Chapter (2):

Input and Output

Devices
 Contents

• Input devices and their uses

• Direct data entry (DDE) devices
• Output devices and their uses
Input devices and their uses
 Manual Input Device

Keyboard Mouse Touchpad Tracker Remote Joystick

ball control

Driving Touch Scanner Digital Video Microphone

wheel screen camera camera
 Ergonomic keyboards
Keyboards Concept keyboards

Numeric keypad
 Ergonomic keyboards

• Design to reduce the health-related problems such

as repetitive strain injury (RSI)
• To enter text, number, some symbols
• Advantages
• Easy to use for most people
• Fast data entry
• Disadvantages
• Can be difficult to use if the user has limited
arm use
 Concept keyboard

• Concept keyboard uses icons or phrases

• It is useful in restaurant environment
 Numeric keypads

• It is used to enter numbers only.

• Uses:
• ATM (Automatic teller machine)
• POS (Point of sale)
• Advantage
• Faster than standard keyboard
• Disadvantage
• Have small keys
 Pointing devices

Mouse Touchpad
Tracker
ball
 Mouse
Use:
optical mouse To control the pointer on the screen to:
• Selecting Windows
• Clicking Icons
• Menu Options
wireless mouse
• Positioning Pointer

• the left button is usually used to select items by double clicking

• the right button brings up drop-down menus
 Mouse
Advantages:
• Easy to navigate through menu options
• Quicker to select an option compared to using a keyboard.

Disadvantages:
• Easily Damaged
• Flat surface required.
 Touchpad

• Advantages
• Touchpad is integrated into laptop, there is no
need for separate mouse
• Disadvantages
• Difficult to use when doing certain operation
such as drag and drop.
 Trackerball
• Used in control room
Uses • Used for people with limited
wrist movement

• Easier to use
Advantages • Robust than mouse

Disadvantages • Not supplied with computer as

standard
 Remote control
• It is used to control the operation of other devices remotely.
• Uses
• TV, DVD players, Air conditioner
• Advantages
• Can be operated from any reasonable distance
• Disadvantages
• It is easier to block the signal
 Joysticks and Driving wheel
• Uses
• Computer games
• Flight simulators
• Car-driving simulation
• Advantages
• Control is more realistic than mouse
• Driving experience is nearer to the actual
steering wheel
• Disadvantages
• Difficult to control on-screen pointer
Touch screens • User can choose an option by touching a button/icon on
the screen.
• Uses
• ATM
• Public information system at airport
• POS
• Mobile phones
• Satellite navigation system
• Computer-based training (CBT)

• Advantage
• User friendly

• Disadvantage
• Limited number of options available
• The screen can get very dirty easily
 Scanners

• Scanners are used to enter information from hard copy.

• Uses
• Scan in old books, valuable books, thus
protecting the originals
• Advantages
• Images can be stored for editing
• Disadvantages
• It depends on resolution of scanner
 Digital cameras
• The images are stored on a memory card and can
be transferred to a computer
• Connecting to the computer by using USB port, Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth
• Advantages
• Produce better-quality photo
• Easier and faster to upload photo to a computer

• Disadvantages
• The resolution is not as good as professional/traditional cameras
 Video cameras

• DV (digital video) cameras

• They stored compressed photo frames – this is known as
Motion jpeg.
• Advantages
• DV format gives a very high quality of image
• Disadvantages
• Expensive
 Microphones

• Use
• Used to input sound into a computer
• Used in voice recognition applications
• Advantages
• Voice overs can be added to presentations
• Recorded audio can be typed directly into Word
Processor applications.
• Disadvantages
• Voice recognition is not as accurate as typing text into a
computer.
 Sensors
• A sensor is a device that input data to a computer, the data is a
measurement of physical quantity that is continuously changing (for
example: temperature, light, moisture)
• Computer only understand digital data (0 or 1), the information from
sensors need to be converted.
• Sensor understand analog data
• By using
• ADC (Analog to Digital Converter)
• DAC (Digital to Analog Converter)
 Temperature Sensors

Used in
• Washing machines
• Central heating systems
• Automatic glasshouse system
• Microwave ovens
 Pressure Sensors

Used in
• Burglar alarm systems
• Washing machines
• Robotics
• Environmental monitoring system
 Light Sensor

• Automatic glasshouse
• Automatic doors
• Burglar alarm systems
• Street Lighting control
 Sound/acoustic Sensors

• Burglar alarm systems

• Monitoring liquid and powder flow in pipe
 Humidity/moisture Sensors

• Automatic glasshouse
• Environmental monitoring
• Factories where moisture levels are crucial
 pH Sensors

• Automatic glasshouse
• Chemical process
• Environmental monitoring
 Sensors

• Advantages
• More accurate reading
• Reading are continuous
• System can be automatic
• Disadvantages
• Faulty sensor can give wrong result
 Graphic tablet

• A graphic tablet is used with a stylus to produce a

freehand drawing
• Used in Computer Aided Design (CAD)
 Webcams

• Uses in Video Conferencing

• Face-to-face video chatting
• Disadvantages:
• Poor quality compare
with professional camera
 Light Pens
• Light pen is used with computer as an input device.
• They contain sensors that send signals to a
computer whenever light changes are detected.
• Drawing on CRT screen
• Advantages
• Accurate
• Easy to use technology

• Disadvantage
• Outdated one
 Stylus Pen

• It is a small pen-shaped instrument whose

tip position on a computer monitor or
touchscreens.
• It is used to draw or make selections
by tapping.
Quiz
Q. Draw five lines on the diagram to match the input device to its most appropriate use.

Input device Use

Remote control Inputting freehand drawings into a computer
Keyboard Operating a television
Touch screen Entering text when writing a book
Chip reader Selecting options in a tourist information kiosk
Graphics tablet Reading information from a credit card
Quiz
Q. Draw five lines on the diagram to match the input device to its most appropriate use.

Input device Use

Remote control Inputting freehand drawings into a computer
Keyboard Operating a television
Touch screen Entering text when writing a book
Chip reader Selecting options in a tourist information kiosk
Graphics tablet Reading information from a credit card
Direct Data Entry (DDE) Device
 Direct Data Entry Devices
1. Magnetic stripe reader
2. Contactless card reader
3. Chip and PIN reader
4. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader
5. Magnetic Ink Character reader (MICR)
6. Optical Mark reader (OMR)
7. Optical Character reader (OCR)
8. Barcode reader
9. Quick Response (QR) code reader
 Magnetic Stripe Reader
• Magnetic Stripe Reader
• Uses
• Credit cards, debit cards at ATM or EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale)
• Security devices to entry to buildings and hotel rooms

• Advantages
• Fast data entry comparing key in with a keyboard or keypad.
• Error free because no need to type
• Not effect by oil, water

• Disadvantages
• If the magnetic stripe gets damaged the data is lost.
• Doesn't work at a distance.
 Contactless card reader
• Contactless card reader
• Allow customers to pay for items without entering their PIN
• Contactless cards have a small chip that emits radio waves

• Advantages
• Faster transactions
• Use 128-bit encryption to protect data

• Disadvantages
• More expensive than normal credit/debit card
• Can take money twice
• Transaction is limited to small value ($25)
 Chip and PIN reader
• Chip and PIN reader are used at EFTPOS (Electronic Fund Transfer Point of Sales)
• The customer has to key in their PIN to make a transaction
• Do not make use of Radio Frequency Technology
• Uses
• Restaurants, supermarkets, travel agents

• Advantages
• More Secure and robust system than magnetic stripe cards

• Disadvantages
• Need to be careful to ensure PIN is not read by somebody else
 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader
• Used radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag.
• The RFID tag is made up of two components:
• A microchip that stores and processes information
• An antenna that is used to received and transmit data
• Uses:
• Livestock tracking, Retail, Admission passes, Libraries
• Advantages:
• Very robust and reliable technology
• Very fast read rate
• Bidirectional data transfer
• Disadvantages:
• Tag collision
• Easy to interrupt because RFID uses radio waves
• Expensive
 Magnetic Ink Character reader (MICR)
• Magnetic Ink Character reader (MICR)
• Characters are printed with a special ink (containing iron partials)
• Printed at the bottom of a bank cheque
• Uses
• To process cheques in banking operations
• Advantages
• Greater security than OCR
• No manual input
• Disadvantage
• Only certain characters can be read
• More expensive than other methods
 Optical Mark reader (OMR)
• Optical Mark reader (OMR) is a device that can read marks written in pen or
pencil
• Uses
• Questionnaires
• Multiple choice exam
• Advantages
• Very fast way of inputting the result of a survey
• No typing
• More accurate than OCR
• Disadvantages
• The forms need to be carefully designed
• Can be problems if the forms haven't been filled in correctly.
 Optical Character reader (OCR)
• Optical Character reader (OCR)
• Software that takes scanned text and converts it into computer-readable
form.
• Uses
• Processing of Passports and identity cards
• Advantages
• Faster data-entry than manually keying in data
• No manual data entry
• Disadvantages
• Still has difficulty reading handwriting
• Not a very accurate technique.
 Barcode reader
• Barcode readers are used to read information in the form of a
barcode.
• Uses
• Supermarkets, Libraries, Safety function, etc.
• Advantages
• Faster than keying in data manually
• They allow automatic stock control
• Disadvantages
• More easily damaged than RFID tags
• Barcodes can be swapped around on items
 Quick Response (QR) code

• Quick Response (QR) code is made up of a matrix of filled in

dark squares on a light background.
• QR code can hold over 7000 digits.
• Can read QR code by using built-in camera facility on
modern phone.
• QR code contains telephone number, website
URL, advertisement info and etc.
Output devices and their uses
 Output Devices
1. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors
2. Thin film transistor (TFT) monitors
3. Liquid Crystal Diode (LCD) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) monitors
4. Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) screens
5. Touch screen
6. Multimedia Projectors
7. Laser Printers
8. Inkjet Printers
9. Dot matrix Printers
10. 3-D Printers
11. (Graph) plotters
 Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitors
• The picture is made up of tiny dots that are colored red,
green, blue.
• Uses: The primary output device for computers
• Advantages: The angle of viewing is better than Thin film
transistor (TFT) monitors
• Disadvantages: It is heavy and run very hot, it consume
more power.
 Thin Film Transistor (TFT) monitors

• The screen is made up of thousands of tiny pixels, which are made

up of transistors controlled by a microprocessor.
• Uses: The primary output device for computers
• Advantages: Lightweight, emit less radiation, consume less power
• Disadvantages: The angle of viewing a TFT is fairly
critical otherwise the image is not very clear.
 LCD and LED monitors

• LCD: Liquid crystal display/diode

• The front layer of the monitor is made up of LCD
• Tiny diode is grouped together in three or fours which
are known as pixels.
• The colors (red, green, blue, yellow) are group
together.
• LED: Light emitting diode
• LCD monitors backlit using LED
• LED gives whiter light which sharpens the image
• LED gives brighter light which improves the color
 OLED monitors

• OLED: Organic light emitting diode

• They use organic materials (made up of carbon compounds)
to create semi-conductors
• Organic films are sandwiched between two charged electrodes
• Metallic cathode
• Glass anode

• No form of backlighting is required

• No longer a need to use LCD technology
• OLEDs allow screens to be curved, which ensure a good picture from any angle.
 Advantages of using OLED technology

• The plastic, organic layers of OLED are thinner, lighter, and more flexible than
LCD/LED
• OLED layers can be made from plastic rather than glass
• OLED give a brighter light than LCD/LED
• OLED uses less power than LCD/LED
• OLED can be made into large, thin sheets
• OLED have a very large field of view about 170 degrees
 Touch screen
• can work as both an input device and as an output device
• Smartphones and tablets
• ATMs at banks
• Ticket collection machines at theatres, cinemas and railway stations
• Information kiosks at museums or art galleries
 Multimedia Projector
• The projector receives signals from computer of TV.
• The image is magnified and projected on to a large screen.
• Uses: Training presentation, advertising presentation, home cinemas
• Advantages: Can see the video on the large screen
• Disadvantages: Expensive
 Laser Printer
• Produce very high-quality hard-copy output.
• Uses: Office
• Advantages:
• Printing is fast
• Can handle large print jobs
• Quality is high

• Disadvantages:
• Expensive
• They produce ozone
 Inkjet Printer
• Produce good quality hard copies.
• Inkjet printer don't have large buffer, printing is done a bit at a time.
• Uses:
• Low output volume are required to print
• High quality printing is required for a single pages
• Producing photo-quality printouts

• Advantages:
• High quality output
• Cheaper than laser printer
• Don't produce ozone

• Disadvantages:
• Slow output
• Can't do large print job
• Original ink cartridge are expensive
 Dot matrix printers
• Type of impact printer where a print head presses against an inked ribbon.
• Uses: Noisy environments (example: garage workshops)
• Advantages:
• Multiple/Carbon copies output can be produced
• Very cheap

• Disadvantages:
• Very noisy
• Very slow
• Poor quality printing
 3-D Printers

• Uses in computer-aided design (CAD) applications

• They are based on inkjet and laser printer technology and can
produce solid objects
• The solid object is built up layer by layer using materials such as
• Powdered Resin
• Powdered metal
• Paper or Ceramic
 Features of 3-D printing

• 3-D printers use

• additive manufacturing (i.e; the object is built up layer by layer)
• Subtractive manufacturing (i.e; the removal of material to make an object)

• Direct 3-D printing uses inkjet technology; a print head can move left to right and move up to down to
build up the layers of an object
• Binder 3-D printing uses two passes for each of the layers: the first pass sprays dry powder then, on the
second pass, a binder (a type of glue) is sprayed to form a solid layer.
• Newer technologies use lasers and UV light to harden liquid polymers; this further increases the
diversity of products that can be made.
 The process of producing 3-D object

• A design is made using computer-aided design (CAD) Software

• The finalised drawing is imported into some special software that prepares it in a format that is
understood by the 3-D printer
• The 3-D printer is set up to allow the solid object to be made
• The solid object is built up layer by layer
• The object is removed from the printer and then prepared for example:
• use a jelly-like support that needs to be washed away by immersion in water
• require the removal of excess plastic powder
• Require the cutting away of unused material, etc
 3-D printing applications

• Education
• Prototyping and Manufacturing
• Medicine
• Construction
• Art and Jewelry
• Food manufacturing industry
• Etc.
 Advantages

• The manufacturing of items has become much easier than ever before.
• a user to create their own designs in 3-D and have them printed in solid form.
• 3-D printers can manufacture items relatively quickly, it allows rapid prototyping.
• 3-D printing is very high, it is still less when compared to labour costs and other costs
• Medical benefits are emerging, such as producing artificial organs, prosthetics and precision-made
items for reconstructive surgery.
 Disadvantages

• 3-D printers is the potential to make counterfeit items or items that infringe others' copyright.
• With the possibility of creating almost anything with a 3-D printer, this technology could be used to
manufacture dangerous items by almost anyone.
• Potential for job losses if this technology takes over from some types of manufacturing
 (Graph) plotters

• print on paper
• Instead of toner or ink cartridges, plotters use a pen, pencil or marker pen to draw multiple
continuous lines, rather than a series of dots like a printer.
• They produce vector graphic drawings and are often used in conjunction with CAD and CAM
(computer aided manufacturing).
Uses of plotters
• Producing architectural drawings.
• Producing engineering drawings.
• Drawing animation characters (cartoon characters)
 (Graph) plotters

Advantages
• Very high-quality output.
• Able to produce large, monochrome and colour drawings to a high accuracy.
• Able to print on a variety of materials (for example, aluminium, cardboard, plastic, steel and
wood) as well as paper
 (Graph) plotters

Disadvantages
• Very slow at printing.
• Expensive equipment (and software) to purchase initially; although running costs are low once
purchased.
• Have a very large physical footprint compared to a printer
 Speakers

• Speakers can be connected directly

to a computer or are built into the
monitor or casing
• Digital data from the computer is
converted into analogue form using a
digital to analogue converter (DAC)
and the signal amplified through the
speakers.
 Control Devices

1. Actuators
2. Motors
3. Buzzers
4. Lights
5. Heaters
 Actuators
• Actuators are transducers.
• Transducers are devices that change
variations in a physical quantity (such as
pressure or rotation) into an electrical
signal or vice versa.
• They are used to take signals from a
computer and convert them into some form
of motion
• Example: operating motors, pumps, switches and
valves.
 Motors
• The motor is turned on or off by the actuator.
• Used in
• automatic washing machines (to make the drum rotate)
• cookers (to switch on fans)
• water pumps in central heating systems
• automatic glasshouses to open windows and switch on
fans.
• control of robot arms industry.
• Control of fans, disk drives and DVD drives in computer
 Buzzers

• The buzzers are switched on or off by the actuator.

• Used in
• Cookers and microwave ovens to tell the operator when the
cooking process is complete.
• Burglar alarm systems to warn of intruders.
 Lights

• The actuator is connected to the switch that

turns the lights on or off.
• Used in
• security lights
• glasshouses to control the lighting conditions.
 Heaters

• Actuators are connected to switches that turn the heater

on or off.
• Used in
• automatic washing machines to heat up the water if
necessary.
• automatically control the temperature in an oven or
hot plate.
• control the heating in a central heating system.
• temperature control in an automatic glasshouse.
Quiz
Q1 . Output device, used to listen to audio, which is worn on the ears.
A. Microphones B. Speakers C. Joystick D. Keyboard

Q2. Name this output device which can create physical objects using plastic.
A. 3D printer B. Scanner C. Printer D. Speakers