INPUT DEVICES

The Input devices are the devices which are used to enter the data into the computer system.
Keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, light pen, digitizer, joystick etc. are the example of
input devices.
FUNCTIONS OF INPUT DEVICES:
 Accept the data from the outside worlds.
 Convert that data into computer coded information.
 Supply this data to Central Processing Unit for further processing.
Classification of Input devices
INPUT DEVICES

Standard Special
Keyboard Pointing Microphone
Mouse Scanner
Trackball Camera
Joystick
Light pen
Touch Screen

The Keyboard
This is the most commonly used input device. It is similar to the type writer which is used to
enter data to the computer. It contains different set of keys such as alphabets, numbers, signs
and special signs.
They are two types of keyboard;
The general purpose keyboard used in personal computers and the Special purpose keyboards
used is special computers such as ATM, Cars, etc.
The general purpose keys, also regarded as the standard keyboard and contains keys which are
used in all types of applications. A standard keyboard consists of 104 keys that are grouped into
5 main groups; Alphanumeric keys, numeric keys, arrow keys, function keys and special keys.
1. Alphanumeric keys
This group of keys are found at the center part of the keyboard. They consist of alphabets,
numbers, and special signs as: !, @, #, $, %, &, *, ?, etc. They are sometimes referred to as the
typing keys.
2. Numeric keys
The right-most part of the keyboard is known as the numeric keypads. It consist of 0-9 numbers
as well as mathematical signs like *, /.-, +. They are mainly used for fast data entry during
mathematical operations.
 3. Arrow Keys
Set of four keys up, down, left & right. Used to move the cursor at left & right or up and down
on the screen. They are referred as “cursor-control” or “cursor-movement” keys.
4. Function keys
These set of keys are found in the first line of the keyboard. They are labelled f1 to f12. They are
used to generate shortcuts in different software packages.
5. Special Keys
There are lots of keys that are used for some specific task described as follows:
TAB: used to give multiple spaces or move the cursor to next defined position.
ENTER: used to generate the output of any command.
SPACE: used to make one blank space between two words.
BACKSPACE: used to remove the left-most character at cursor position.
DELETE: used to remove the right-most character at cursor position.
HOME: moves the cursor at the beginning of the line.
END: moves cursor at the end of the line.
PAGE UP: moves or scroll the screen up or previous page of the current page.
PAGE DOWN: moves the screen to the next page from the currently displayed page.
PRINT SCREEN: used to print what is currently displayed on the screen.
INSERT: used to enter text between two characters.
ESC: used to negate current command or terminate the execution of the program.
ALT: used to expand the functionality of keyboard. Basically used to generate shortcuts in
different application.
CTRL: used to expand the functionality of keyboard. Basically used to generate shortcuts in
different application.
NUMLOCK: used to on or off the numeric keypad.
CAPSLOCK: used to type the all inputted text capitally.
It is worthy of note that, SHIFT, ALT & CNTRL keys can be grouped as “Modifier Keys”
whereas TAB, CAPS LOCK, & BACKSPACE can be grouped together with the
Alphanumerics.
Diagram of a standard keyboard {showing all 5 groups}

The Mouse
A computer mouse is a handheld hardware input device that controls a cursor in a
GUI (graphical user interface). It is used for pointing, moving and
selecting text, icons, files, and folders on your computer. In addition to these functions, a
mouse can also be used to drag-and-drop objects and give you access to the right-
click menu.
It contains two or three buttons
Left button is used to point out or select any item by clicking, right to generate context menu
and a roller in the middle for up and down navigation.
What are the uses of a mouse?
Below is a list of all the computer mouse functions and options to give you an idea of all the
mouse capabilities.
a. Move the mouse cursor - The primary function is to move the mouse pointer on the
screen.
b. Point - Once the mouse is moved, you can point something out for another user or point
a digital object. For example, in a game you can use the mouse to point a gun in the
direction to shoot.
c. Open or execute a program - Once you've moved the pointer to an icon, folder, or another
object clicking or double-clicking that object opens
the document or executes the program. Some programs even support tripple-clicking.
See our click page for further information on mouse clicking.
d. Select - A mouse also lets you select text or a file or highlight and select multiple files at
once.
e. Drag-and-drop - Once something is selected, it can also be moved using the drag-and-
drop method.
f. Hover - Moving the mouse cursor over objects with hover information helps discover
each object's function. For example, hover the mouse over the "hover" link to see an
example.
g. Scroll - When working with a long document or viewing a long web page, you may need
to scroll up or down. To scroll, rotate the mouse wheel, or click-and-drag the scroll bar.
The mouse wheel can also be used as a button.
Diagram of a mouse

Touch Screen
Touch screen is a pointing device. It is most simple & easiest to learn of all input devices.
It allows the user to choose from available options by simply touching with their figure to the
desired icon or menu item displayed on the computer screen.
A touch screen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a
touch within the display area.
The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand.
Touch screens are common in devices such as computers, tablet computers & Smartphone.
The touch screen has two main attributes;
 First, it enables one to interact directly with what is displayed.
 Secondly, it lets one do so without requiring any intermediate device that would need to
be held in the hand
It’s a very easy to operate device which users can use the system without any formal training.
Uses optical sensors that detect the touch of the finger on screen.
Sensors communicate the position of touch to the computer which interprets the input made
by the users.
It contains pressure sensitive monitors which are placed inside the base of computer screen.
Pressure sensitive monitors contain sensors to measure the monitor’s weight at many points.
When user touches the screen, the changes on weights & forces transferred down to sensor
which allows the device to detect the location of the touch.
This type of monitors required little pressure to transmit the desired input.
Touch screen are commonly used in following places.
 An airport or railway station.
 Large departmental stores.
 In large museums or zoos to guide visitors to the locations of various attractions.
 Self-service check out
 In ATM machines
 In I-phones or PDA’s
 Computer based training
Any type of touch screen contains three main components:
1. A touch screen sensor panel:
Which sits above the display & generate appropriate voltage according to where precisely it is
touched?
2. A touch screen controller:
Processes the signal received from the sensor & translates this touch event data & passed to
pc’s processor via serial or USB interface.
3. A software driver:
Provides an interface to the pc’s operating system & which translates the touch event data into
mouse event.

Microphone

It’s an input device used to stores voice data into the computer system.
Microphones are a type of transducer - a device which converts energy from one form to
another.
Microphones convert sound waves into electrical energy.
Different types of microphone have different ways of converting energy. All the microphones
share one common thing: The diaphragm – a thin piece of material (such as paper, plastic or
aluminum) which vibrates when it is struck by sound waves.
When the diaphragm vibrates, it causes other components in the microphone to vibrate.
These vibrations are converted into an electrical current which becomes the audio signal that
are transferred to the computer.