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ADAMSON
INPUT and OUTPUT DEVICES HANDOUT
INPUT DEIVCES
In order to communicate with the computer we need to have some sort of device to give it instructions and/or data.
Input devices are used to accomplish this; comparing the human body with a computer, the eyes can act as an input
device for the body, as it captures images and send it to the brain for processing.
Input devices are peripheral devices designed to get data into the computer in machine-readable form.
The following table summarizes the most common input devices:
Device Description Advantages Disadvantages Application
Keyboard The most common input ⮚ Reliable for data ⮚ Users may be slow ● Data entry
device, almost all computers input of text and or not a very ● Typing text
come with a keyboard. It has a numbers. accurate typist. document
series of keys similar to a ⮚ Usually supplied with ⮚ Difficult for people ● Playing some
typewriter. Each key has a a computer so no who are unable to games.
letter, number, symbol or word additional cost. use the keyboards
on it. A user can press the key ⮚ Specialized because of paralysis
or a combination of keys keyboards are or muscular
causing a special code (ASCII) available. disorder.
to be added to the keyboard ⮚ Causes muscle
buffer. Where it is later sent to disorder such as
the CPU for processing. Carpel Tunnel
There are different types of Syndrome (CTS).
keyboards: Qwerty, Dvorak,
Braille, Specialized and retail.
● Point and Draw Devices
Mouse A handheld device that is ⮚ Ideal for use with ⮚ It is limited to ● As a pointing
moved on the surface of desk desktop computers. objects on the device
or on a mouse pad. It has a ball ⮚ Usually supplied screen ● For highlighting
or laser light underneath and with a computer so ⮚ When the ball gets icons and text
usually two buttons and maybe no additional cost. dirty the mouse ● For selecting a
a wheel on the top for ⮚ All computer users pointer moves menu command
scrolling. When the mouse is tend to be familiar erratically. or pressing a
moved, this causes the ball to with using them. ⮚ Cannot be easily button on the
move or the laser to pick up used with laptop, screen.
the movement, which will then notebook or
move the pointer on the palmtop computers
screen. When the pointer is
over an item the user can
either click, double or drag
Light Pen This is shaped like a pen and is ⮚ Able to draw on the ⮚ Very inaccurate ●Engineering
connected to a monitor. It screen when drawing or ●Graphic designer
allows you to print and make ⮚ Easy to select writing
selections more accurately on a options from menu ⮚ Tiring to use
screen. The tip of the light pen presented on the ⮚ User must lift the
contains a light-sensitive screen pen for use.
element which, when placed ⮚ Can be used on any
against the screen, detects the size screen
light from the screen and ⮚ Users can interact
enables the computer to more with
identify the location of the pen application, in such
on the screen. Making modes as drag and
selections with a light pen is far drop, or highlighting
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more accurate than using your
fingers to make selections on a
touch sensitive screen.
Joystick A device with a stick ⮚ It gives the user the ⮚It is limited to ● Games
perpendicular to its base, as feeling of a more certain applications ● Simulations
well as buttons on the stick realistic action. ⮚In order for the
and/or the base. The joystick is ⮚ It moves objects in pointer to be
used as a computer input any direction. stopped joystick
device and is often designed to must be returned to
resemble those used in fighter an upright position.
jets in order for it to feel more
realistic. When the stick is
moved, it moves an object on
the screen.
Touch A light sensitive screen that can ⮚ The user can select ⮚ The system is ●Fast-food outlets
Screen detect when a person touches the option very expensive ●Airports
it, as well as the area of the quickly ⮚ It is limited to ●Theatre booking
screen that has been touched. ⮚ The user does not certain applications office
Various options are displayed require any training ⮚ Not suitable for
on the screen and the user to use it inputting large
presses the one he/she wants. ⮚ No extra peripherals amounts of data
When the person’s finger are needed apart ⮚ Selecting detailed
touches the screen it blocks from the touch objects can be
out the light from the area of screen monitor itself difficult with the
the screen that is touched. The fingers.
system uses the location of the
area that is pressed to
determine the correct option.
Graphics These are flat ⮚ Very accurate ⮚ If the pad is ●Engineering
pad and pressure-sensitive surfaces that ⮚ Allows shading and damaged the tablet ●CAD
Tablets are commonly used in many other effects is unable to
computer-aided design (CAD). similar to those function as
The user draws on the graphics artists achieve with intelligence is in the
tablet with a pen-like device pencil, pen or pad
known as a stylus. The drawing charcoal.
appears on the monitor inside
a program designed for this
method of input.
The Above mentioned devices can be classified as Key and Point and draw devices. The following devices are
classified as Source Data Automation devices.
Source Data Automation is when data is collected at the source and entered directly into the computer system
without the need for key entry transcription. The use of Source data automation eliminates the duplication effort,
and the potential for error.
Device Description Advantages Disadvantages Application
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Scanner A scanner is a device that is ⮚ It is a quick, accurate ⮚ Some scanned files ●For scanning text
used to scan images and text method of entering require a large
●For scanning
into the computer. There are existing images into amount of space.
photographs
two types: flatbed and the computer High quality scans
hand-held. With the hand-held require a lot of ●In desktop
⮚ Able to make exact
version, the scanner is dragged space. publishing.
duplication of an
over the image or text in order
original document ⮚ Text is stored as
to scan it. For a flatbed
images. This
scanner, the document is
prevents the text
placed on the flat surface of
from immediately
the scanner. In both cases,
being used in word
when the document is
processors and
scanned, it is imported into
also takes up a lot
special software as an image
more space on
(even if the document is plain
disk if it was
text).
stored as a text file
Optical An optical mark reader is a ⮚ Reduced cost of ⮚ If options are not ● Multiple-choice
mark reader device that senses the inputting large shaded properly exams
(OMR) presence of pencil and pen volumes of data the machine may
● Questionnaires
marks that are made on special misread
⮚ Fast method of
forms. Such forms usually have selections ● Registration
inputting data
several options with circles forms
⮚ Forms that are
next to them. A person is asked ⮚ Less labour needed
creased jam the
to fill out the form by shading to input the data
machine, causing
the circles for the correct
down time.
options.
⮚ Badly damaged
forms have to be
written or keyed
in manually
Optical OCR is a device that senses the ⮚ Reduced cost of ⮚ The OCR may ●Capture data
Character presence of text by recognizing inputting large misread characters from airline
Reader the characters. When the volumes of data that are not tickets
(OCR) document is scanned, a formed properly
⮚ Quick method of ●Reading postal
photo-electric device reads the
inputting data codes
characters which are then
converted to electrical signals. ⮚ Less labour needed ●Capturing data
The signals represent patterns to input the data. from telephone
that give an indication of the and electricity
characters involved. bills.
Magnetic Certain documents- especially ⮚ It is a fast, accurate ⮚ It is very expensive ●Banks
Ink cheques – have strange-looking way of inputting
⮚ Cheques that are ●Cheque
Character combinations of numbers and large volumes of
badly damaged processing
Reader makings printed in magnetic data that is in the
have to be keyed center.
(MICR) ink. Even though these required format
in manually
characters can be read by
humans, there is a special
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device that also serves this ⮚ Less labour is
purpose. MICR. When a needed to input the
document containing these data.
characters is passed through
the MICR, it detects the
presence of the magnetic ink
and interprets the characters.
Like a bar code scanner, it is
used along with databases,
since these character are used
to represent things such as
bank numbers and cheque
numbers.
Bar code A barcode is a set of vertical ⮚ Instant update. ⮚ The system is ● Libraries
scanner lines of differing thickness with When an item is expensive to set
● Supermarkets
string of numbers printed at scanned, the system up.
the bottom. These serves as a automatically notes ● Retail stores
⮚ It is limited to
means of identifying the type that there is one less
items that have a
and brand of a particular item. f that particular item
barcode.
Even though humans cannot in stock.
make sense of the codes, the ⮚ Barcodes cannot
⮚ Accuracy of
barcode scanner can interpret be read by people.
transaction. You do
these. The barcode is read by
not have to worry
the barcode scanner in which a
about a cashier
laser beam scans the barcode
entering the wrong
and the light reflected back
price.
into the scanner. The
information that received by ⮚ Speed of
the scanner is sent to a transaction. It is
computer for processing. faster than keying in
the price manually.
Point of Barcodes form a part of the ⮚ Instant updating of ⮚ Cost of setting up ● Checkout
Sale POS terminal. A terminal is transactions the system is counters of
terminal connected to a central expensive supermarket
⮚ Accuracy of
(POS) computer which record details
transactions ● Retail stores
after the barcode of an item
has been has been scanned. ⮚ Speed of ● In bank
The price of the product is transactions transactions.
displayed on a monitor at the
point of sale. Meanwhile the
central computer calculates the
amount due, includes VAT, and
prints an itemized receipt. The
information recorded can also
be used for stock control and
sales analysis.
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Microphone A microphone is a device that ⮚ Easy and fast method ⮚ Programs used ● Voice data entry
functions in much the same of entering data. with microphone,
way as the microphone you see vocabulary may be
⮚ Suitable for
used on stage. However, it limited
physically challenged
does not usually look the same
persons to enter
because it is designed so that
data and commands
the user does not have to hold
it while speaking. When you
talk, your sound waves cause a
diaphragm to vibrate. These
vibrations are converted into
electrical impulses that are
then transmitted to the
computer.
Digital Like a conventional camera, a ⮚ It is a convenient ⮚ The quality of the ● Personal use
Camera digital camera is a device that method of capturing images is not as
● Graphic and
utilizes a lens in order to take images for computer high as for those
media centers.
photographs by capturing light applications such as stored on film.
on some sort of media. What web pages. Since
⮚ High-quality
distinguishes a digital camera images are stored in
images take up a
from a conventional camera is a digital format it is
lot of space.
the media on which the image simply a matter of
is stored. Digital cameras transferring the ⮚ Digital cameras use
generally use tiny images to the up batteries very
light-sensitive diodes that computer via cable. quickly.
convert the light into electrical
⮚ Photographs can be
charges.
viewed as soon as
they are taken so
that if you do not like
one, you can delete
it and take it again.
Other input devices:
Biometric systems: refers to the science of identifying an individual through their body characteristics such as face
geometry and hand geometry (e.g. fingerprints), iris or retinal scans, vein and voice patterns. All these forms of
identifying an individual can be input into a computer system set up for security purposes.
Retinal scans use a ray of light directed into the eye to identify the distinct network of blood vessels at the back of the
eye. Fingerprints readers scan the imprint made by the pattern of ridges on the finger and compare it to a set of
patterns stored in memory. Fingerprints are considered unique, as no two individuals have the same fingerprint.
Key to disk system
With computers capable of doing billions of calculations per second, it is no surprise that it is possible to type in data
as quickly as the computer can process it. If a high-speed computer had to spend almost al of its time simply waiting
for someone to type in large amounts of information, then the whole process would be very inefficient indeed. A key
KEY-TO-DISK system is one method of getting around this problem. It consists of a keyboard, a screen and a disk drive,
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as well as a processor to verify and validate the data. A data entry clerk types in (keys in) the data using the keyboard.
The data may then be typed in a second time in order to verify it (to make sure that it was entered correctly). The
data is then saved on disk. The data from the disk can be transferred to the high-speed computer in an entire batch.
This is a form of batch data entry.
EPOS
