Glossary

keyboard: An input device containing switches that are activated by manually pressing marked keys. Each keystroke activates a switch that transmits a specific code to the computer. For each key, the transmitted code is, in turn, representative of the (ASCII) character marked on the key.

kilobyte (KB): A unit of data storage equal to 1024 bytes. See also byte and megabyte.

L

level 2 cache: See cache.

Light Emitting Diode (LED): A semiconductor device that emits light when a current is applied.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD): Liquid crystal sealed between two sheets of glass coated with transparent conducting material. The viewing- side coating is etched into character forming segments with leads that extend to the edge of the glass. Applying a voltage between the glass sheets alters the brightness of the liquid crystal.

LSI: Large Scale Integration.

1)A technology that allows the inclusion of up to 100,000 simple logic gates on a single chip.

2)An integrated circuit that uses large scale integration.

M

main board: See motherboard.

megabyte (MB): A unit of data storage equal to 1024 kilobytes. See also kilobyte.

megahertz: A unit of wave frequency that equals 1 million cycles per second. See also hertz.

menu: A software interface that displays a list of options on the screen. Also called a screen.

microprocessor: A hardware component contained in a single integrated circuit that carries out instructions. Also called the central processing unit (CPU), one of the main parts of the computer.

mode: A method of operation, for example, the Boot Mode, Sleep Mode or the Hibernation Mode.

monitor: A device that uses rows and columns of pixels to display alphanumeric characters or graphic images. See also CRT.

motherboard: A name sometimes used to refer to the main printed circuit board in processing equipment. It usually contains integrated circuits that perform the processor’s basic functions and provides connectors for adding other boards that perform special functions. Sometimes called a main board.

MP3: An audio compression standard that enables high-quality transmission and real-time playback of sound files.

User’s Manual

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