DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING

OF THE USE OF INPUT DEVICES

SAMMY ETHANIEL
 An input device is any device that is
used to capture data and issue a
command for the computer to process.
There are many different kinds of input
devices. Some common types are:
1. Mouse
2. Trackball
3. Light pen
4. Flatebed Scanner
5. Joystic
6. Touchpad
7. Webcam
8. Barcode scanner
9. Microphone
10.Keyboard
11.Graphics Tablets/Digitizer
12.Touch screen
13.Gamepad
14.Video camera
15.Optical Character Reader (OCR)
16.Optical Mark Reader (OMC)
 Cord/Wired
Mouse
Trackball
Light pen Joystick
Cordless/Wireless
Mouse

Barcode scanner Touch screen

Flatbed scanner Gamepad Microphone
Cord/Wired
Cordless/Wireless Graphic tablet
keyboard
keyboard
Cord/Wired Cordless/Wireless
Mouse Mouse
MOUSE
The computer mouse is a small clickable
part attached to the computer to make
the use of the computer easy. This is a
type of input device that is mostly used
with a personal computer. It is often
referred to as a pointing device.
The computer mouse is mainly used to perform
the following activities;
1. It is used to point to items such as icons on the
computer screen.
2. It is used to open icons by double-clicking.
3. It is used to move an object such as icons from
one location to another.
4. It is used to select icons by single-clicking.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF USING THE MOUSE
ADVANTAGES
1. It is very easy to use the mouse as compared to other
input device.
2. It is very common and less expensive as compared to
other input devices
3. It is easy to navigate through document using the mouse
than using input devices such as the keyboard.
DISADVANTAGES
1. People with restricted hand/wrist movement can find it
hard to use the computer mouse
2. It is difficult to use on surfaces that are rough abd
surfaces that are not flat.
3. It can result in Stress Injury (RSI) when used over long
period of time without breaks.
TRACKBALL
A trackball is an input device similar to a
computer mouse. It performs the same
function as the mouse. It has a ball
located at the top of it. Hovering the
finger on the ball causes the cursor to
move. I left and right buttons. It has a
scroll wheel as well.
 SOME COMMON USES OF
TRACKBALL INCLUDE;
1. Pointing on icons
2. Selecting icons
3. Opening icons
4. Moving icons from one location to another
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF USING THE TRACKBALL
ADVANTAGES
1. It does not require arm movement like the
mouse. This is because the trackball is at a
fixed position.
2. It does not require additional working space
since it can be fixed or attached to the
keyboard.
DISADVANTAGES
1. Prolonged use of trackball can lead to thumb
or finger fatigue.
2. It is slow to use the trackball as compared to
mouse and touch screen.
 LIGHT PEN
A light pen is an input device that utilizes or uses
a light-sensitive detector to select objects on a
display screen. It is often used with a cathode
ray tube monitor.
 USES OF LIGHT PEN
Light pen is commonly used for:
1. Selecting items on the screen
2. Pointing to icons
3. Drawing on the screen
ADVANTAGES OF USING THE
LIGHT PEN
1. It is used to draw directly on a computer screen
2. Light pen is easy to use
3. It provides better pointing accuracy and
precision than finger pointing on touch screen.
 DISADVANTAGES OF USING
THE LIGHT PEN
1. It cannot be used on LCD monitors. It is only used on
CRT monitor displays.
2. Prolong use of light pen cause arm fatigue
3. It gives wrong reading if background lighting in a room
is detected.
 FLATBED SCANNER
This is an input device that can capture documents
such as photographs and pages of text into digital
forms which the computer can process and store.
They are commonly used for;
1. Converting hardcopy information into softcopy
information that the computer can process.
ADVANTAGES OF USING THE
FLATBED SCANNER
1. It is used to convert hard copy information to
softcopy on the computer.
2. Scanned images can be edited and stored in the
computer.
DISADVANTAGES OF USING
THE FLATBED SCANNER
1. Images from scanners may be considered low
quality especially when the scanner has low
resolution
2. Images from scanner can take up a lot of
memory or disk space on the computer.
 JOYSTICK
This is an input device which works as a
cursor control device. It is often used
for playing computer games. It can be
moved in several directions to control
the movement of the image on a
computer or display.
The most common uses of the
joystick are :
1. It is used to control cursor movement
when playing games.
2. It has buttons used to execute
commands when playing computer
games.
 ADVANTAGES OF USING
JOYSTICK
1. It is the main input devices used in simulators
when offering training to people. For
example, flight simulators to train pilots.
2. It has buttons used to execute commands
when playing computer games.
 BARCODE READER /
BARCODE SCANNER
The barcode reader is an input device
which is also called the price scanner or
point of sale scanner. It is a handheld input
device or stationary device used to capture
barcode information on products or items.
The data (barcode) captured is sent to the
computer for processing.
 A barcode is simply a numeric code
represented as a series of lines. The use of
the use of the barcode scanner helps
sellers in supermarket shops to tell the
price of goods or items.
A common use of barcode;
1. It is used for capturing barcode data
into a form that computer can process.
 ADVANTAGES OF USING THE
BARCODE SCANNER
1. Scanner barcode is much faster than keying
data directly manually using an input device
such as the keyboard.
2. When an item’s price is changed, only the
central database needs to be updated. No
need to change prices individually on each
item.
 ADVANTAGES OF USING THE
BARCODE SCANNER
1. It is a relatively expensive system to
administer Scanner barcode is much faster
than keying data directly manually using an
input device such as the keyboard.
2. When an item’s price is changed, only the
central database needs to be updated. No
need to change prices individually on each
 MICROPHONE
The microphone is an input device that converts
sound into a signal that can be fed into a
computer. It converts analogue sound (human
voice) into digital data for the computer to
process. Common uses:
1. A microphone is used to capture analogue
sound data for the computer to process
 ADVANTAGES OF USING
THE MICROPHONE
1. It is able to convert analogues sound data
to digital sound
2. It is used for large audiences
 DISADVANTAGES OF
USING THE MICROPHONE
1. It requires an amplifier to bring sounds out.
KEYBOARD
 The keyboard is the main input device of a
personal computer. It is used for entering data
and issuing a command. Some keyboards have
cables and some are without cables. Keyboard
without cables are called wireless keyboards.
Uses of a keyboard.
1. It is used for entering data such as letters,
numbers, symbols etc.
2. It is used to issue commands into the
computer for processing
3. It is used to navigate through items on the
computer screen.
TYPES OF COMPUTER
KEYBOARD
1. WIRED KEYBOARD
2. WIRELESS KEYBOARD
 WIRED KEYBOARD
This is a kind of keyboard that is connected to
the system unit with the help od a cable or wire.
The cable used in this kind of keyboard may be a
PS/2 connector cable or a USB connector cable
 WIRELESS KEYBOARD
This kind of keyboard does not use any wire, thus
it connects to the system unit without a cable. It
connects to the system unit using Radio Frequency
(RF) such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth or infrared
technology.
 ADVANTAGES OF USING
THE KEYBOARD
1. It is the most used input device for capturing text,
numbers and symbols into the computer for
processing.
2. It is very common and easy to use. Almost all
personal computers have keyboards.
DISADVANTAGES OF USING
THE KEYBOARD
1. People with hand and wrist deformities find it
difficult to use or cannot use it at all.
2. Entering data using the keyboard can be very slow
and it is easy to make mistakes especially for people
who have low typing skills.
3. It can result in Repetitive Stress Injury when used
over a long period
! @ # $ % ^ & * ( )
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
 INPUT DEVICES USED FOR
DIRECT DATA ENTRY
Apart from the traditional input devices we all know, there
are other input devices used for capturing data directly.
Some of these are;
1. Graphic Tablet
2. Magnetic Card Reader
3. Optical Card Reader
4. QR Code Reader
5. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Readers
 GRAPHIC TABLET
Graphic tablet is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-
draw images, animations and graphics, with a special pen-like stylus.
 FEATURES OF GRAPHIC TABLET
SIZE OF ACTIVE AREA
Drawing tablets come in different sizes. Some can be as small as
half a letter-sized paper; others can be as an 11-inch laptop. A
larger active area allows you to work on larger drawings
without having to zoom in and out all the time.

RESOLUTION
The quality of your digital art will depend on the resolution of
your drawing tablet. Higher resolution provides better drawing
quality than those with low resolution.
PRESSURE SENSITIVITY
Pressure sensitivity is vital in capturing quality artwork. The
higher its pressure sensitivity the better quality of the artwork.

RESPONSIVENESS
Responsiveness of graphic tablets is also called tracking speed.
The tablet’s responsiveness refers to how fast your drawing will
appear on the screen.
CONTROLS
The control of the tablet helps the user to easily regulate the
graphic tablet. These controls help you set up your tablet, zoom
in and out, change layers and undo previous actions. Sure,
these controls are doable with the shortcuts on your computer
keyboard. But accessible commands on your drawing tablet
make it easier for you to adjust the settings as you need.

CONNECTIVITY
Most of the drawing tablets available in the market will either
have a USB 2 or 3. If you have an older computer, your only
option might be USB 2. however, a drawing tablet with USB 3
might just work perfectly fine.
SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY
Not all drawing tablets are suitable for all computer operating
systems and digital art software. It is best to research if the
brands that you want can run on your computer. For example, if
you use Mac OS or an older Windows version, some tablets
might not be compatible with your current computer. Plus, not
all tablets are compatible with all drawing software.

STYLUS PEN TYPE

Stylus pens also come in different types. You can choose from
batter-powered, rechargeable and electromagnetic resonance
(EMR) types.