Computing Fundamentals

TYPES OF INPUT DEVICES

Objective

 accurately identify the various input devices based on

their category (manual or automated).
 Difference between Input & Input Devices

INPUT INPUT DEVICES

 The act of entering data or other information  Is a device that get data into a computer
into a computer system using an input device. system for processing.
 Manual Vs Direct Data Entry Devices

Manual Input Device Direct Data Entry Devices

 With a manual input device, you must enter or  A direct data entry device can transfer
transfer data into the computer yourself. information automatically from a document
into the computer. You do not need to enter
the information manually.
 OPTICAL MARK READER

 OMR detects the position of marks on paper.

The marks must be made in pre-defined
positions. The OMR detects the intensity of
the light reflected from these marks. The
computer records the position of the marks
and analyses it determine the meaning of the
data e.g. right or wrong answer on a multiple
choice quiz. OMRs are used for correcting
multiple choice examinations, analyzing data
from surveys, counting election ballots and
validating lottery tickets.
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition

 MICR is mainly used by the banking industry to

read cheques. Cheques have the following
information encoded in them:
 The cheque number
 The bank branch number
 The customer’s account number
 The amount of money written on the cheque
 The amount is written using special magnetic ink
which contains iron oxide. The characters on the
cheque are written in a special font and are
recognized electronically as it passes through the
device. The MICR can only recognize a specific font
and a limited number of characters.
MICR

Advantages Disadvantages
Advantages of the MICR: Disadvantages of the MICR:
 Documents are difficult to forge  MICR readers are expensive
 Documents can still be read after being folded,  The system can accept only a few characters
soiled etc.
Optical Character Recognition

 This is an optical scanner which utilizes

special software to read characters from
paper. The shapes of different characters are
detected by shining light on them from a
photo-electric device and sensing the patterns
of reflected light. The reader software allows
each character pattern to be compared with a
set of stored patterns until the closest match is
found. The match is then translated into text
in the computer so that it can be manipulated
by the user. It is used in the legal service,
postal service, utility and financial companies
and by immigration officers at airports.
OCR

Advantages Disadvantages
 Advantages of the OCR  Disadvantages of the OCR
 OCR is suitable for converting large volumes  OCR has difficulty understanding handwritten
of printed data into electronic text on the text if the letters are not properly formed.
computer so that it can be manipulated. It is OCR has difficulty recognizing unusual fonts.
great for archiving books, documents etc
Joystick

Joystick
 This device is used to control movement of
the cursor or other objects on the screen by
operating a small lever. It is used mainly for
playing games, but it is also used with
scanners at hospitals.
Mouse

 The mouse has a ball underneath, which rolls

and determines the direction of the cursor, and
buttons which allow the user to make
selections. Some mice (plural of mouse) have
a scroll wheel that allows you to scroll
through long documents. In addition to
moving the cursor, the mouse is used to select
and open documents or programs, move icons
from one place to another on the screen, select
options from a menu, position the cursor
when preparing and editing documents, and
for drawing lines and sizing graphic objects
such as pictures.
Barcode Reader

 Barcodes are read by a scanner in which a

laser beam scans the barcode and the light is
reflected back into the scanner. The
information received by the scanner is sent for
processing. Barcode readers give fast error-
free data entry into the computer. It is a fast
method of recording the sales of items.
Barcode readers are used in supermarkets,
libraries, research, airports, postal services and
warehouses.
Digitizing Tablet

 This device looks like a small chalkboard. The

tablet detects and transfers drawings made on
it to the screen. The drawings are made with
either a stylus (pen-like pointing device) or a
puck (mouse-like device). Graphics tablets are
used by architects, mapmakers, artists and
designers to create sketches and drawings on
the computer.
Keyboard

 This device is used to enter text data or

characters e.g. letters, symbols, numbers and
commands specific to a program.
Biometric System

 Biometric refers to the science of identifying

an individual through their body
characteristics such as face geometry and hand
geometry e.g. fingerprints, iris or retinal scans,
vein and voice patterns. All these forms of
identifying an individual can be input into a
computer system set up for security purposes
allowing access to buildings and bank
accounts etc.
Sensor

 Chemical or physical changes in humans and

their environment can be converted to
electrical signals using sensors that pass data
to a computer, where it is analysed, stored and
manipulated by specialized software. These
sensors are useful in medicine, environmental
planning and preservation, weather reporting
etc. Sensors can be used to measure things
such as heat, light, sound, pressure, strain,
acidity(pH), oxygen concentration, humidity,
pulse, water level, water flow, speed, tilt or
even a door or valve opening or closing.
Remote Control

 A remote control emits a beam of infra-red

light that carries data signals. They are used to
input data to televisions, stereo systems,
VCRs, DVD players and by computers as a
wireless means of communication.
Sound Capture

 Microphones are used for sound capture. All

modern computers contain built-in
microphones and sound cards to allow voice
or music to be recorded. The sound card
digitizes the data into a form that the computer
can understand.
Pointing Devices

 These devices are used by graphical operating

systems such as Windows to show the
movement of the pointer or the cursor, and
enable the control and selection of objects on
the display screen. This group of devices
includes the mouse, trackball, pointing stick,
touchpad, joystick, light pen, digitizing tablet
and touch screen.
Webcam

 A webcam is a video capture device connected

to a computer or computer network, often using
a USB port or, if connected to a network,
Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Their most popular use is for
video telephony, permitting a computer to act as
a videophone or video conferencing station. This
camera is used to record and edit video images
(i.e. moving or still images). The images are
stored in a format that can be displayed on a web
page. Web cams are used in video conferencing.
It is also useful in security surveillance.
 VOICE DATA ENTRY/ VOICE
RECOGNITION

 Voice Data Entry/voice recognition

 This type of system requires the use of a
microphone. It accepts the spoken word as input
data or commands. The computer is programmed
to recognize certain patterns of speech. The
microphone is used to code human speech into a
sequence of electronic signals. These signals are
compared to a set of stored patterns. If they match,
the command or data being entered is accepted by
the computer and processed. Voice commands can
be used to control machines or even enter
documents in a word processor. It is very useful
for physically disabled persons.
 VOICE RECOGNITION

 Advantages of the Voice Data Entry  Disadvantages of the Voice Data Entry
 No typing is required  Recognition of words is still relatively slow
 since human speech can vary in tone and
The system can be used remotely e.g. by
emphasis of various parts of words and
telephone
phrases.
 The system is not suitable for use in noisy
places.
 You may need to program (train) the system to
understand your particular voice patterns.
LIGHTPEN

 This is shaped like a pen and is connected to a

VDU/monitor. It allows you to point and make
selections more accurately on a screen. The tip of
the light pen contains a light-sensitive element
which, when placed against the screen, detects
the light from the screen and enables the
computer to identify the location of the pen on
the screen. Making selections with a light is far
more accurate than using your finger to make
selections on a touch sensitive screen. They also
allow you to draw directly on the screen.
However they are not as accurate as a digitizing
tablet and drawing can become uncomfortable.
 TOUCH TERMINAL

 Touch Terminal
 A touch terminal, also known as a touch
screen is a light-sensitive screen that detect
when a person touches it, as well as the area
of the screen that was touched. Various
options are displayed on the screen and the
user presses the one they want. Touch screens
are used on ATMs, microwave ovens, cash
registers, at airports, fast-food outlets, theatre
booking offices, etc.
TOUCH TERMINAL

 Advantages of the Touch Terminal  Disadvantages of the Touch Terminal

 The user can select the option very quickly.  The system is expensive.
 The user does not require any training to use  It is limited to certain applications.
it.
 DOCUMENT SCANNER

 Document Scanners
 These scan text and pictures into the computer. There are
many types of scanners:
 Flatbed scanner: the picture is placed on a flat surface and
the image is captured, similarly to how a photocopying
machine works.
 Handheld scanner: the picture is read while the user drags
the scanner over it. The quality of the image provided by this
scanner is poor, but it is useful for quick data capture.
 Drum scanner: the document to be scanned is mounted on a
glass cylinder. These are used in publishing industry
(magazines, books) to capture images with high detail.
 Sheet-fed scanner: the sheet that contains the image is fed
through rollers and the picture is scanned as the paper passes
through.
POINT OF SALE

 Point of Sale (POS)

 This is the combination of a barcode reader
and computerized cash register. It is usually
found in retail outlets. The barcode reader
scans in information from the sale transaction
and this is recorded in a centralized computer
which is connected to the cash register. The
information collected can also be used for
stock control and sales analysis.
POS

 Advantages of the POS  Disadvantages of the POS

 Customers get quicker and more accurate  Barcodes cannot be read by humans
service, which improves efficiency.
 Supermarkets can get instant or continuous
stock checks
 Saves on paper