A L k Into A L k Into MotherboardsMotherboardsBy Amy MaddenBy Amy Madden

How It Is MadeHow It Is Made

The progression that a The progression that a motherboard goes through is motherboard goes through is composed of three main composed of three main different processesdifferent processes Design ProcessDesign Process Fabrication ProcessFabrication Process Assembly ProcessAssembly Process

Design ProcessDesign Process

Schematic drawn by design engineersSchematic drawn by design engineers

Schematic contains logic symbols Schematic contains logic symbols representing components and their representing components and their connectionsconnections

Schematic goes to net listSchematic goes to net list

Net List

Net list contains all parts’ and symbols’ electrical info

Net list ran into Computer Aided Design (CAD)

CAD

CAD contains libraries representing the physical part of the logic symbols

CAD designer places components by hand, on the computer, and then connects components

Component Connection

Connected through the interconnects Interconnects use vias to transition

between multiple layers Once all errors are corrected and

specific circuits are routed, art work files are generated for the fabrication (fab) house

The Fab HouseThe Fab House Art work from design process is Art work from design process is

put on fiberglass covered with put on fiberglass covered with copper clad on each sidecopper clad on each side

Image put on board contains Image put on board contains components’ interconnectscomponents’ interconnects

Copper clad is chemically etched Copper clad is chemically etched away based off art work imageaway based off art work image

The Fab HouseThe Fab House

Resin woven cloth are put Resin woven cloth are put between layersbetween layers

Pressure and heat fuse layers Pressure and heat fuse layers togethertogether

Drill stage establishes all holes Drill stage establishes all holes and viasand vias

Assembly ProcessAssembly Process

Board goes on conveyer beltBoard goes on conveyer belt All components are inserted by machineAll components are inserted by machine Component location provided through Component location provided through

CAD rectangular coordinates (x-y axis)CAD rectangular coordinates (x-y axis) Soldering glues all components causing Soldering glues all components causing

good electrical connections on boardgood electrical connections on board Bare board now considered a Bare board now considered a

motherboardmotherboard

What is a Motherboard?

The electronic card which connects all components of a computer together

In other words, it is just a big printed circuit board with various peripherals and components plugged into it 

Peripherals and Components

What is a peripheral? Any piece of hardware that is not a resident on the motherboard  

What is a component? A computer chip that is used to run a certain function

Components

There are many components on a motherboard

Each component has its own function

Transistors

An electronic switch made of semiconductors turning currents on and off

N-type Semiconductors: produces electrons P-type Semiconductors: produces spaces for

electrons

Transistor Current

Current flow management: Controlling signal goes to the central section Controls the flow of current through two outer

sections If signal is positive, transistor is turned on,

represented by a 1. If a negative charge is fed into the base, the

transistor is turned off, representing a 0.

Capacitors A capacitor is an electrical component that

stores an electric charge When the capacitor is holding a charge, it is

represented with a 1 When it is holding no charge, it is represented

by a 0

Voltage RegulatorsVoltage Regulators

Automatically maintains a specific Automatically maintains a specific voltage traveling in an explicit regionvoltage traveling in an explicit region

Can raise voltage or lower voltage Can raise voltage or lower voltage depending on circumstancedepending on circumstance

MicroprocessorMicroprocessor

““The Brain of the Computer”The Brain of the Computer” Component which translates information Component which translates information

and sends it off to the proper areaand sends it off to the proper area Also referred to as the Central Also referred to as the Central

Processing Unit (CPU) Processing Unit (CPU)

Basic Input/Output SystemBasic Input/Output System

• Referred to as BIOSReferred to as BIOS

• Built-in software that determines Built-in software that determines what a computer can do without what a computer can do without accessing programs from a diskaccessing programs from a disk

• Contains all the code required to Contains all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, control the keyboard, display screen, mouse, and other functionsmouse, and other functions

How it worksHow it works

The motherboard contains data lines The motherboard contains data lines called busescalled buses

These buses transmit data between These buses transmit data between the processor and the componentsthe processor and the components

How it worksHow it works

The front side bus between your The front side bus between your processor and chipset determines the processor and chipset determines the speed of the processorspeed of the processor

Processor interprets binary codeProcessor interprets binary code

How it worksHow it works

Use of binary systemUse of binary system A A bitbit is a is a bb inary dig inary digitit 8 bits = 1 byte8 bits = 1 byte

Binary System

System that uses 0’s and 1’s If system signal is on, represented by a 1

Signal off, represented with a 0 Signal is determined on or off by the

electronic charge is has or lacks