Input Devices

Input Devices
What is an input device
 An input device is a hardware or

peripheral device used to send data to a
computer. An input device allows users
to communicate and feed instructions
and data to computers for processing,
display, storage and/or transmission.
Categories of Input devices
 Manual Input devices

 Direct data entry devices
 Manual input devices are used by
people to enter data by hand.
 Eg.
 Keyboard
 Pointing devices
 Touch devices
 Joysticks
Keyboard
 The keyboard is the most common type of

input device. Ordinary computer keyboards
have their keys arranged in a similar way to
those on a typewriter. This way of arranging
the keys is called QWERTY because of the
order that the keys appear in on the first row of
letters.
Pointing devices
 A mouse is a pointing device. It is the next

most common type of input device after the
keyboard. Touch pads and trackballs are also
types of pointing device. They are often used
instead of a mouse on portable computers.
Joystick
 The main use of a joystick is to play computer

games by controlling the way that something
moves on the screen.
 Joysticks can be used to control movement from
side-to-side, up-and-down and diagonally.
 A joystick will also always have at least one
button on it which can be used to make
something happen like making a character in a
game jump or fire a gun.
Touch screen
 A touch screen can detect exactly where on its

surface it has been touched. It is a specially
mounted screen that Is sensitive to touch.
 Touch screens are used in a lot of fast food
chains and restaurants because they are easy to
keep clean and re-program if changes need to
be made to the menu.
Touch pad
 A touch pad is a flat rectangular surface which

also sense movement of a finger on it surface.
Light Pen
 A light pen is a small ‘pen-shaped’ wand,

which contains light sensors. It is used to
choose objects or commands on the screen
either by pressing it against the surface of the
screen or by pressing a small switch on its side.
 A signal is sent to the computer, which then
works out the light pen’s exact location on the
screen. The advantage of a light pen is that it
doesn’t need a special screen or screen coating
Biometric System
 A biometric system is a technological system

that uses information about a person (or other
biological organism) to identify that person.
Biometric systems rely on specific data about
unique biological traits in order to work
effectively. A biometric system will involve
running data through algorithms for a
particular result, usually related to a positive
identification of a user or other individual
Scanner
 A scanner can be used to input pictures and

text into a computer. There are two main types
of scanner; Hand-held and Flat-bed.
Microphone
 A microphone is used to input sound into a

computer system. Microphones are often used
for voice recognition systems which convert
sounds made by a user into commands that the
computer can carry out.
 Systems like this are very useful for people
who can’t use ordinary input devices such as
the mouse and keyboard.
Digitizer
 A graphics tablet is a computer input

device that enables a user to hand-draw
images, animations and graphics, with a
special pen-like stylus, similar to the
way a person draws images with a
pencil and paper. These tablets may also
be used to capture data or handwritten
signatures.
Direct Data Entry
Devices
What are Direct data entry devices?
 Direct data entry devices are devices that

read data from a source that's provided and
transferred it directly to the computer system.
Examples of Direct Data entry device
 E.g.
Barcode reader
Point of sale
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR)
Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
Smart card
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
Barcode Reader
 A barcode reader is an optical scanner that can

read printed barcodes, decode the data
contained in the barcode and send the data to a
computer.
 Advantages: faster, more accurate than manually inputting
data, barcodes are used internationally to identify the
product
 Disadvantages: barcode only contains numerical code,
barcodes can be easily damaged.
Optical Character Reader
 Optical character recognition or optical

character reader is the electronic conversion of
images of typed, handwritten or printed text
into computerized text.
Magnetic Ink Character Reader
 Magnetic ink character recognition code,

known in short as MICR code, is a character
recognition technology used mainly by the
banking industry to verify the legitimacy or
originality of papers such as cheques
Optical Mark Reader
 Optical mark reader (OMR) Optical

Mark reading (OMR) is a method of entering
data into a computer system. Optical
Mark Readers reads pencil or pen marks made
in pre-defined positions on paper forms as
responses to questions or tick list prompts
 E.g multiple choice papers
 Lottery papers
Smart Card
 A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit

card is a physical electronic authorization
device, used to control access to a resource
such as money. It is typically a plastic credit
card-sized card with an embedded integrated
circuit chip.

Input Devices

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Input Devices

What is an input device

 An input device is a hardware or

 Manual Input devices

 The keyboard is the most common type of

 A mouse is a pointing device. It is the next

 The main use of a joystick is to play computer

 A touch screen can detect exactly where on its

 A touch pad is a flat rectangular surface which

 A light pen is a small ‘pen-shaped’ wand,

 A biometric system is a technological system

 A scanner can be used to input pictures and

 A microphone is used to input sound into a

 A graphics tablet is a computer input

 Direct data entry devices are devices that

 A barcode reader is an optical scanner that can

 Optical character recognition or optical

 Magnetic ink character recognition code,

 Optical mark reader (OMR) Optical

 A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit

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