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Here is a list of input devices of a Computer System. We are going to discuss
the most commonly used input devices in this article.
Complete list of Input Devices
Keyboard
Mouse
Scanner
Digital Camera , Camcorder
Gamepad, Joystick, Steering wheel.
Mic
Barcode Reader
Pen / Stylus
Touch Screen
Webcam
Biometrics (Thumb impression / Face detection)
Keyboard
Keyboard is the most common input device of a Computer System. The
keyboard resembles a typewriter. Modern Keyboards have more than just the
letter and numeric keys. They have multimedia keys for volume control, Play /
Pause videos etc. Every single key on a keyboard is assigned a binary numbers
to it which transmits that binary pattern to the computer.
Now, have you ever wondered why the keys on a keyboard are not in alphabetic
order? The keys are laid out in the QWERTY order so that those key that are
often struck in succession were not next to each other. Therefore, the QWERTY
layout is intended for slow typists. While for speed typing there is another
keyboard available with "Dvorak" layout.
Same is the case with the numeric keys layout. If you have noticed, the layout of
a Phone is different from that of a numeric keys on a Keyboard. It's because
earlier phones cannot handle fast dialers. However, the layout of numeric keys
on a keyboard are designed for speed typing.
Mouse
Mouse is another commonly used input device of a computer system. The
mouse is a pointing device that moves the cursor on the screen. You can place
the cursor on icons and by clicking you can launch a program. A typical Mouse
has two buttons, the left and right clicking buttons and a wheel in the center for
scrollingA user can perform many operations through a Mouse, like selecting or
arranging different program icons on the desktop. Copy / Paste text in a word
document, scroll webpages, and of course a mouse can come in handy while
playing computer games.
There are two types of Mouse, one type has a rubber-covered ball at the
bottom. As the mouse is slid on a surface, the ball rolls, resulting in movement
of the cursor on the screen. This is the traditional type of mouse which is
getting obsolete these days and this type of Mouse does not performs well on
some surfaces. The other type is an Optical Mouse, which is popular these days.
The optical Mouse tracks the Mouse position using the optical sensor. The
optical mouse can perform well as compared to the traditional mouse.
Scanner
Scanner is the third important input device of a computer system. A scanner
converts printed documents in to images. Some types of scanners scan
documents and produce the results in black & white images. The scanner
operates in the same manner as a Photocopier. A colored scanner works
somewhat in a complicated manner as compared to a simple scanner.
Digital Camera
Digital Cameras are used to capture images. Those images are then transferred
to a computer when the Camera is connected to the computer. Mostly the
Digital Camera images are in JPEG format.
Gamepad
A computer can serve many purposes. Besides work, a user can also play games
on a Computer. You can use a keyboard and mouse for gaming but a
specialized Hardware device, i-e a Gamepad can also be used. A gamepad is
used for controlling games, with few buttons that controls the movements of
character in a Computer Game.
Output Devices
Output devices displays the processed form of data to the end user.
Common Output devices include;
Monitor
Printer
Speaker
Monitor
Monitor is the most important output device of a computer system. The
monitor is the display screen of a computer. Cathode Rays Tube (CRT) and
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) are the two types of Monitors.
Read more: Types of monitors
The CRT monitor looks like a television. At one end of CRT Monitor there is a
device that produce electrons and bombard it towards the other end where the
screen is located, resulting in the screen glowing because of a substance on the
screen. The CRT Monitors are expensive and occupies more space as compared
to LCD Monitors.
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. It has the properties of both liquid and
solid, that’s why it has a sharp and better picture quality than CRT Monitors.
LCD monitors are relatively expensive then CRT monitors. Basically, the LCD
monitors were designed for laptops. Nowadays they are getting popular
because of its slim size and flat screen.
Printers
A Printer takes print commands from a computer and print out text / images on
a paper. Different types of printers are available for various purposes. A printer
for office use must be heavy duty and fast while for photographs it must
produce high quality prints. Dot-Matrix, Ink-Jet, Laser-Jet are the different
types of printers. Print quality of Laser-Jet printer is excellent as compared to
Ink-Jet or other types of printers, but they are relatively more expensive than
the others. Most laser printers produce black & whiter prints while some can
produce color prints as well. The color laser printers are way too expensive then
black & white laser printers.
Read More: Printers & types of printers
Speakers
Speaker is an important part of a computer system. Some systems have a built-
in speaker, though they are small in size. Speaker is an essential part of a
computer because they can notify about various system notifications through
various sounds. Big speakers, woofers & sub-woofers are used for enhance
sound quality or creating a mini home theater.
