Skip to main content

Input Device

Input Device​

An input device is a computer peripheral that is used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system.

Keyboard​

The keyboard is the most common and most popular input device, it enables the user to input data into a computer. The layout of the keyboard is the same as a traditional typewriter although there are some additional keys for performing additional functions.​

Keyboards come in the following sizes :

  • 84 keys
  • 101/102 keys
  • 104/106 keys
note

As keyboards became more specialised and were able to perform more functions additional Keys were added to support this

Mouse​

A mouse is a pointing device that is used to controlled a cursor. It is a small palm sized box and in early versions used a roller ball on the base to navigate. However, it now uses infrared.

The mouse correspond signals to the CPU when the buttons are pressed which enables it to interact with your computer. There are two buttons on a mouse that performs different tasks and a cursor roll in the centre that is used to control the cursor on the screen but cannot.

Scanners​

Scanner is an input device which works very much like a photocopy machine. It can be used to transfer information that is only currently available on paper to a digital copy that is able to be to manipulate/amended or send via email when using multi functional device. This can help to improve productivity and enable the processes to become much more efficient.

Digital Cameras​

A digital camera can also be known as a digicam. This is a camera that captures photographs in a digital form and initially stores it within the camera's memory or to an SD card. Unlike film cameras, digital cameras can take many pictures and display them instantly after they've been taken. You can store, review and delete images from the memory as soon as they've been taken, with some cameras also able to record videos and sound.

Many professional photographers are now reverting to a film camera as they feel that they get a better-quality image, however, this is down to personal preference.

Webcam​

A device used to input digital video or still pictures into a computer system. It does this through the use of an image sensor chip.

This is used for VoIP conversation so that you can send a video of yourself along with your voice. This can enable you to communicate with friends and family on the other side of the world.

info

The major measure of webcam performance is its resolution and frame rate. The resolution is how many pixels are used when capturing the image, the more the better. Frame rate is the number of images per second of video, the higher the frame rate the more fluid the video.

Mircophones​

A microphone is an input device that will input sound that is then stored in a digital form. A microphone can be used with various applications and can add sound to multimedia presentations including voice and music or a combination of both.

Graphic Tablet​

A graphics tablet is an input device that enables you to draw with a pen like device. The tablet is attached to a computer enabling the images to be captured whilst they are being developed. Data is stored as you write either into file or a document. The tablet works by plugging it into a computer usually via USB port (it is known as a plug and play device).

You may also have touch screen tablets were a monitor becomes the writing surface. This enables the user to interact directly with the display instead of drawing in on the surface whilst viewing another.

Using electronic magnetic signals the tablet can transfer the lines to a computer screen or the display that is being used.

note

An example of a graphics tablet is a Wacom tablet. These tables come in various sizes and can be used in conjunction with other programmes such as Microsoft Teams where they can be converted into whiteboards enabling information can be shared and allow people to work collaboratively

Optical Character Reader​

An OCR or Optical Character recognition is an input device that enables a document to be scanned into a digital editable and searchable form.

It works by an algorithm recognising individual characters that are printed and converts them into a format that then allows the document to be searchable or editable added. This input device is different from a scanner as a scanner copies a document as an image and does not allow the document to be edited

Sensor​

An input device that takes readings from the environment such as temperature, light and motion. Different types of sensors will work different dependent what it is monitoring. There may be factors that affect a sensors performance. For a motion sensor, this might be effected by its range both in distance and angle.

note

An example of where this could be used is a thermostat that detects temperature and turns your heating off when it reaches a particular temperature or turns it on if the temperature falls below a certain degrees.

Magnetic Ink Card Reader​

Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR) input device enables organisations verify the legitimacy and originality of any paper and documents by undertaking checks for originality. To use a MICR documents must be written using a special ink which is which is sensitive to magnetic fields.

info

This is often used on printed original documents such as legal documents or bank cheques.

The bank's code number and cheque number are printed on the cheque with a special type of ink that contains particles of magnetic material that are machine readable.

The main advantage of MICR is that it is fast and less prone to errors.

Barcode Reader​

Barcode reader enable to scan or read barcode symbol and the provide an electrical output to a computer.

Optical Reader​

Optical mark read gather information by recognizing marks on document. It is used with the using of a scanner that detect reflection on or through a piece of paper