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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 real computer. This one is retired, so nothing you do can break anything that matters, but we'll still treat it like a customer's machine. By the end you should be able to point at any part inside and say what job it does.

Group roles

Lead tech
Does the hands-on work inside the case. Name:
Safety officer
Checks the wrist strap and calls a stop if something looks wrong. Name:
Recorder
Fills in the table for the group. Name:
Photographer
Takes a photo of each labeled part, if your teacher allows phones today. Name:

Part A. Open it up

  1. Make sure the tower is unplugged. The safety officer checks the back of the case and says "clear" out loud before anyone touches it.
  2. Put the wrist strap on and clip it to bare metal on the case.
  3. Take out the screws on the back that hold the side panel, put them in the parts tray, and slide the panel off.
  4. Find the power supply (the metal box with the fan and the bundle of wires). You will not open it. It can hold a charge even when it is unplugged.

Part B. Label what you find

  1. Find at least eight parts. Put a colored label next to each one (not on the chips themselves): one color for input, one for processing, one for output and one for storage.
  2. Some parts connect to input or output devices that are not in the box, like the ports on the back. Label the port and write what plugs into it.
  3. Fill in the table as you go.
  4. Your real tower will not match the drawing in the lesson exactly. Find one difference 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. Using the real hardware in front of you, point to 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. Slide the panel back on, put every screw back, and check the tray is empty.
  2. The safety officer checks the case and says "closed" out loud.

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.