Chapter 2

Input Devices
Subject: Computer Concept (Hardware & Software)
Major: Computer Science, Batch: XXI, Year I (Semester I)
Prepared by: Pheuy Tay
Contents
I. Introduction
II. Keyboard
III. Pointing Devices
IV. Scanning Devices
V. Optical Recognition Devices
VI. Digital Camara
VII. Voice Recognition Systems
VIII. Data Acquisition Sensors
IX. Media Input Devices
I. Introduction
• Input devices are electromechanical devices that are used to provide
data to a computer for storing and further processing, if necessary.
• They act as an interface between the computer and the user.
• They act as an interface between the computer and the user. The
basic task of an input device is to take the input from the user,
translate it into the machine readable form and then present it to the
processing unit of the computer for execution.
II. Keyboard
• Keyboard is the most commonly used input device. We can
use a keyboard to type data and text and execute
commands.
• Following groups of keys:
o Alphanumeric Keys
o Function Keys
o Central Keys
o Numeric keypad
o Special purpose keys
II. Keyboard (Cont.)
III. Pointing Devices
• Pointing devices are the input devices that are generally used
for moving the cursor to a particular location to point an object
on the screen. With the help of pointing devices, we can easily
select the icons, menus, windows, etc
• Some of the commonly used pointing devices are:
o Mouse
o Trackball
o Light pen
o Joystick
o Touchscreen
III. Pointing Devices (Cont.)
1. Mouse: Mouse is a small hand-held pointing device that basically
controls the two-dimensional movement of the cursor on the displayed
screen.
III. Pointing Devices (Cont.)
+ Mechanical mouse: A mechanical mouse consists of three buttons:
left button, right button and scroll button. Inside the plastic coating of
the mouse, there is a ball, which is rolled over a fl at surface
corresponding to which the cursor moves on the display screen.
III. Pointing Devices (Cont.)
+ Optical mouse: An optical mouse is a pointing input device in which
the reflected light determines the movement of the cursor on the
displayed screen.
III. Pointing Devices (Cont.)
2. Trackball
Trackball is a pointing device that basically
consists of a socket containing the ball,
which can be rolled manually to move the
cursor on the screen. The socket also
contains sensors, which detect the
movement of the ball. With the help of the
trackball, we can change the position of the
cursor on the screen by simply rotating the
ball with our fi ngers or thumb.
III. Pointing Devices (Cont.)
3. Light Pen
Light pen is an electro-optical pointing
device that is used for selecting the
objects on the display screen with the
help of a light sensitive pen.
III. Pointing Devices (Cont.)
4. Joystick
Joystick is a pointing device that usually
consists of one or more buttons and a
stick, which controls the movement of
the cursor on the screen by pointing in
all directions.
III. Pointing Devices (Cont.)
5. Touchscreen
Touchscreen is a pointing device that
enables us to enter data such as text,
pictures and images by directly touching
the screen. The touchscreen is the
display monitor with which the user can
directly interact with the computer
system by touching the screen.
IV. Scanning Devices
Scanning devices are the
input devices that can
electronically capture text
and images, and convert
them into computer
readable form.
IV. Scanning Devices (Cont.)
Based on these characteristics, the scanning devices can be
categorized as follows:
• Hand-held scanners
• Flat-bed scanners
• Drum scanners
• Slide scanners
IV. Scanning Devices (Cont.)
1. Hand-held Scanners
Hand-held scanners are the scanning
devices that are generally used for
digitising the images into bit map,
which is a matrix of 0’s and 1’s.The
size of these scanners is small and the
price is relatively less as compared to
the other three types of scanners.
IV. Scanning Devices (Cont.)
2. Flatbed Scanners
Flatbed scanners consist of a flat
surface composing of glass pane on
which the documents are kept for
scanning. Under this glass pane,
there is xenon light and a CCD, which
consists of an array of red, green and
blue filters
IV. Scanning Devices (Cont.)
3. Drum Scanners
Drum scanners generally consist of a
large drum, which is used for
scanning the documents. These
scanners make use of the Photo
Multiplier Tubes (PMT) technology,
instead of the CCD technology. The
resolution image of these scanners is
very high due to which they are very
expensive
IV. Scanning Devices (Cont.)
4. Slide scanner
These scanners are also known as
film scanners as they can easily scan
the original image of the film. In the
slides taken with this scanner, the
dark areas appear light and the light
areas appear dark. These scanners
consist of a stepper motor and a CCD
sensor, which helps in scanning the
film
V. Optical Recognition Devices
Optical recognition devices are used for recognising the characters
optically. The optical recognition devices basically make use of
optical scanner for inputting data. Unlike keyboards, the optical
recognition devices do not enter the data by pressing the keys.
The following are some of the commonly used optical recognition
devices:
• OCR devices
• OMR devices
• MICR devices
• Bar code reader
V. Optical Recognition Devices (Cont.)
1. OCR
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) devices scan a particular
document by recognising its individual characters and converting it
into the editable form. These devices distinguish the dark area on
the document from the light areas for recognising the characters.
V. Optical Recognition Devices (Cont.)
2. OMR
The Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)
devices make use of OMR technology,
which helps in obtaining the data from the
marked fi elds. These devices prove to be of
great use in recognising characters in
question sheets, enrolment forms,
registration forms, employee payroll, etc.
Most popularly, the OMR devices are used
for scanning the documents having multiple
choices as in the question papers used in
schools, colleges, etc
V. Optical Recognition Devices (Cont.)
4. Bar Code Reader
Bar code reader is the scanner that
usually reads bar code, which is
used to label the items in the
super markets, retail stores, books
numbering in library, etc. The bar
code is the computer readable
code representing vertical lines of
different widths.
VI. Digital Camera
A digital camera is a handheld
electronic device that is used to
capture the image of an object
electronically
VI. Digital Camera
1. Video cameras
Video cameras are the digital
cameras that capture an image by
converting it into horizontal lines
and then scanning each line from
top to bottom. The two main types
of video cameras include
professional video cameras and
camcorders.
VI. Digital Camera
2. Compact digital cameras
Compact digital cameras are very
small in size, and hence can easily
be carried by a person.
camcorders.
The images are stored in these
cameras in the Joint Photographic
Experts Group (JPEG) format.
VI. Digital Camera
3. Digital single-lens:
Digital single-lens reflex cameras
consist of a mirror and a
pentaprism that are used for
capturing the image digitally. The
light entering through the lens is
refl ected by the mirror attached
with the lens.
VI. Digital Camera
4. Line-scan camera
Line-scan camera consists of an
array of image sensors. These
cameras capture the image in the
form of lines and then scan the
image line by line. These cameras
capture the images very quickly
and their image resolution is also
very high.
VII. VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEM
The voice recognition devices generally record the voice of a person
and transform it into electrical signals. The electrical signals are
then converted into the machine readable code. The voice
recognition system only recognises the voice of the speaking
person rather than what he speaks
VIII. DATA ACQUISITION SENSORS
Sensors are the devices that are used for detecting and measuring
the physical quantities, such as heat and temperature and
converting them into electrical signals. The sensors are most
commonly used in data acquisition systems. The data acquisition
system collects the electrical signals from various devices and
converts them into the digital signals for further assessment.
IX. MEDIA INPUT DEVICES
The input devices, which are generally used in media for
communicating with the mass audiences, are known as media input
devices.

- Microphone
- Webcam
- Graphic tablet