A d d i n g E x p a n s i o n C a r d s

6 ADDING EXPANSION CARDS

Expansion cards (also known as expansion boards or adapter cards) are small self-contained circuit boards which extend the capabilities of the computer. For example, a graphics card could provide more specialized video functions than those offered by the on-board video system, or a modem card could provide a connection to the Internet via a telephone line.

Your computer can accept two basic types of expansion card:

♦ISA or Industry Standard Architecture cards

♦PCI or Peripheral Component Interconnect cards

You don’t need to understand what these terms mean, but before adding a card to your computer you will need to know its type and possibly its size. Inside your computer are three connectors or slots for fitting expansion cards: upper, middle and lower (see table on next page). If your computer has a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) removable-media drive, one of these slots will already be occupied by an SCSI adapter card.

Warning

Never carry out any work inside the computer with AC power applied. Always turn off the computer and unplug all power cords before starting work.

APRICOT 340 OWNER’S HANDBOOK 6/1