In the Beginning: Computer Technology for New Users
Part 2: Now What Do I Do?

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In the last article you were told about how to prepare yourself for acquiring a computer. You were given information to help avoid having your computer end up as a dust collector or oversize paper weight. Hopefully those that already had a computer found out that their expectations of a computer may be distorted, somewhat, because they did not go through the exercise given in that last article. Becoming more informed, the new user can now have a more realistic notion about using their computer.

When deciding to purchase a computer, remember, include in the total cost, the cost of your workspace. You have to put the computer somewhere, and where you put it can add extra expenses to your overall operational cost for using a computer. Even if you are already using a computer, and never thought about your workspace, maybe this is the time to think things over. Not surprisingly, your workspace is almost as important as the computer itself. If not taken seriously it can cause you unnecessary wasted time and effort while working on a computer. So lets start with the workspace and how best to set it up. If you do not already have a desk or designated area for your computer you may have to build or buy a computer desk to set up as your work area. A good and efficient workspace for a computer needs space for the computer itself, either on the floor or on top of the desk. You need room for the monitor, printer, scanner, speakers, cables, connection boxes, external units, a place to place your work for reading, leg room, a place for the mouse pad, a digitizer if used, and any other peripheral you may have. Do not forget proper lighting, head room, noise elimination (both incoming and outgoing), and a place that provides little if any distraction.

The first question for any workspace is where will you work? Will you work in the corner of a room, at a desk, in a crowded room with people coming and going? Will you work area have its own space or will you have to share that space with other work that is done inside the home (like a home office or a personal writing or reading table)? Will your workspace stay put in one place or will you have to move it around (room to room or one part of a room to an out of the way place like a closet)? Is the work area just for one person, two or more people, adults, kids, or a combination of same? All of these questions are important and have a bearing upon what you will use as a workspace and what is best for your circumstances.

The first major concern for having a workspace is will you have enough space to make your work area permanent? The key to having a good computer workspace is to make sure the only thing you use this space for is working on the computer. A stationary work area is best but you may not have one available. Tight budgets, small living areas, not enough room for a computer that takes up valuable, needed living space, all of these problems will dictate your need for having a mobile or stationary workspace. If there is no permanent space available for your system than think about a roll-away cabinet or desk you can use for your work area. Some cabinets or desks are movable and are no more than thirty (30") inches wide. This will allow a great deal of mobility and the storing of your computer equipment in small out-of-the-way places. Most stands or carts will hold almost every piece of your computer system's hardware so check out many different models and prices before deciding upon which one works best inside your home. The movable work area must include the ability for carrying a computer, monitor, mouse, keyboard, and printer at the very least. The main work surface where the computer will reside should provide the user with room that can remain uncluttered for writing notes and placing reading or other materials while working. The work space will need access to an electrical power outlet and a phone outlet. The closer you can place your workspace to these outlets the better. Keep your power cord lengths short to help prevent interference.

You will want to keep your workspace simple unless you are installing a home office, which takes a little more room and planning. Your workspace should be pleasant, comfortable, and conducive to working extended hours with little or no fatigue. The workspace should allow for adequate ventilation for all equipment in your computer system. You do not want to block any of the ventilation ports or holds in the equipment. Rugs, curtains, or soft materials that could cover vents should be a good distance from your equipment to prevent them from blocking a vent when those materials are moving around. Not only do not block the vents of your computer equipment, but also do not place them close to air conditioning or heating vents in the home. Avoid plenty of sunlight shinning on your computer equipment as well. As with most things, your workspace can be cost effective or cost prohibited depending on your choices. Just keep in mind that the workspace needs to accommodate all who will use that area.

When more than one person shares a work area, it will need flexibility that allows for adjustments needed by the various people using it because of their heights and built. An adjustable height work desk is good but a very good adjustable chair with an adjustable backrest and seat are a most. If possible, get a chair with armrests that are adjustable also. The best chairs will have five legs for stability instead of four, and have smooth, easy rolling wheels. If you are placing your chair over a carpeted area, make sure you get a good, flat plastic mat so that the chair can roll easily. Your work area should allow for a maximum sight distance from the user's head to the monitor of no more than 30 inches, and the center of the monitor should not have a height more than 24° above the sight line of an adult user (this will be different when small children are using the computer). The chair should also allow for the feet of adult users to rest flat on the floor. When a user is too short, provide a footrest to allow the user's feet a proper resting place. The most important ergonomic need for adult users are that their lower arms and wrist form a straight line parallel to the floor when the keyboard is in use, and the upper arm to lower arm relationship is held at a comfortable angle usually 90° to 95°. If you can make your work area accommodate these things than you will find working at the computer comfortable and relaxing.

Your work area should also allow for ease of reach from the keyboard to the mouse, to any paper and reading materials in use, and to any other devices needing access, changes, or adjustments. When using a tower instead of a desktop unit, make sure you can reach the tower's floppy disk or CD ROM tray with ease. You should not have to lean very far or stretch very far to reach those devices. Reaching far can cause safety problems or possible injury. The same goes for CD storage or floppy disk storage, do not over reach for those items if they are not at an appropriate distance. If these devices are not in easy reach, you will have to get out of the chair and either stand up or get on your knees to acquire the needed entities. This is way a well designed work area helps make working on a computer much more enjoyable if done correctly.

When making the final decision on your work area, do not forget the kids or grandkids (if they come over and use your computer system). Kids are smaller and shorter and have slightly different needs in relations to an adult. If kids will be using your computer, make sure your important documents are not easily accessible by the little ones. If you have floppy disks as your backup medium, make sure they are write-protected and under lock and key so they are out of reach from busy little hands. More than likely your children or grandchildren will be more computer literate than you are so make use of their knowledge and skills by letting them help you or assist you when you are in need of help.

A key idea that needs remembering, when setting up your work area, is the kind of distractions that can occur during a user's time at the computer. Noise, lighting, television, people traversing back and forth, and other forms of human intervention into accomplishing your work, or in your enjoying time on the computer, are what you want to avoid or at least lessen as much as possible. Try not having the monitor face a bright light like a sun lit window or lamp (floor or table). Glare not only is distracting, but also is tiring to the user's eyes, especially if you have to look at it continuously when on the computer. The same is true when a user is facing a window where the sun is shining or a bright lamp shins into the user's eyes. You should not have a television within the user's line of sight or reflected onto the monitor's screen, this is very distracting.

It is best to keep your work area out of the beaten path, which is out of the constant flow of people going back and forth. This keeps people for bumping into you, trying to stop and talk to you, keeps them from looking over your shoulder, and other forms of interruption. People work best when they can concentrate without interruption. A corner of a room would be a good place to cut down on the amount of interruptions and limit most forms of interference that can occur. What you are looking for is to keep your mind fully on the task at hand when at the computer, even if it only for playing games.

Once you have your workspace defined and set, you now need to arraign your computer system to function effectively for you. If you are using a desktop machine than usually your monitor will set on top of the unit. If you are using a tower, you may need a stand to position the monitor at the correct height for your sight line (see earlier in this article). The mouse will need a mouse pad (not a residence for a mouse) next to the computer and the keyboard usually in front of the monitor. All of this hardware will need to be close to each other because the cables or cords connecting them to the computer case are relatively short.

One of the biggest problems with arranging computer equipment is making sure the cables are as neat as possible and do not pick up any electrical interference or transmit any interference. Hold the cables loosely together with cable ties (about a two-inch diameter circle) and keep them away from your leg area so that you do not kick the cables or snag them. Separate the power cords from the other connecting cables. Do not let your cables become a mess behind the computer and desk. When you have a piece of equipment that must be placed farther away from the computer case than its normal cable length, than you will have to use an extension cable, if there is one possible for that equipment. Here you must use caution and become careful, because some equipment will have a maximum cable length that will provide the best performance. The reason for this is that electrical signals tend to attenuate exponentially with increase cable length. Increasing the cable length also increases the chances for crosstalk or interference between cables. More simply, the longer the cable the more likely it will cause problems with the ability of the computer to communicate with peripheral equipment (any equipment attached to the computer). If you need extension cables for some peripheral equipment, please check with a knowledgeable person or a computer technician that can tell you a cable's maximum permissible length.

Now that you are about to start connecting your computer system (if you have not already done so by now) it is time to talk about protecting your equipment. You will need to use one or both types of protecting equipment called surge suppressors (protectors) and back-up power supplies (UPS) for all your computer components that have an electrical plug. Both of these units plug into an electrical outlet in your wall and your computer equipment plugs into the protecting devices. Surge suppressors are used to protect electrical equipment from surges or abnormal differences in electrical power. A UPS device is an emergency power source available for a brief period and has surge suppressor devices within it. There are two types of surge suppressors, Shunt Mode or MOV (metal oxide varistor) and Series Mode protectors.

These surge suppressors are devices inserted between your electrical power output (AC Utility Line) and your telephone line and your equipment electrical input to help prevent damage to your electronic equipment from transient voltages (surges or spikes in line voltage). Most suppressors look like a multi-outlet extension cord or power strip but are very different. You the user will need to make sure you know that difference between the two when you go to purchase a suppressor. Make sure you check the box the suppressor comes in and that it states at least all of the following information:

• It conforms to Underwriter Laboratory's standard UL 1449 for transient voltage surge suppressors
• It has a minimum transient current or surge suppression of 54,000 amperes, if your house does not have a surge suppressor at your circuit panel or a minimum transient current or surge suppression of 36,000 amperes, if you do have a surge suppressor at your circuit panel
• It has a suppressed or clamping voltage rating of 330 volts
• It has an energy rating of 700 joules or higher
• It will provide limited insurance to cover the loss of property due to voltage abnormality (surge or spike)

Surge suppressors will give you limited protection from lightning and power surges and some will pay for any equipment damage not protected by the suppressor. The suppressor will not provide complete protection for an extended period. If you will be away from home for over three days or more than you need to unplug your suppressor and remove any source of power from your computer equipment altogether. This is the best protection for your equipment when you anticipate long times away from your computer equipment.

A last note on this subject, remember you will get what you pay for. Do not expect a suppressor costing less than $15.00 to offer any amount of serious protection for your equipment. Even paying over $50.00 does not guarantee good protection. You will need to stay with a reputable company if you expect good quality and the best protection available. Even when a suppressor fails it can continue to function as a power strip but you no longer have surge protection; so remember to replace your protectors every three to five years or when the protector indicator light goes out. That means you need to buy a protector that includes an indictor light and a circuit breaker as part of its protection circuitry. The most important point to remember is make sure you have a working ground at all of your outlets and that your ground fault circuit breaker is not operated. The ground wire portion of the electrical outlet is what a surge suppressor uses for protecting your equipment.

Now we can start plugging in everything to the computer. There are many different backings to desktop computers but the basic arrangement come down to just three. See below the three most common arrangements for most computers.

From the above pictures you can see how to properly plug in your peripherals for your computer. The Power cord connector is for the power cord that will go from the computer to the surge suppressor. The input voltage switch sets the proper voltage indication for the power input to the computer (usually 110 or 120 v for the USA). Depending on your equipment the on/off switch is nearby to turn the power on or off for the computer. The PS/2 Style connectors are for a keyboard (Purple) and the mouse (Green). Make sure you plug in the correct unit into the correct connector. If your plugs are in color than the purple plug goes to the keyboard connector and the green plug will go into the mouse connector.

Newer type machines will have either a USB1 or a USB2 type connector--usually in pairs (Port 0 and Port 1). Older machines will not have these connectors (an indication that maybe you need to upgrade your machine). Some computers will have one or two nine pin serial communication ports (Teal in color). These ports are used for serial type connecting devices. The 25 pin connector (Burgundy in color) is for parallel connections usually going to a printer of some kind. The female 9 pin connector goes to a VGA monitor. The female 15 pin connect (Gold in color) is the MIDI or Game Port and is usually for a game plug or joystick of some kind.

There are two rj21 jacks similar to the phone jacks in your wall. These are use for phone in and phone out and are for connecting to the phone jack in your wall and for connecting to your telephone. The line in jack goes to the wall jack while the line out or phone jack will go to the phone. Not show is a jack similar to the rj21 but is slightly larger, the rj48 (Network Jack or LAN). It is present if you have a network card. This jack is used for connecting to a network or a DSL line. We will cover communications in depth in a later article.

There are three colored round jacks that are used for headphones, speakers, and a microphone. They are the Audio Line Out connector (Lime Green in color), the Audio Line In connector (Light Blue in color), and the Microphone (MIC) in connector (Pink in color). Make sure you plug in the correct connector to the correct jack or you will not work and may get some strange things happening. Be careful when using headphones that have a microphone attached, you will need to make sure the right jack from the headphones and microphone are in the correct jack to work properly (you will have to have two plugs to work properly). Make sure the headphone with microphone unit if it needs battery support does have the batteries installed and in the proper order.

Below you see a table with all of the connectors labeled and color-coded.

Well, now you have enough knowledge to know what you want from a computer, where you want the computer to reside in your home, what software you want to use, and how to connect your computer to get started. All that is left is to do is to light this puppy up and get going. Whatever you decided to use your computer for, now is the time to put it through its paces. Let us get this going but we will have to wait for the next article to find out what happens when you fire up that engine. Until the next article appears, happy computing.

Ashton C. Mouton, Jr.

NOPCC
P.O. Box 8364
Metairie, Louisiana 70011
Club Hotline: (504) 887-5746