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MuggsTech · Course 1: Tech Foundations · Day 2

Lab: Open the Box

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Today you get to look inside a computer on the virtual bench. Nothing you do can break anything, but treat it like a customer's machine anyway, because the safety steps you practice here are the same ones you would use on a real one. By the end you should be able to point at any part inside and say what job it does.

Group roles

Lead tech
Drives the mouse. Switch lead tech at each new part of the lab. Name:
Safety officer
Says each safety step out loud before the lead tech clicks it, and calls a stop if the group is guessing. Name:
Recorder
Fills in the table for the group. Name:

Part A. Open it up

  1. Open Open the Box on your rig. The steps for opening the case are mixed up.
  2. Before anyone clicks, agree as a group on the safe order. The safety officer says each step out loud, then the lead tech clicks it.
  3. Find the power supply on the drawing once the panel is off. You will never open one. It can hold a charge even when it is unplugged.
The order we used:

Part B. Label what you find

  1. Label at least eight parts in the activity: on the drawing, on the back of the case and on the desk. Fill in the table as you go.
  2. Label at least one port on the back of the case, and write what plugs into it.
  3. Some parts are more than one thing. If a part is, write both in the table.
  4. Real computers do not all look like this drawing. Name one part you would expect to look different inside a laptop, and write it under the table.
PartWhere it isInput, processing, output or storage?How do you know?

Part C. Trace one keypress

  1. Pretend someone just pressed the letter A. Press A in the activity, then click each stop the signal makes on its way to the screen.
  2. Write the path below. Use arrows between the parts.
Keyboard →

Part D. Close it up

  1. Close the case in the order the activity asks for. The safety officer calls each step.
  2. Show your teacher the summary at the end before you close the page.

Think about it

Your teacher said RAM empties when the power goes off. If you were writing an essay and the power cut out, what would you lose and what would you keep? Answer in two or three sentences.

Which part was the hardest to label, and why? Answer in two or three sentences.

Words to know

Input
Anything that brings data into the computer: a key, a click, a sound, a tap.
Processing
The work done on data. The CPU does most of it, and the GPU handles graphics.
Output
Anything the computer sends back out: a picture, a sound, a printed page.
Storage
Where data stays when the power is off: an SSD, a hard drive, a flash drive.
RAM (memory)
Fast, temporary space the CPU works in. It empties when the power goes off.
Motherboard
The main circuit board every other part connects to.