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Workshop 1: Hardware & Networks

Year 7 Digital Technologies — Term 2, 2026

Overview

In this workshop you will open up computers, discover what makes them tick, learn the secret language of binary, and build your own network.

Key Concepts

Inside a Computer

Every device — phone, laptop, gaming PC — has the same core components:

  • CPU (Central Processing Unit) — The brain. Processes billions of instructions per second.
  • RAM (Random Access Memory) — Short-term memory. Like your desk — apps go here while you use them. Wiped when you power off.
  • Storage (SSD/HDD) — Long-term memory. Your photos, games, and files live here permanently.
  • Motherboard — The backbone connecting everything. Data flows between components like cars on a highway.
  • GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) — Originally for games — fast, smooth graphics. Now also powering AI with billions of parallel calculations.

Binary

Computers only understand binary — 0s and 1s. Every photo, message, and game is stored as binary.

Each position is worth double the one to its right:

128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Example: 10110010 = 128 + 32 + 16 + 2 = 178

Practice

Convert binary to decimal:

  • 00001101 = ?
  • 01010101 = ?
  • 11000011 = ?
  • 10000001 = ?

Convert decimal to binary:

  • 25 = ?
  • 100 = ?
  • 42 = ?
  • 200 = ?

How Networks Work

  • Ethernet cables — Twisted pairs of copper wires carrying electrical signals. Up to 100m at 1 Gbps.
  • Fibre-optic cables — Pulses of light through glass. Up to 100km at 10 Gbps. Used for internet backbones and undersea cables.
  • Switch — Connects devices on a local network. Reads addresses to send data to the right device.
  • Router — Connects your local network to other networks (like the internet).
  • LAN (Local Area Network) — Devices in one location, like your classroom.
  • WAN (Wide Area Network) — Connects multiple LANs. The biggest WAN is the internet.

When you send a message, your device breaks it into packets. The switch sends them to the right local device. If they need to go further, the router forwards them to the internet. At the other end, packets are reassembled.

The AI Connection

AI models like ChatGPT run on the same hardware — just thousands of CPUs, GPUs, and RAM sticks working together in massive data centres. The same type of chip that runs your Fortnite is now running AI. And it needs a LOT more of them. That's why there aren't enough GPU cards left for gamers!

Videos

Tasks

Core Tasks

  1. Laptop Autopsy (1 lesson) — Open a broken laptop and identify at least 5 internal components. Label them in your notebook with a sketch.
  2. Raspberry Pi Boot (1 lesson) — Set up a Raspberry Pi from scratch. Boot it, navigate the desktop, open the file manager and terminal.
  3. Build a LAN (1 lesson) — Connect 3 devices using ethernet cables, a switch, and a router. Test that they can communicate.

Extension Tasks

  1. Pi Network Challenge (1 lesson) — Transfer a file between two Raspberry Pis over your LAN. Document the steps you took.
  2. Data Journey Research (1 lesson) — Research: How does data travel from your Raspberry Pi to Google? Draw the path including all the devices it passes through.

Key Words

Term Definition
CPU Central Processing Unit — the brain of the computer
RAM Random Access Memory — temporary working storage
Storage SSD or HDD — permanent file storage
Motherboard Main circuit board connecting all components
GPU Graphics Processing Unit — fast parallel calculations
Router Device that directs traffic between different networks
Switch Device that connects devices within the same network
Ethernet Wired network connection using cables
Binary Number system using only 0 and 1
LAN Local Area Network — connected devices in one location
WAN Wide Area Network — connects multiple LANs
Packet A small chunk of data sent across a network

Resources