Switching is the process of making a path available for use by a circuit. A router shifts data from one route to another. It also allows for access to various fixed or temporary routes. This they do by recognizing the specific destination address and then copying data from one route to another.

Routers are useful when there are multiple networks. Routes may be permanent or temporary. There are several functions of the router. Routers must essentially contain the address information that is associated with each individual packet. This information can be in the form of full origination and destination information for each packet, or a special identification set up for a particular origination or destination on a temporary basis.

Routers will contain the address tables or a routing directory. This routing directory enables routers to identify and define the path for travel of the data. In a scenario where User A and User B are located on the same LAN, the router does not do anything except examine the packet. If User A and User B are located on different LANs and the router has a node (a direct connection) between the two LANs, then the router also has very little work to do. In this case, the LAN grabs a copy of the packet from the first LAN and puts it on the second LAN.

ADSL routers are particularly useful when they need to access WANs. Consider a scenario to understand the process better. If the User A wants to communicate with User B, where User A is on LAN 1 and User B is not on a LAN, then in this case the router on LAN 1 will make a connection through a WAN to User B, and provide a temporary access route.

ADSL provides detailed information on ADSL, ADSL Modems, ADSL Web Hosting, ADSL Routers and more. ADSL is affiliated with DSL Service.

Building A Cheap Gaming Computer Tips To Save Money

Writen by Julien David

Are you building a gaming computer on a tight budget? Want ideas on how to save some cash? The following tips will help you build your gaming system for less.

Reuse Your Old Parts

A good way to save money on your new computer is to reuse old parts where possible. Strip out all the good parts from your old computer, you may be able to use these parts in your new PC.

Components such as the monitor, keyboard, mouse, floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, and computer case are good candidates for reuse. In some cases you might even be able to keep your old graphics card and sound card, leaving you with only the core components to replace, the CPU, motherboard, RAM, and hard drive.

Watch for Sweet Spot in Market

Another good tip to building a cheap gaming computer is to watch for the 'sweet spot' in the market. The sweet spot is basically the point at which certain components are still not far behind those with top performance, yet they've already been through price drops.

Keep in mind that new hardware releases in the market will cause older components to drop in price. You should hunt for quality components that have been through these price drops.

Shop Around For Your Components

This is common sense, but there are people out there who don't do it. To get the best deals on your components you must shop around and compare prices. Avoid buying impulsively, whatever you do. Instead, become an informed and smart buyer.

If you want the very best deals you will need to put in a little effort. Try to compare prices from various sellers over time, perhaps a few weeks or so to get an idea of where the hot deals are.

Gaming computers can be pretty expensive. If you're like most people, you won't have all the money in the world to spend on your new machine. So use these tips to your advantage and build your gaming computer the smart way. Always remember, be a smart, patient and informed consumer. The money you save is worth it.

Check out Julien's website at Build-Gaming-Computers.com to learn about building a high-performance gaming computer. It includes information on choosing the best components for your gaming pc, and suggestions on which parts to buy.

Can I Use My Old Ink With My New Printer

Writen by Barry Shultz

The quick answer is...yes and no.

Consider this. How many printer models do you think there are out there right now? 1000? 2000? Who knows. But one thing I do know is nobody is going to spend the time testing the wrong inks in the wrong cartridges all day long to see if it works.

All printer manufacturers do things a little different. Without getting technical, there are basically three different technologies for inkjet printers. Epson uses Piezoelectric, Canon uses Bubblejet and HP and Lexmark use thermal inkjet technology.

An ink designed for Canon, for instance, has a much lower convection rate than an ink made for HP or Lexmark. The reason is HP's cartridge print heads fire at thousands of degrees. The ink must be made to withstand that kind of heat or your resulting output will be unpredictable.

Also there are basically two kinds of ink. Dye based and Pigmented. Pigmented ink particles are much larger than dye based particles so using a pigmented ink in a cartridge designed to use dye based ink will result in a clogged print head every time. Also, pigmented inks are waterfast on any surface. Notice I said waterfast and not waterproof. Pigmented inks can made waterproof if they are used with the proper media. The same goes with dye based inks.

Pay attention to this because it will apply to any ink on the market. Any dye based ink can be used in ANY inkjet printer. The color output may not be what you expected but it will work.

Not so with pigmented inks. Pigmented inks are used in most black inkjet cartridges today. Epson has a version of color pigmented inks they call DuraBrite inks. They are very expensive to make and there is quite a hefty premium on the bulk inks from any manufacturer that I have contacted.

DO NOT use pigmented inks in any cartridge that was designed to use dye based ink.

Generally speaking, HP and Lexmark inks are interchangeable because their process' are similar. Watch for color variations though.

The newer Canon cartridges, BCI-3e and BCI-6 colors are so close that most people cannot tell them apart. Ironically the cartridges are physically identical except for the BCI-3e black which is slightly larger. The BCI-3e black takes pigmented ink while the BCI-6 takes dye based. Be careful here. Some of the new Canon printers take both BCI-3e and BCI-6 black cartridges.

To wrap it up I'll say that you can use most inks in most printers with the exceptions that I already mentioned. Color variations, if they occur, might be compensated for in the printer driver settings. Be prepared to fiddle with it. Physical damage to the printer is unlikely in any case, unless the cartridge is leaking when you put it into your printer. But you wouldn't do that. Would you?

Barry Shultz is the author of Atlascopy News, and President of Atlascopy, Inc. Atlascopy specializes in affordable alternatives to the high cost of printer supplies.

Sign up for the Atlascopy Newsletter for more tips and get 10% coupons every week in your email: http://atlascopy.com/signup_new.htm

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Overclocking The Best Way To Get Free Speed

Writen by Damien Oh

Overclocking has been found to be the best way to get significant boost in the speed of your system at no cost at all.

But what really is this thing known as 'overclocking'?

It is the process of forcing the processor to run at a higher clock rate than its specification. Processor is made to run at certain frequencies (clock rates). The higher this frequency, the more calculations it can compute. Instead of buying a 3GHz processor, you can now make a 2GHz processor runs at 3GHz. In this case, you can save the time, effort and money to upgrade your system.

PC enthusiasts usually overclock their computer to increase the performance. Some of these enthusiasts purchase low-end computer components so they can overclock to achieve performance of a high-end system. However, if all you do on your computer is only word processing, email and simple tasks, overclocking will not give you noticeable performance boost. For gamers and those who are doing computationally heavy tasks, overclocking is the best way to transform your system from Daihatsu to Ferrari.

There are some risks involved in overclocking. Firstly, you will be voiding your warranty. This is logical as you are making the chips to run at a higher speed than its specification and there is this possibility that it could break. Though the risk of the chip breaking is small, the manufacturer will not want to bear this risk. In addition, the manufacturer disapprove of any overclocking act as it means there is a lesser demand for the higher speed processor which could earn them much more profit. Just in case the processor breaks, the whole system might be destroyed. Therefore, overclock at your own risk.

The main components used for overclocking are the processor and video card. The two things to consider when overclocking a component are the power supplied to the component and its cooling ability.

Overclocking is to ensure that it is supplied with the proper amount of power for its new speed. Providing too much power could permanently damage a component. You have to find a balance.

It is necessary to supply the proper amount of power to the component for its new speed. However, providing too much power could permanently damage the component. You have to find the balance.

With the increase in speed, the heat generated will surely increase. If too much heat is introduced to the system, it might destroy the functionality of the components, and in extreme cases, even causing them to catch fire. Therefore, sufficient cooling is paramount to a successful overclock. Some of the cooling agents used are forced convection (a fan blowing across a surface), Liquid Cooling (liquid coolant carrying waste heat to a radiator, similar to an automobile engine), liquid nitrogen, dry ice, phase change cooling (as used in refrigerators), and submersion (placing the entire computer in an inert fluid).

To overclock the processor, there are two settings that you must be aware of: the multiplier and the Front Side Bus (FSB). These two settings, when multiplied together, produce the frequency at which the CPU operates - for example, with a multiplier of 11 and a FSB of 200MHz, the CPU is running at 2.2GHz. By adjusting the multiplier value (usually an integer), higher speed can be achieved. It is advisable to do this with small increment at a time. Sudden huge increment will cause the system to be unstable and might lead to its destruction. Bit by bit, you can push the system to its extreme. Remember to increase its voltage as you do this. To test the performance of the overclocked processor, you can use free software such as Super-PI, Prime95, SiSoftware Sandra and Memtest86

For gaming purpose, overclocking the video card usually shows a better result than overclocking a processor. The largest performance boost usually came from overclocking the video card memory chips, so if you're trying to keep the heat down and only want to overclock the essentials, this is what you'll want to look at.

One application you can used to overclock the video card is PowerStrip (available from http://www.entechtaiwan.net/util/ps.stm). After installation, you can select 'Performance Profiles' and then 'Configure' from the menu. This is where you can see the Engine clock and Memory clock. Slowly increase the Engine clock in 5MHz increments and run the benchmark application. When you start to see peculiar shape, this is its fastest possible speed. Move the slider back to its previous successful overclock and that is the core frequency. Repeat the same step with the memory clock. When this is done, your video card will be overclocked to its maximum. Before you run the application, remember to provide enough cooling agent to the video card as the overclocking process will bring up its temperature a few notches.

With the extra speed boosts, surely you can do much more things with your system. Hopefully this article has provided you with an insight to the overclocking world. Welcome to the overclocking community and all the best to your overclocking endeavor.

Damien Oh -- http://www.build-gaming-computer-guide.com

Laser Printer Toners

Writen by Kevin Stith

Laser printer toner, also called a 'laser printer toner cartridge' is nothing but a dry powder that is electrically charged during laser printing, so that it gets transferred onto the paper, thereby completing the process of printing. Usually, this toner comes in a cartridge which is inserted into the printer. One such cartridge can then be used for printing a thousand pages. Once the cartridge empties, it can be replaced or refilled easily. A cartridge, which can be replaced, offers two advantages: speed and portability.

Four types of laser printer toners exist in the market. First are the inkjet and toner cartridges produced by manufacturers under their own brand name. These are called 'OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)', for example, Canon OEM, Epson OEM, Lexmark OEM, HP OEM, and Brother OEM. The second type is known as 'Compatible (Generic)' toner cartridge, which is produced in order to equal or excel the OEM toner cartridges. These are cheaper than OEM cartridges. The third one includes 'Remanufactured (Refurbished)' toner cartridge, which are recycled from the OEMs. And the last type is 'Refill Kits', which is the most inexpensive method to replace the toner cartridge.

There are benefits to using toner cartridges in a laser printer. First of all, laser printer toners have the capacity to print thousands of pages, and usually cost less per page compared to inkjet cartridges. Also, the printing speed is much quicker than inkjet cartridges, and they work on almost every type of paper. The only drawback of laser toner cartridges is that their initial cost is higher. Nevertheless, in due course they prove to be much more economical if a lot of printing has to be done.

Laser Printers provides detailed information on Laser Printers, Color Laser Printers, Laser Printer Toners, Laser Printer Reviews and more. Laser Printers is affiliated with Laser Toner Refill .

Hard Drive Makes A Clicking Sound

Writen by Bob Rankin

Hard Drive Failure?

Generally a clicking sound coming from your hard drive is a Bad Omen. It could be a harbinger of horrific hardware happenings, so my immediate advice is "BACKUP YOUR HARD DRIVE!" as soon as possible. If the drive fails, you're out of luck. In fact, even if you don't suspect a problem with your hard drive, it's wise to make regular backups so you can survive a hard drive failure with only minimal inconvenience.

See my article Backing Up Your Files to learn about backup strategies, hardware and software. And if you're curious about which hard drives noises you should be concerned about, listen to these clicking sounds made by dying hard drives.

Scan Your Drive

On Windows XP, you can check your hard drive for errors by running the CHKDSK utility. Restart your computer and hold down the Ctrl key while it's booting up. When you see the option to start your system in Safe Mode, select it and continue. Click the Start button, then click Run, then type CHKDSK C: /F /R then press Enter. The /R option tells CHKDSK to scan for bad disk sectors, and the /F option means to fix any errors found. (On a Windows 98 system, use the SCANDISK command instead of CHKDSK.)

If CHKDSK offers to "convert lost chains to files", recover lost data, or fix something else, you should accept. (If CHKDSK tries to sell you a cheap Rolex, politely decline the offer.) After CHKDSK finishes, restart your computer normally and see if the dreaded click of doom returns. If so, the drive is most likely damaged, and should be replaced as soon as possible. If you decide to purchase a new computer, see Copying Old Hard Drive to New PC for help with transferring your files.

Are You On The Level?

But before you trash your troublesome drive, you should try one more thing... Some hard drives are very sensitive to non-level surfaces, and will not function properly if they're sitting on a slant. Shut down your computer, make sure your system unit is on a flat surface (use a level to make sure), and then restart. I was all set to give up on an older computer that was doing the click/whir routine, but I noticed it wasn't sitting on a level surface. As soon as I fixed that, the problem was gone!

That clicking sound MAY signal impending hard drive failure, but keep in mind you don't always get such a warning. So play it safe... back up your files on a regular basis.

BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin's website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

How To Install A Desktop Power Supply

Writen by Gary Hendricks

In this article we discuss how to install a desktop power supply. In learning how to install computer components, this is one of the easier tasks—yet also one of the most dangerous. The power supply delivers juice to your desktop, so follow the safety precautions below before you start.

Also, if you're building a computer from scratch—as we assume—you're probably doing a fresh install of your power supply, and not replacing an old one. So we'll skip any explanations about how to remove an old power supply, although we think you'll figure that out after completing this lesson.

1. Safety Precautions and Opening Up the Case

Knowing how to properly install computer power supply units begins with a review of safety. Your new power supply has plugs that will power the computer as well as various devices in your desktop. Handle it with care, and be very careful not to poke around in its vents with any objects.

Your power supply also has the ability to retain electric charges even after you've unplugged it. It's good to know these things in advance so we don't make any foolish mistakes.

Now the first order of business is to remove the case. The method for doing this will vary depending on your system. If you have a mini-tower, then unscrew the side panel above the motherboard and slide it off. Set the screws in a safe place. If you have an older model of computer, then you will probably have to unscrew the whole back cover, and completely slide the chassis out.

2. Align and Secure the Power Supply

The next step in learning how to install a desktop power supply is to align it with the case and then secure it properly. This part can be very tricky. Basically, your power supply has four mounting holes that match the four mounting holes on the back of your computer case. You will also notice that the power supply is a somewhat heavy, lumbering unit.

You will need to get the power supply into the computer and align its mounting holes with those of the computer case, and then use a screwdriver to screw it in. Of course, we realize that you won't be able to do this at the same time. You will probably have to screw the first two top mounts first—making sure to hold the unit steady—and then screw the bottom holes.

Some computer cases have ledges which you can set the power supply on, making the job easier. Learning how to install computer components takes a good bit of patience as well as some dexterity on your part.

3. Set the Voltage Switch and Plug the Power Supply into Your Motherboard

If you've ever traveled abroad, you probably realize that some countries use 220v for their outlets—and so do their computers. For this reason, power supplies come with what is known as a voltage switch. Locate it on the back of your power supply. It may be a pink-colored switch—it's meant to stand out for a reason.

Learning to install computer power supply units correctly means that you can't ignore this one vital step. You need to set this switch to the correct voltage for the country you're living in. Now, it may have already come preset to the country you're living in. If so, fine, just make sure before you continue. Otherwise you will have serious problems.

Next you will plug the power supply into your motherboard. Look for leads from your power supply that will connect to your motherboard. The most common type of these are the ATX connectors; these are the standard 20-pin cables. If you have newer Pentium 4 computers, you may also need to connect a 12v 4 pin connector to the motherboard as well.

4. Connect Power to Internal Devices

It would be useless if you chose to install computer power supply units without connecting them to any of the internal devices of your computer. Your power supply actually powers up several devices in your computer.

You will notice that there still seems to be a lot of loose cables hanging from your power supply, looking for a plug to insert into somewhere. The most common destination for these hanging threads are your optical drives—your CD and/or DVD-ROM drives. The connectors are the four pin-variety, commonly known as the 'molex' connectors. Find these connectors and install them into your drives.

Consult your documentation to see if there are any additional devices that require power, and plug connectors into them as well.

5. Close Up, Plug In and Power Up Your System

You are almost done. Check the connections between the power supply and the units it will be supplying power to. Also examine the lead between the power supply and the motherboard. Make sure that all of these connections are secure. If so, you're ready to close up, plug in and power up your system. Close

your computer case by placing the cover back on, and screwing it tight. Make sure your AC cord is not attached to an outlet yet. First, plug the cord back into the power supply and flip the power supply switch back on. Then attach your AC cord to the wall outlet and turn on your computer.

If you've followed these steps in order, you'll hear the reassuring whir of the power supply fan as it supplies electricity to your system. Check your system, including your CD ROM and DVD ROM drives to ensure that they are working properly.

Conclusion

You've learned how to install computer devices like a power supply in this tutorial, and it's an accomplishment you can be proud of! Knowing how to install a desktop power supply can be challenging to a beginner, but we trust we've made it simple for you. It requires a little bit of mechanical skill and patience. But in the end, learning how to do-it-yourself is far cheaper than paying someone else to do it. It's also a lot more gratifying too. Additionally, we believe that you can take what you learned and learn how to replace an old power supply if you need to.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

Should You Upgrade Your Hardware Pc

Writen by Tony C. Gevano

What if you found that your computer is out of date? You probably want to upgrade your computer since you have no choice to do so. Your works depend on your hardware computer upgrade. That's how you going to have a good result.

But before you make any further step, try to learn about your computer. Search all options and ask for advice. Only after this you can go and buy a new component. It's also useful to check if you really need an upgrade.

Sure, it's not funny if you keep your old computer but you still loose data when you do your works. Its just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem when you still using your old computer. You dont want to loose your data, right? Of course most people only think of backing up their data after they experience a problem. Don't set yourself up for a data loss disaster. Check what hardware you need for your computer.

If you have problem with your hard disk, such as crash when you do your work, better you have it renewed. Most people upgrade their hard disk to increase the size so that they can use it for games, movies and playing a lot of music. A 20 GB hard drive is sufficient to keep new office and internet applications, and all your files and data. A medium sized hard drive would be around 40 GB and the maximum would be around 60 – 80 GB.

You can choose which perfect for your work. Of course the price is also depending on the capacity of your hard disk. If you are a gamer, you may want to have high capacity hard disk such as that 60-80 GB. But if you just used it for your writing, a 20 GB is more than enough.

Another hardware you may need to upgrade is the RAM or Random Access Memory. This memory keeps data that is being worked on now and may or may not be transferred to the hard drive that represents the long-term memory of the computer. Current processors can perform an enormous number of operations per second. Almost all computer have 64 MB RAM and often 128 MB. If you want to run newer applications on your PC then you must upgrade to 128/256 MB RAM. A lot of people who upgrade from 98 to Win 2000 discover that their computers lock up very often. This is because they don't have enough RAM.

So, those are only some part of hardware you might want to upgrade. There are others such as motherboard, CPU or port which you can upgrade. Your action depend on your need.

About the Author: Tony Gevano interest in observing people's way in choosing things has made him become a writer in various kinds of materials. He wrote almost anything he likes. You find his writing in different Website, among them is in http://www.d-tools.info

What You Need To Know About Cdr

Writen by Steve Valentino

A CD-R, or compact disc-recordable, is a 'write once, read multiple' (WORM) media used to store electronic data. Data is stored on the CD-R through a process called 'CD burning'. The WORM principle means that data can be burned onto the disc only once, and can be accessed any number of times.

Business, government and other organizations produce and store vast amounts of data. This critical data is used to plan future operations and make important decisions. CD-Rs are used to store this data. Copies of these CD-Rs can be made and distributed to a large number of people.

A CD-R is the cheapest way of storing data in today's world. They are available for around 50 cents apiece in the wholesale market. CD-Rs can store around 700MB of electronic data, which is around 80 minutes of digital video files. Some important directions should be followed before initiating the 'CD-R burn' process. All the needed files and folders should be moved to a central folder. These should further be classified based on data types like mp3, jpg, avseq, doc, txt and others to avoid confusion and save time. These CD-Rs have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years depending on how they are stored. No manufacturer gives more than a decade-long warranty on its CD-Rs.

After the data burn process is completed, the CD-Rs should be stored in a suitable environment that is free from excess moisture, excess heat, magnetic fields and dust particles. These conditions are not suitable for CD-Rs, and can destroy or corrupt the electronic data stored in them. Every manufacturer issues instructions regarding proper upkeep of its CD-Rs, which should be strictly followed.

The use of these CD-Rs is increasing in both organizations as well as domestic households. Families are using this media to store home videos, digital images, movies, games and other important files and folders.

CDR provides detailed information on CDR, CDR Media, Blank CDRs, Make DVD On CDRs and more. CDR is affiliated with Flash Memory Cards.

Choosing A Programming Language For Your Microcontroller

Writen by John Main

Assembler

Assembler is the most obvious language that you'll consider using as you probably won't need to buy any other tools to use it. More than likely the manufacturer will provide an assembler for the chip and you won't need any books as all the instructions are in the datasheet and you just start coding.

This route to programming is very easy but you may be setting yourself up for problems later on as:

1. It is trivial to write short programs.
2. It becomes progressively more difficult to write large programs.
3. It seems to be the best option as it gives the fastest code.
4. It seems to be the best option as it gives the smallest code.

Assembler: Fast & small code

There is no doubt that assembler gives the fastest and most optimized code (your brain is better at optimization than any compiler!) but assembler is difficult – typically you'll spend ten times as long writing assembler as you would writing in a high level language.

Assembler / Compiler Trade off

This is the trade off; to write the fastest most optimized code or to get the task solved more quickly.

Another problem with assembler is that to do even the most trivial task you have to think about every aspect of the code and all implications on registers and register flags.

Even making a microcontroller perform the most trivial task is difficult e.g. for making a loop in assembler you need to think about which register to use and which instructions all the while thinking about how those registers should not interact with the loop register/other registers etc.

Assembler: Problem - changing the target

Another difficulty is when you change from one microcontroller to another (even in the same device family) the assembler instructions may be changed e.g. more instructions to improve microcontroller performance. So you will have to learn an entirely different instruction set when moving either to a new target microcontroller or moving to a different device within the same family i.e. code re-use is not possible unless you stay with one microcontroller (or devices with a similar internal architecture).

High level languages

HLL: Retarget

Retargeting code to another microcontroller is easier since the HLL will know the details of the new target i.e. instruction set, fuses etc. All you need to worry about is the specific differences between the different microcontrollers (in the same family this will be setting up the internal peripherals).

The important point is that the HLL takes care of the assembler code needed to do the job.

HLL: Easy to understand.

The most useful aspect of a high level language (HLL) is that the language is written in a form you can easily understand – there are no cryptic assembler commands that you have to remember and most commands are made up of several machine code instructions – saving you coding effort (often there are built in libraries of code e.g. LCD driver, Serial port driver, I2C driver etc

So the HLL makes it easy to write code as it generates the correct assembler for the target microcontroller.

HLL : Whitespace

You can also make use of white space (areas of no code) to separate out the various operations within the program – typically assembler code is just one great big list that is really very difficult to read – I know there are comments but you need to comment almost every line so that someone else can

understand the code.

HLL: Task splitting

One of the best features of a HLL is that you can split tasks into separate functions that you can concentrate on them individually (as the HLL takes care of local variables etc.). For assembler even when using a call instruction you have to take care of preserving the register state – in the HLL it's all done

for you.

HLL: Code re-use

Once you learn the HLL you will find it easy to read code written by other people and you will be able to re-use code that you have already written whereas with assembler you will constantly need to analyze the code to see if it fits in with your new functions.

The only decision then is which high level language? There are really three contenders BASIC, C and Pascal – these are the most popular languages and for popular microcontrollers there will be an HLL compiler for each one. I'll just list the advantages and disadvantages of each

BASIC Advantages

1. Very easy to learn and use.
2. A BASIC compiler will produce code that runs fast as a C compiler.
3. Many in built functions (depending on compiler).
4. Very popular – large user base with many example programs.

BASIC Disadvantages

1. Non standard language.
2. If using an interpreted HLL will run very slowly.

Note: Because the language is not standardized it will be difficult to move code to a new processor target type.

Pascal Advantages

1. Easy to learn and use.
2. A Pascal compiler will produce code that runs fast as a C compiler.
3. Many in built functions (depending on compiler).

Pascal Disadvantages

1. Not as popular as C – so not as many compilers.
2. A bit wordy – it was originally intended as a teaching language.
3. Not as flexible as C.

C Advantages

1. Compiled language - always runs fast.
2. Standardized language (ANSI)- easier to port to different compilers / target devices.
3. Many compilers available.
4. Many in built functions (depending on compiler).
5. Very popular – large user base with many example programs.
6. Used in many different industries.
7. Usable at the hardware level as well as higher abstraction levels (although C++ is better for very abstracted programming models).

C Disadvantages

1. Hard to learn at first.
2. Strong type checking means you spend time pleasing the compiler (although this protects you from making errors).

You can find more information from the website here and how to build a website like it here.

Author John Main Copyright © John Main 2006 Free to distribute if the article is kept complete. http://www.best-microcontroller-projects.com