INPUT DEVICES

PREPARED BY
PROF. ANUPAMA PANDEY
COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Input
• Input is any data and instructions entered into the memory of a
computer.
Input
 Instructions can be entered into the computer in the form of
programs, commands, and user responses.
◦ Program: A series of related instructions that tells a computer what tasks to
perform and how to perform them.
◦ Command: An instruction that causes a program to perform a specific action.
◦ User Response: An instruction a user issues by replying to a question
displayed by a program.
Input Devices
• An input device is any hardware component that allows users to enter
data and instructions into a computer.
• Depending on the application and your particular requirements, the
input devices selected may vary.
The Keyboard
• A keyboard is an input devices that contains keys users press to enter
data and instructions into a computer.
• Usually have from 101 to 105 keys, including the letters of the
alphabet, numbers, punctuation marks, and other basic keys.
• Many have a numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard.
The Keyboard
• An enhanced keyboard has twelve or more function keys along the
top, two CTRL keys, two ALT, keys, and a set of arrow and additional
keys.
The Keyboard
• Function keys, labeled with the letter F followed by a number, are
special keys programmed to issue commands to a computer.
• To issue commands, users often can press a function key in
combination with other special keys (SHIFT, CTRL, ALT, and others)
The Keyboard
 Keyboards also often have a WINDOWS key(s) and an APPLICATION
key.
◦ The WINDOWS key displays the Windows Start menu.
◦ The APPLICATION key displays an item’s shortcut menu.
 A toggle key is a key that switches between two states each time a
user presses the key.
◦ Num Lock, Caps Lock, Scroll Lock
The Keyboard
• The insertion point, also known as a cursor, in some programs, is a
symbol on the screen, usually a blinking vertical bar, that indicates
where the next character you type will appear.
The Keyboard
• Desktop computer keyboards often attach via a cable to a USB port or
a keyboard port on the system unit.
• A wireless keyboard is a battery-powered device that transmits data
to the system unit using wireless technology.
Pointing Devices
• A pointing devices is an input devices that allows a user to control a
pointer on the screen.
• In a graphical user interface, a pointer is a small symbol on the screen,
whose location and shape change as a user moves a pointing device.
• They are used to move the insertion point, select objects, and click
buttons.
Mouse
• A mouse is a pointing device that fits under the palm of your hand
comfortably.
• It is the most widely used pointing device on desktop computers.
• With a mouse, users control the movement of the mouse pointer.
Mouse
• The top and sides of a mouse have one to four buttons; some also
have a wheel.
• An optical mouse uses devices that emit and sense light to detect the
mouse’s movement.
Mouse
• Many types connect with a cable that attaches to a USB port or a
mouse port on the system unit.
• A wireless mouse is a battery-powered device that transmits data
using wireless technology, such as Bluetooth or IrDA.
Other Pointing Devices
• Trackball, Touchpad, Pointing Stick, Touch Screen, Touch-sensitive
Pads, Stylus, Pen, Signature Capture Pad, and Graphics Tablet.
Trackball
• A trackball is a stationary pointing device with a ball on its top or side.
• To move the pointer, rotate the ball.
Touchpad
• A touchpad is a small, flat, rectangular pointing device that is
sensitive to pressure and motion.
Pointing Stick
• A pointing stick is a pressure-sensitive pointing device shaped like a
pencil eraser that is positioned between keys on a keyboard.
Touch Screens and Touch-Sensitive Pads
 A touch screen is a touch-
sensitive display device.
 Multi-touch can recognize
multiple points of contact at
the same time.
 Some models of desktop
computers and many mobile
devices have touch screens.
 A kiosk, a free standing
computer, usually includes
touch screens.
Touch-Sensitive Pads
 A touch-sensitive pad is an
input device that enables
users to scroll through and
play music, view pictures,
watch videos, etc., found
in portable media players.
 They typically contain
buttons and/or wheels
that are operated with a
thumb or finger.
Pen Input
 With pen input, you touch a stylus or digital pen on a flat surface to
write, draw, or make selections
 A stylus is a small metal or plastic devices that looks like a tiny ink
pen but uses pressure instead of ink.
 A digital pen, which is slightly larger than a stylus, typically provides
more functionality than a stylus: erasers, programmable buttons.
Pen Input
• A signature capture pad is used to capture a handwritten signature
with a stylus.
• A graphics tablet is a flat, rectangular, electronic, plastic board that is
used on computers that do not have a touch screen.
Other Input for Smart Phones
Game Controllers
• Video games and computer games use a game controller as the input
device that directs movements and actions of on-screen objects.
• They include gamepads, joysticks and wheels, light guns, dance pads,
and a variety of motion sensing controllers.
Game Controllers
 Gamepad: held with both hands; controls actions of players or objects in
games.
 Joystick: handheld vertical lever mounted on a base.
 Wheel: a steering-wheel0type input device.
 Light Gun: used to shoot targets and moving objects when the trigger is
pulled.
 Dance Pad: flat electronic device divided into panels that users press with
their feet.
 Motion-Sensing Game Controllers: allow the user to guide on-screen
elements by moving hand held input device in predetermined directions
through the air.
Game Controllers
Digital Cameras
 A digital camera is a mobile device that allows users to take pictures
and store the photographed images digitally, instaed of on
traditional film.
 Some look like traditional cameras, others are built into mobile
devices.
 Contents can be downloaded and stored into computers.
 Resolution is the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in a display
device.
Voice Input
• Voice input is the process of entering input by speaking into a
microphone.
• Voice recognition, or speech recognition, is the compute’s capability
of distinguishing spoken words.
• Voice recognition programs recognize a vocabulary of
preprogrammed words, ranging from two to millions of words.
Audio Input
• Voice input is part of a larger category called audio input.
• Audio input is the process of entering any sound into the computer
such as speech, music, and sound effects.
• Music production software allows users to record, compose, mix, and
edit music and sounds.
Video Input
• Video input is the process of capturing full-motion images and storing
them on a computer’s storage medium.
• Computers record digital signals from digital devices, such as digital
video (DV) cameras, or convert analog signals to digital signals.
Web Cams
• A Web cam is a type of digital video camera that enables a home or
small business user to capture video and still images and broadcast
them over the Internet.
• They attach to the computer’s USB port or FireWire port.
• Some can display their output on a Web page by streaming.
Video Conferencing
• A video conference is a meeting between two or more geographically
separated people who use a network or the Internet to transmit
audio and video data.
Optical Character Recognition
• Optical character recognition is a technology that involves reading
typewritten, computer printed, or hand-printed characters form
ordinary documents and translating the images into a form that the
computer can process.
• A turnaround document is a document that you return to the
company that creates and sends it.
Optical Mark Recognition
• Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) is a technology that reads hand-
drawn marks such as small circles or rectangles.
• A person places these marks on a form, such as a test or survey.
Bar Code Readers
• An optical reader that uses laser beams to read bar codes by using
light patterns that pass through the bar code lines.
Magnetic Stripe Card Readers and MICR
Readers
 A magnetic stripe card reader reads the magnetic stripe on the back
of credit cards, entertainment cards, bank cards, and other similar
cards.
 A MICR reader converts MICR characters into a form the computer
can process.
 MCIR (magnetic-ink character recognition devices read text printed
with magnetic ink.
Biometric Input
 Biometrics is the technology of authenticating a person’s identity by
verifying a personal characteristic.
 A biometric identifier is a physiological or behavioral characteristic.
 A biometric device translates a personal characteristic into a digital
code.
 A fingerprint reader captures curves and indentations of a
fingerprint.
 Others: face recognition, hand geometry, voice verification, signature
verification, iris recognition.
Terminals
 A terminal is a computer, usually with limited processing power, that
enables users to send data to and/or receive information from a host
computer.
 Most retail stores use a POS Terminal (point of sale) to record
purchases, process credit or debit cards, and update inventory.
 An automated teller machine (ATM) is a self-service banking
machine that connects to a host computer through a network.