Over the time, with microprocessors coming into existence, these backplanes became a thing of the past and various components were integrated directly into a single Printed Circuit Board. Thus, a single PCB, termed as Motherboard, was only required for a computer.In the 1980s, companies like Apple and IBM released the documentation and blueprints of their motherboards. This was intended to allow the production of replacement motherboards for their popular computers like the Apple II and the IBM PC. The motherboards began to become more consolidated but complex at the same time. Super I/O (single ICs) chips started to exist in the motherboard in the late 80s, allowing support for low-speed peripherals like mouse, keyboard, floppy drive, etc.As the clock started approaching the millennium year, the need for expansion slots was eliminated for the components like video, storage, audio, and network adapters by embedding them into the motherboard. Currently, the motherboards have taken a leap to a stage where almost negligible changes can be made after a motherboard is manufactured. The size of the motherboard has reduced drastically since the last few decades and may continue to shrink down further.
Form Factor is the term given to the shape and size of a motherboard. Generally, all types of motherboards are designed according to predefined specifications creating a similarity between the motherboards manufactured by different companies. However, the size may differ to a small extent from brand to brand.ATX, developed by Intel, is the most widely used configuration specification for desktop motherboards which is implemented by almost all the major manufacturers.MiniPC is a form factor specification given for small sized computers like the Apple Mac Mini and Intel NUC. These machines are used for basic computing needs like web surfing, word processing, video playback, etc. Though, the advancement in technology has made these machines more than an internet surfing device.These are the long slots attached to the motherboard to install DIMM chips to the computer. DIMM stands for Dual Inline Memory module which consists of DRAM integrated circuits. The Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) is a volatile memory that stores the data and files being executed by the CPU. Many variants of DRAM exist like DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4.
You might¡¯ve heard terms like LGA 1150 or AM3+. Getting the correct socket type for a processor is a common dilemma faced when we assemble a computer, for example, a desktop machine. So, what exactly a socket is? A socket is a place where the microprocessor or CPU sits on the motherboard. Due the socket, a microprocessor doesn¡¯t need to be soldered to the motherboard. We can remove it anytime as per our will.ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) ¨C In this, while inserting the CPU chip the contacts on the socket are made loose by lifting a lever. Thus, the CPU gets fitted easily.The LGA type sockets are mainly used by Intel whereas, AMD uses the PGA-ZIF type sockets. Let¡¯s take the example of Intel, they make many socket variants. The difference comes in the pin arrangement. That¡¯s why we have to be very careful while deciding the CPU and socket type.
It is an IC present on the motherboard that is responsible for the creation of a communication channel between the CPU and various components like memory, and peripheral devices connected to the motherboard. Without a chipset, all the different parts will not be able to talk to the central processing unit and this will directly affect the performance of the computer. Chipset consists of two parts:Northbridge which is directly attached to the CPU through the front side bus (FSB). It uses the memory controller to contact the RAM chip to transfer data between CPU and RAM. In addition to this, it also establishes communication with the PCI Express bus.Southbridge links to the USB ports, SATA interface. It doesn¡¯t directly report to the CPU, all the information has to pass through the northbridge before reaching the CPU.
The basic operation of a clock generator is to synchronize the operations of different components of a motherboard. It generates a clock signal that jumps between high and low frequencies, thus creating a metronome for the coordination of actions. I won¡¯t jump into its depth to tell you the technicalities.You might be familiar with the term PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect). It is used to install additional components like Wireless adapters, graphics cards, etc. PCI is an expansion bus that is used to transfer data between the computer (i.e. CPU and RAM) and the connected peripheral device.A bus can be understood as a path through which the data travels. The term refers to both the software and the hardware required to transfer data. A bus has two parts, the address bus which passes the information about where the data should go, and the data bus which carries the actual data to be transferred.
Modern motherboards include the PCIe (PCI Express) slots which are an upgrade over the conventional PCI and PCI-X expansion bus standards.Motherboards are equipped with connectors for attaching storage devices like magnetic hard drives, optical drives, and SSDs. These devices work through an interface known as SATA. SATA or Serial ATA is also a computer bus that enables connection between the storage media and the computer through the host bus adapters present on the motherboard.Various SATA versions namely, SATA 3.2, mSATA, eSATA, etc exist and are used depending on the configuration of the machine. For example, mSATA or mini-SATA is used for SSDs and hard drives installed in laptops.Computers have a main power supply unit but it is not possible to deliver power to all the components directly from it. Hence, power connectors are used to distribute the power from the main supply to various components like RAM, CPU, chipset, and expansion cards.
Some modern expansion cards like the high-end graphics cards require more power which can¡¯t be provided by the main power connectors of the computer. So, these graphics cards come with their own power connectors to get the right amount of electrical power.Motherboards also have Flash ROM which a non-volatile memory chip uses to store the BIOS of the system. Apart from these, additional components like the USB (Universal Service Bus), disk controllers, ethernet controllers, etc. exist on the motherboard. Modern motherboards also have on-board graphics chips (like Intel HD Graphics) and sound cards which are directly soldered on them. The internal graphics cards are capable of handling the basic graphics processing of the machine and provide video output through VGA and HDMI ports.
Improper temperatures in case of motherboards may lead to a reduction in performance and lower life expectancy over the course of time. Hence, various devices like the heat sink and cooling fans have been designed to bring down the temperature when the heat is generated by the motherboard¡¯s components.The ideal operating temperature for motherboards is around 45-degree celsius. Your computer won¡¯t be happy with you if you don¡¯t equip it with an appropriate cooling system, raising the temperature above intolerable limits. You might have heard about frying of motherboards due to high operating temperatures.So, that¡¯s all I know about Motherboards. If I have failed to include some major point, please let me know in the comments section below.Basically, cars are getting smarter every minute. Well, the smartness is costly at the current point in time. Budget cars aren¡¯t loaded with many computers in comparison to their pocket burning alternatives. However, that¡¯s a different point to discuss, let us focus on the digital side of the driving.
A new hobby that has been observed in a while is car hacking. Tiny smartphone-sized devices can unlock cars costing thousands of dollars within a matter of seconds. And the best part, or the worst ¡ª they can be bought at a minimal price ranging from $50 to $100.Now, the thing that blew our mind is a video in which the security researcher Charlie Miller gives a small demonstration of how he can make a car dance to his tunes. Miller has worked for NSA in the past and performed similar car hacking demo last year when he hacked a moving jeep on a highway. And the thing which will give you goose bumps is that he did that from outside the jeep.In the video, Miller controlled a high-tech car by using his laptop. But he had to sit inside the car this time, gaining physical access to the car by use of some tiny device¨Cnot the one I mentioned earlier¨Cbecause the bug used to hack the jeep was rectified. Miller said that he could control even a million of such cars using his laptop. Set a particular radio frequency, and even turn off the engine of all of them in a single go.
Modern cars have computers which can be hacked. We only hope fewer flaws should be present in the software of these computer cars, shrinking the possibility that any hacker exploits them.According to a research paper titled as Hidden Voice Commands, an attacker can use video from YouTube or any other source to hack your smartphone. Sounds next to impossible but the idea is not that insane as you may assume. The researchers are sure about the experiments they¡¯ve carried out.
What exactly happens is that voice commands which can be understood by voice assistants are packed inside a YouTube video such that a human can¡¯t understand them.Once you start playing a YouTube video on your computer or laptop on speakers, the hidden commands in the malicious video can trigger operations in your smartphone lying nearby. Tasks like opening a particular web page and downloading some malware can be accomplished even without the knowledge of the user. This would allow the attacker to perform things on your device which you might regret.
Two models have been proposed in the research conducted at UC Berkeley and Georgetown University. First, the black-box model, which consists of testing with voices which can be deciphered by a human if he concentrates. A prime benefit described is that if the listener already knows that command present in the distorted voice, then it would be easy for him to understand it by unconsciously hearing the message.The White-box model involves totally distorted voices for which chances are next to impossible of being understood by a human.The researchers are also working on an alarming system which would warn the users if any such command gets initiated on their smartphone. The attack detection accuracy is 99.8% with a machine learning approach and a challenge response system created by the researchers. You can visit the Hidden Voice Commands website for more such commands and other technical stuff about the research.
Security issues like these are a great worry in the century when tech giants are busy enhancing the ability of their voice assistants. For example, Google is working on a version of Google Now which works without the internet.Teri Goldstein of California sued Redmond after her computer system was left in a poor state and prone to crashing after a failed Windows 10 upgrade. As a result, she was unable to use her computer for numerous days.
After facing such problems, Goldstein reached out to Microsoft support to get her issue resolved, only to face disappointment.So, she decided to file a suit against the software giant. She claimed an amount of $10,000 that included cost compensation as well as a new computer.
Goldstein says that she didn¡¯t want to upgrade her PC to Windows 10. ¡°I had never heard of Windows 10,¡± she says.While Redmond appealed the initial judgment, it dropped the same last month. According to a spokesperson, Microsoft took this step to avoid any further litigation expenses.Having said that, it¡¯s not surprising to see that Microsoft is being bashed for its sketchy upgrade policies. However, the company doesn¡¯t hesitate to deny any wrongdoing on its part.It¡¯s also interesting to note the timing of this incident as Windows 10 is nearly completing its one year anniversary. The free Windows 10 offer was a great concept but the whole saga could¡¯ve been handled in a more transparent way.I would like to call her ¡®The Polite Granny¡¯. May Ashworth is an 86-year-old resident of England who became an internet sensation after her grandson Ben Eckersley tweeted a snapshot of the polite Google search she made.