ICT: INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES

Some devices:
Keyboards Sensors Scanners
Numeric Keyboards Graphic tablets Barcode readers
Mice (Mouse) Light Pens OMR
Touchpad 3D Inkjet Printers OCR
Trackballs Dot Matrix MICR
Remote Controls Plotters Digital Cameras
Joysticks MIDI instruments Webcams
Touch Screens Smart card readers Microphones
Magnetic stripe readers Chip and PIN readers CRT
Projectors Laser Printers TFT
Inkjet Printers Laser Printers

INPUT DEVICES

— Input devices are used to give data into the computer system.
— Input devices usually are ranged (wired or not)
— Input devices help people to control and use the computer system, most of the times.

} Keyboard
◦ Most common input device
◦ input text, numbers, commands, password
◦ Concept keyboards (Shaped)
◦ Overlay Keyboards
◦ Advantages
– Accurate enter data
– Quick entry of text
– Robust
◦ Disadvantages
– Difficult for people with disabilities
– Not quick compare with barcode, etc
– Take more space
–
} Numeric Keypads
◦ Enter numbers
◦ Specific Scenarios such as ATM, PIN, Telephones, EPOS terminals etc
◦ Advantages
– Small
– Many devices in one machine
– Easy to enter numbers
◦ Disadvantages
– Difficult to enter text
Can be too small sometimes

} Mice (Mouse)
◦ Pointing device
◦ Move pointer
◦ Buttons with different functions
◦ Scroll button
◦ Can be optical
 ◦ Can have one ball under the plastic case
◦ Advantages
– Faster to choice options
– Fast navigation
– Smaller then keyboards
◦ Disadvantages
– Difficult to use for people with disabilities
– Easy to damage
– Difficult to enter data like text numbers

} Touchpad
◦ Used in laptop computers with fingers
◦ Same operation as mouse
◦ Advantages
– Same as mouse
– Do not have to be plugged in
◦ Disadvantages
– Difficult control compare to mouse
– Same as mouse

} Tracker balls
◦ Ball on the top of it
◦ Same functionality with mouse and touchpad
◦ Control Pointer
◦ Control Room Environment
◦ Use for RSI
◦ Advantages
– People with limitations
– Accurately
– Desk space
◦ Disadvantages
– Expensive
– Need Training
} Video digitizers
◦ Input video to computer
◦ Convert analogue to digital signals
◦ Fitted into your computer

} Remote Controls
◦ Control devices remotely
◦ Buttons help to choose diff options
◦ Wireless communication
◦ Used for home entertainment devices
◦ Advantages
– Can be in distance from the devices
– Help people with disabilities
◦ Disadvantages
– People with RSI diff to use it
– Stop working with obstacle in front of it

} Joysticks
◦ Similar functions with mouse and trackball
 ◦ Stick, move around to select options
◦ Move objects around the screen
◦ Used for games
◦ Airline pilots
◦ Advantage
– Control objects in three dimensions
– Faster to choose options
◦ Disadvantage
– Diff to enter data
– Diff to control pointer than other windows icons, etc

} Touch screens
◦ Can be input and output
◦ Use fingers or stylus
◦ Icons on the screen represent buttons
◦ ATM
◦ EPOS
◦ Tourist information kiosk
◦ PDA
◦ Interactive whiteboards
◦ Advantage
– Faster entry of options
– Easier for people with disabilities
– Less possibilities to choose wrong options
◦ Disadvantage
– Diff to enter text
– Diff for people with RSI

} Magnetic strip readers

◦ Read information form plastic cards
◦ 3 tracks are used to store information
◦ Banking for example use second track
◦ ATM
◦ EFTPOS
◦ In security
◦ Advantage
– Faster entry of data
– More accurate
– More secure
– Prevents entry of restricted areas
◦ Disadvantage
– If damaged, lost speed

} Smart card readers or chip card

◦ Information is stored on a chip
◦ Used to store a PIN number
◦ Payment method
◦ Satellite broadcasters
◦ SIM cards
◦ Passport
◦ Advantage
– Immediate update, no fraud
 – Less damage though regular use
– More secure
– Enter in restricted areas without card
◦ Disadvantage
– Hackers can steal information
– if the card lost the owner loses a proportion,
– if not all the money value of the card

} Chip and PIN readers

◦ Type of smart cards
◦ EFTPOS terminals
◦ Has slot for inserting the chip card and keypad for entering the PIN (personal identification
number)
◦ Some of them has slot for magnetic strip cards
◦ Chip has information but also the PIN
◦ The card can not be used unless the people know the PIN
◦ Use for payment methods
◦ Advantages
– Secure transactions
– Save time compare using cash and cheques
– More robust
◦ Disadvantages
◦ No PIN no transactions
◦ Very careful to protect their PIN

} Scanners
◦ Enter hard copy images
◦ Flat pad, place the document in front of the glass
◦ Light source move underneath
◦ Scanner can also used as OCR
◦ Barcode readers are used to reader codes
◦ Use to scan old records
◦ Scan images for editing
◦ Used in faxes
◦ Advantages
– Allow images to be stored
– Save time using as OCR
– Using as barcode, save time and more accurate
◦ Disadvantage
– Reproduction is limited

} Barcode readers
◦ Read information in the form of bar code
◦ Goods are marked with codes
◦ Uses
– Supermarkets and shops
– Automatic stock control
– Libraries
– Identify items from the database
◦ Advantages
– Faster
– Accurate
 – Improve safety
– Trusted
– Easy update (only central database)
– No individually changes
◦ Disadvantages
– Expensive
– Barcodes can be swapped

} OMR – Optical mark recognition

◦ Read marks made by pen or pencil
◦ Uses
– Read multiple choice questions
◦ Advantages
– Fast
– More accurate
– OMR more accurate than OCR
◦ Disadvantages
– Forms need to be carefully designed
– Problems, if the forms haven’t been fill correctly

} OCR – optical character recognition

◦ Scan text and convert it into computer readable form
◦ Uses
– Processing of passport and identity cards
– Used when scanning documents for further manipulation
◦ Advantages
– Faster data entry
– Reduce number of errors
◦ Disadvantages
– Difficult to read hand writing
– Not very accurate technique

} Digital Cameras
◦ Used like traditional camera
◦ Photographs can be deleted if they are not good
◦ Also can be retaken
◦ Camera can be connected directly to the computer
◦ Also can use photo editing packages to manipulate photos
◦ Most cameras has capacity to store many photographs
◦ Digital cameras can also take short videos
◦ Used by personal photographers
◦ Advantages
– Better quality photos than traditional camera
– Quicker to upload images than scan them in
– Quicker and safer than to have a film
– Memory card can hold more images
◦ Disadvantages
– More expensive
– Batteries need changing more often than with traditional cameras

} Microphones
◦ Connected directly to the computer
 ◦ Input sounds
◦ Sounds converted from electrical analogue signal into digital signal in order to be stored and
manipulated
◦ This is done by computer sound cards
◦ Used to detect text for use with voice recognition software
◦ Voice cover in slide shows or web pages
◦ Advantages
– Changes to the sound can be done in real time
– Quicker to input text by speaking rather than typing
◦ Disadvantages
– Computer can use the input speech for one purpose only at that time
– Not accurate as using keyboard

} Sensors
◦ Sensor is used to input data about physical changes in an environment
◦ Convert analogue data into digital data
◦ Sensors are used to control and monitoring applications
◦ Uses
– Temperature sensor
– Pressure sensor
– Light sensor
– Sound sensor
– Humidity sensor
◦ Advantages
– More accurate
– Readings are continues
– Necessary action will be initiated immediately
– Automatic systems
◦ Disadvantages
– Faulty sensors can give wrong results
– Power cut, reading can not be taken

} Web cameras
◦ Smaller than video camera
◦ Connected directly to the computer though usb
◦ Laptops have webcams built into the top of the monitor
◦ Uses
– Chatting online (MSN)
– Enable video conferencing
◦ Advantages
– Allow people to keep in contact without need to travel
– Activated as required
◦ Disadvantages
– They need to be connected to the computer
– Limited features and poor quality

} MIDI
◦ Musical instrument digital interface
◦ The interface converts the signals into digital
◦ Uses
– Performance directly recorded to the computer and stored as MIDI file
– MIDI files can supplement other MIDI files
 ◦ Advantages
– Errors can be removed
– Files can be manipulated
◦ Disadvantages
– Music is not spontaneous

} Graphics tablets
◦ Hand drawn images
◦ Resulting image appear on the computer monitors for further use
◦ Uses
– Computer graphics
– Computer aided design
– Chinese and Japanese characters
◦ Advantages
– Accurate drawing
– Drawings are input rather than letters as happens with scanners
◦ Disadvantages
– More expensive
– Difficult to use for choosing menu selections

} Light pens
◦ Contain sensors that send signal to computer whenever light change are detected.
◦ Only work in CRT monitors
◦ Images built up row by row and refreshed 50 time every second
◦ Uses
– Selecting objects on CRT screens
– Drawing on screen (CRT)
◦ Advantages
– More accurate than touch screens
– Small
– Easy to use
◦ Disadvantages
– Lag
– Only work on CRT
– Not accurate when drawing

OUTPUT DEVICES

} CRT Monitors
◦ Use an electron gun to fire against phosphor screen
◦ Dots is colored red, blue, green
◦ Not expensive
◦ Uses
– Primary output device of a computer
– Light pens
◦ Advantages
– Higher quality images than TFT
– Better angle of viewing
– Light pens in CAD
◦ Disadvantages
– Very hot
– Too heavy
 – Need more power
– Eye side problems

} TFT Monitors
◦ Nowadays are the main output device
◦ Thousand of pixels
◦ Each pixel has three transistors, colored red, blue, green
◦ Uses
– Used on laptops
◦ Advantages
– Lightweight
– Less glare and radiation
– Less power
◦ Disadvantages
– Problems when viewed slightly from the side
– Less definition than CRT
– Not used with light pens

} Laser printer
◦ Very high quality hard copy
◦ Large buffer memories
◦ All pages are stored and then printed out
◦ Uses
– Noise level need to keep low, like in office
– Very high quality hard copy
◦ Advantages
– Fast in large amount of printing pages
– Handle very large printing jobs
– Lower cost in toner cartridge
◦ Disadvantages
– Expensive
– Only fast in several copies
– Four cartridges
– Health issue

} Inkjet printer
◦ Good quality hard copies
◦ Better than dot matrix
◦ Printing is done a bit at time
◦ Uses
– High quality for small job
– Low output volumes
– Very good to produce photo quality printouts
◦ Advantages
– Cheaper to buy
– High quality
– Lightweight and need small space
– No healthy issues
◦ Disadvantages
– Slow output for large amount of pages
– Cartridge run out quickly
– Printing can smudge
 – Expensive to run if they are used a lot

} 3D inkjet printers
◦ Produce solid 3D models
◦ Used technology knows as tomography
◦ Uses
– Produce prototypes from CAD
– Models are produce in color
– Organic objects (human organs)
◦ Advantages
– Save a lot of money
– Better idea about end product
– Powders can be reused
◦ Disadvantages
– Expensive to buy
– Slow producing the output
– The end product can need more work at the end

◦ Dot matrix printers

◦ Output is made up of matrix of pins
◦ Uses
– In noisy environment
– Print quality is not very important
◦ Advantages
– can be used in dusty environments
– Multipart outputs can be produced
– Very cheap to run and maintain
– Long printing jobs
◦ Disadvantage
– Very noisy
– More expensive to buy than an inkjet
– Very slow and not good quality

} Plotters or graph plotters

◦ Very large drawings and posters
◦ No limitations about paper size
◦ Pen plotters, electronic plotters
◦ Uses
– Large dewing such as buildings or factories
– Large pictures
– Print on plastic coated paper
– Large signs
◦ Advantages
– Huge printouts
– Extremely high quality
◦ Disadvantages
– Slow
– Expensive
} Speakers
◦ Connected directly to the computer
◦ Digital signals converted into analogue using digital analogue converter
◦ Uses
 – Output sound
– Home entertainment
– Help blind people
– Play downloaded sounds

} Multimedia projector
◦ Receive signals that can be digital or analogue
◦ Images is magnified and projected into large screen
◦ Uses
– Training presentations
– Advertising presentations
– Home cinema
◦ Advantages
– More people can see the presentation
◦ Disadvantages
– Images sometimes be fuzzy
– Expensive
– Setting up projectors can be little different

CONTROL DEVICES

◦ Type of output devices

◦ Control devices are used control processes in conjunction with sensor input devices

} Actuators
◦ Transducers that convert Signals
◦ Sent signals form computer to the actuators such as motors, pumps, switches etc

} Motors
◦ Turn on or off by the actuator
◦ Uses
– Domestic appliances such automatic washing machine, central heading, greenhouses, etc
– Control robot arms
– Fans, disk drivers, DVD drivers

} Buzzers
◦ Turn on or off
◦ Uses
– Cookers and microwave ovens to tell the operator when the process is complete
– Alarm systems

} Lights
◦ Light is turned on or off
◦ Uses
– Security lights
– Control lighting conditions

} Heaters
◦ Turn heater on or off
◦ Uses
– Automatic washing machines
– Control of temperature
 REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. A company wants to buy a printer for its office. What factors would be important when deciding
what type of printer to buy?

2. What type of output device would be most suitable for each of the following activities? Give at least
one reason for each of your choices.
a) General printing on a home computer, including printing letters and other documents.
b) Printing in a busy office.
c) Printing customer receipts in a supermarket. The printer must produce a second copy for the
supermarket to keep on self-replicating paper (paper that copies through where pressure
has been applied to the top copy).

3. What type of output device would be most suitable for each of the following activities? Give at least
one reason for each of your choices.
a) Producing a warning that a library book that has just been returned is overdue and a fine
should be paid.
b) Showing that a disk drive is in use.
c) Producing lists of theatre seats that are available when a customer telephones to book a
ticket.
d) Producing high quality output for a design studio.

4. What type of input device would be most suitable for each of the following activities? Give at least
one reason for each of your choices.
a) ATM
b) Supermarket cashier
c) Shopping mall map