Plug and Play, Tablet PC Style


Plug and Play is a technology that enables you to plug hardware such as a printer into a computer and have your computer recognize and communicate with that hardware somewhat seamlessly. The first step in Plug and Play is 'plug,' and that's what you'll learn about in this section.

Any port in a storm

A piece of additional hardware that you connect to your computer, such as a printer or external modem, which is called a peripheral, connects to your computer through ports. This connection enables the transfer of data between the two pieces of hardware.

On older computers (not that old - say computers manufactured before 2001) there were different kinds of ports, such as serial ports and parallel ports. Not every peripheral could work with every kind of port - which was, quite frankly, annoying - and techies stockpiled boxes of different kinds of cables in their closets.

Enter USB, or Universal Serial Bus. USB is a kind of all-purpose port that you can use to connect any number of things, from a printer to a mouse, CD-ROM drive (see Figure 3-1), or digital camera. Tablet PCs use USB ports to connect most peripherals.

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Figure 3-1: You can use various cable adapters to connect peripherals such as this CD-ROM drive through a USB port.

 Tip  If you have a piece of hardware (such as a keyboard) that doesn't have a USB connector, you can buy a USB adapter at any computer store.

But you'll also find a few other kinds of ports on Tablet PCs. Though Tablet PC models will vary slightly in their configurations, here are some typical ports and jacks to look for in addition to the USB ports:

  • Modem ports are for connecting to external modems.

  • LAN ports enable you to connect to a network.

  • VGA Monitor ports are there to connect to a monitor or LCD device used to display presentations.

  • IEEE 1394 ports are for electronics, such as optical disc drives or video cameras.

  • Input and output jacks are for microphones, headphones, and speakers.

These ports and jacks are located somewhere around the edges of your Tablet PC (see Figure 3-2), and your user guide identifies each one for you.

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Figure 3-2: Various kinds of ports are tucked away around your Tablet PC; some ports are in cases behind protective plastic flaps.

Generally, peripherals come with their own connection wires, but if they don't or you've lost yours, you can usually purchase a cord of that type from an office supply or computer store.

 Tip  If your Tablet PC was designed to fit into a docking station, it also has a pin connector (a male plug that typically has 28 pins that fits into a corresponding female plug) for hooking it up to the dock.

Just send a card

As you scan the edges of your Tablet PC, you see some card slots. These are little doorways into which you can plug cards into slots. The cards themselves are about the size of a playing card, only thicker. These cards, called PCMCIA or, simply, PC cards, are typically used to add memory to a portable device, but can also add functionality such as a modem, wireless network connection (see Figure 3-3), or fax.

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Figure 3-3: This wireless card sports an antenna and fits right into a PC card slot.

You can purchase PC cards at computer stores or through your Tablet PC manufacturer. Cards provide a lightweight way to add memory or functionality to your Tablet PC.

 Tip  Some manufacturers provide plastic spaceholders to protect the card slot from invading dirt or debris when there's no card in it. You have to remove these spaceholders in order to insert a card, but be sure to keep the spaceholders in a safe place.

Connecting things

Connecting through plugs and ports is pretty much a matter of matching up (yep) the connectors. It's generally pretty easy to tell which oddly shaped plug fits into which kind of receptacle. But here's a rundown anyway to help you out.

The first thing you may want to connect to your Tablet PC is the power cord. (Gee, ya think? See Figure 3-4.) This cord has two parts:

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Figure 3-4: You can use the AC power cable and adapter that you get with all Tablet PCs to provide power and charge your battery.

  • An AC power cable with a standard, grounded, three-prong plug on one end to attach to a wall outlet

  • An AC adapter to convert the power to direct current, and a single pin connector that plugs into the Tablet PC

Figure 3-5 shows you connectors for an additional monitor, and USB ports where you can connect devices such as a keyboard or mouse.

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Figure 3-5: The plug on the far left is for a monitor, and the small ports on the right take connectors such as the one shown for a keyboard.

Figure 3-6 shows two jacks: one for a phone line to connect to the internal modem, the other for an Ethernet connection, used to plug a computer into a network.

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Figure 3-6: These two jacks look similar to any regular phone jack, though the one on the right is for a network connection and doesn't accept a standard phone line.

In Figure 3-7, on the far right, you see two jacks to connect speakers and a microphone or headphone, and just to their left a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port for connecting electronics, such as video cameras.

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Figure 3-7: This Motion M1200 Tablet PC places the audio/micro phone jacks next to the FireWire port.




Tablet PCs for Dummies
Tablet PCs for Dummies
ISBN: 0764526472
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 139

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