Output Devices

1-Projector: -

An output device connected either to T.V screen, computer monitor or

DVD player to be magnified and projected on a larger screen.

 It comes in different sizes.

 Works with Remote control(RC) which acts as cordless mouse.

Uses: -

 Training presentation (Train audience on new technology).

 Advertising presentation (showing new product and it’s

features).

 Home cinema.

Advantages: -

 Enables many people to see what is projected on larger

screen rather than gather around small screen.

 Avoids need for several networked computers.

Disadvantages: -

 Images sometimes turned to be blurry.

 Expensive to buy.
 Difficult to set up a projector and it’s related cables.

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 2- Monitor, Screen or VDU (Visual Display Unit):-

The main output unit for viewing results on screen and it has

more than one type: -

(a) CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) :-

 It comes in various sizes.

 The technology f it based on gun fires electrons against

phosphor screen, the back screen of the monitor covered with many
dots coloured in RGB (Red, Green and Blue), when electron hits those
dots it gives the variation of colours.

Uses: -

 Used with electronic pens by engineers in CAD (Computer Aided

Design) applications.

Advantages: -

 Least expensive.
 The angle of viewing is so excellent from every angle.

Disadvantages: -

 They are heavy weighted.

 Consume considerable more power than the other types.
 May causes safety hazard if not well-supported.
 They flicker which may cause headache and eyesight

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problems with prolonged use.

(b) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) /TFT (Thin Film Technology): -

 A monitor made up of tiny liquid crystals.

 Those tiny liquid crystals are arranged in an array of pixels.
 These liquid crystals are affected by applied electric current.
 LCD initially were using CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp)
technology as back lighting method.
 CCFL uses two fluorescent tubes at the back of LCD screens to
supply the light source.
 Newer LCD screens are using LED (Light Emitting Diode)
technology.
 LED technology is based on having a matrix of tiny blue-white LEDs
are used behind the LCD screens.
Advantages of LED over CCFL: -

1- LED reaches the maximum brightness almost in no time.

2-LED gives whiter colour which makes image brighter while LCD
had yellowish tint.

3- LED monitors are thinner than CCFL.

4- LED produces brighter colour.

5- LED consumes very little power which means generates less

heat.

Uses of LCD screen: -

 The main output unit for most of the modern computers.

 Most LCD screens use touch screen unit.
 Mobile phones, tablets, laptops and portable video

games devices.

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 Advantages of LCD screens: -

 Low power consumption.

 Lightweight.
 Can be made in variation of large size.
 Don’t flicker unlike CRT.
 Produces low electromagnetic field compared to CRT.

Future of Monitors: -

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode): -

 LED will use Organic Light

Emitting Diode(OLED) as organic

material which made of carbon compounds.

 This carbon compounds make the screen very thin, curved

and foldable.

Advantages of OLED over LED: -

1- Plastic layers are thinner and more flexible than glass used in

LEDs and LCDs.

2- Plastic allows the maker to produce large and thin sheets.

3- It can help in making advertising boards at Airports and

Subways.

4- The angle of viewing reaches to 1700 degrees with clear vision.

Uses: -

Looking forward to be used in

 GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers.

 Mobile phones.

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  OLED display sewn to clothes.

(3) Printer: -
An output unit prints the needed data on paper(hard copy).

 Any printed paper is called hard copy.

Printer has more than one type:-
(a) Inkjet printer: -

 It used to make high-quality printout.

 Does not have a large buffer(temporary memory in printer to save

the printing tasks).

Uses: -

 In producing high quality of photos and pictures.

 In low volume printing tasks.
Advantages: -
 High-quality printout.
 Lightweight
 Don’t produce ozone and volatile organic compounds.
Disadvantages: -
 Slow and takes time in printing out.
 Printing can smudge
 Toner cartridge runs very fast.
 Can’t handle large printing job.
(b) Laser Printer: -

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  Produces very high quality.
 Has a large buffer (memories that store the printing tasks).

Uses: -

 Offices where heavy duty of printing is required.

Advantages:-

 It very fast and quick in printing.

 Makes no noise.
 Toner cartridge lasts for long time.
 Reliable to do heavy volume of printing tasks.

Disadvantages: -.

 Produces ozone and volatile organic compounds.

 Colour laser printer is expensive.

(c) Dot matrix printers: -

A type of impact printer where a print head (made up of a

matrix of pins) presses against an inked ribbon.
Uses: -
 In noisy environment (e.g garage workshop, factories)
 In multi-part stationary in printing out invoices and pay

slips.

Advantages: -

 Cheap in getting and repairing.

 Carbon copies and or multi-parts output can be

produced.

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 Disadvantages: -

 Very noisy.
 It costs more than inkjet printer.
 Vey slow.
 Has a poor quality of printing.

(d) Plotter or Graph plotter: -

A printer that draws images on either:

 Paper.
 Steel.
 Plastic.
Uses: -
 Computer Aided Design(CAD).
 Geographical Information System (GIS).
 Architect, Construction and Engineering (AEC).
 Project blueprints.
 Banners.
Advantages: -
 Works on large sheets 2 feet and more.
 High-resolution printout.
 Accurate.
 Speed.

Disadvantages: -

 Take up more space than usual printer.

 Price of plotter is way expensive than inkjet and

laserjet.
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  Slow at printing.

(e) 3 D Printer: -

 A printer uses inkjet and laser printers’ technologies to produce

solid objects.
 Solid objects are built up layer by layer using either:
 Powdered metal.
 Powdered resin.
 Ceramic.
 A layer thickness is 0.1mm.
 3 D printer has various sizes from the least size as microwave

oven up to small car.

3-D printer has mainly two types: -

(I)Direct 3-D Printing: This one has a head like inkjet printer to
move either from left to right or from up to down to build up
layers of the product.

(II)Binder 3 D printing: Same like direct printing except it has two

passes one for spraying the powdered metal to build the layers and the
other pass for spraying binder (type of glue) to form the solid object.

 Newer technologies use UV (Ultra Violet) and laser to harden the

liquid polymers.

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 Uses: -

 Producing prosthetic limbs (hands or legs) in medical fields.

 Aerospace manufactures to produce parts like wings, motors.
 Parts or items of objects are no longer exist like vintage car.
 In CAD (Computer Aided Design) and architecture to build a
prototype of a building or condominium design.

Advantages: -

 Despite it’s highly cost but still less costing compared to having
many tools and labors.

 Allows you to make parts of objects no longer exist like spare

parts for sixty’s car.

 Helps in medical field by producing artificial organs, prosthetic

limbs, reconstructive surgery.

Disadvantages: -

 Counterfeit (creating an illegal copy of an item and sell it as

original one).

Job losses, especially for labors as 3-D printing spread out, will be no
need for more than two or three individuals at maximum.

(f) Speakers: -

Speakers or loud speakers are output devices used to produce

sound files when connected to computer, digitized sound on files
need to be converted into sound as follows:

 Digital data first passed through Digital to Analogue

Converter(DAC) where it’s changed into electric current.

 The electric current goes through amplifier as the current

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generated by DAC is very small needs to be large enough to drive
loudspeakers.

 This electric current fed to loud speakers where it’s

converted to sound.

Uses of speakers: -

 Built into most of computers.

 Used in all phones.
 Outputs sounds from multimedia presentation.
 Plays downloaded sound files.

Advantages of Speakers: -

 Amplified sound is large than the original which helps in

reaching out more people.

 Everyone in conference is able to hear sound comes out of

computer.

 Creates good atmosphere when making presentation.

Disadvantages of speakers: -

 Speakers output can be disturbing to others like in office

Environment.

 For getting high-quality sound requires an expensive

speakers.

 Big and large speakers take considerable amount of space.

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 (f) Actuators: -

Is a mechanical or electromechanical device used to convert

from electrical signal into magnetic field producing linear motion.

Actuator like: -

 Motor.
 Valve.
 Solenoid.
 Relay.

Uses of actuators: -

 To control: -
 Buzzers.
 Pumps.
 Switches
 Allow computer to control physical devices that require

analogue inputs.

Advantages of actuators: -

 Allow remote operation of many devices (pumps in nuclear

reactor).

 Inexpensive devices.

Disadvantages of actuators: -

 Additional device may go wrong.

 Because they are analogue devices they Digital to Analogue
Converter(DAC).
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