Basic Input Devices

What is an input device? _Input devices allow information to be entered to the

computer._________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Device Image Description Uses
Keyboard

A very common input device which has a set of
buttons. Text, numbers and symbols can be
entered

- General text entry
such as writing letters
etc
- Shortcuts/Commands
Numeric
Keypad /
Pin Pad

Numeric Keyboards are small keyboards with
only number.



-PIN (Personal Identity
Number) pads is used
when paying with a
credit card or to unlock
electronic locks.

Mouse

A mouse is a pointing device and is common in
PCs.
- Detects movement and
sends this data to the
computer
Touchpad

By dragging your finger over the surface, the
touchpad detects the speed and direction by the
sensors underneath it.
-A touchpad is an input
device is usually found
on a laptop computer.
Tracker
ball

A tracker ball is a pointing device, which is a
large ball that the user spins. They are often
used by very young people or someone with a
physical disability
-Data about which
direction the ball is spun
is passed to the
computer.
Graphics
Tablet

A stylus is used like a pen and is moved over the
surface of the tablet.
-Often used by designers
and artists to allow
natural hand movements
to be input to graphics
applications.
Remote
Control

Remote Controls send data signals each time a
button is pressed using infrared light or
radio signals.



-Signals the remote emit
control a computer or a
system that contains a
small computer such as a
DVD player from some
distance.
Joystick/
Joypad

Joysticks/Joypads are mainly used for playing
games.
-Users move the joystick
left/right, forward/back
and data about the
movement are sent to
the computer.
Light Pen

Used like a pen over a computer. -Light pens write on
the screen of a
computer.
Touch
Screen

A touch screen is the only device that is used for
input and output. They are common at banks,
ticket collection terminals at theatres or
airports, information centres at museums.
-Users tap the touch
screen to select different
options.

Device Image Description

Uses
Magnetic
Strip
Reader

Magnetic Stripe Readers read the magnetic
strips, which are found on the back of credit
cards, cheque guarantee cards, loyalty cards and
membership cards. An advantage is that the
machines are intuitive, meaning you dont need
training to be able to operate. But, a
disadvantage is that they have very little data
capacity.

-When cards are swiped
through MSR machines,
the data is read and fed
back to the computer.
Chip
Reader

Modern ID and credit cards use tiny chips of
computer memory (smart cards) and Chip
readers read this.
-Reads ID cards, phone
cards, credit cards, door
security cards.

Scanner

A scanner works by shining a beam of light of
the object that you are scanning.




-Scanners covert images
or text, on paper, into a
digital format.
Digital
Camera

An input device that takes and stores
photographs on memory cards, which can be
transferred to a computer.
-Captures digital
photographs.
Video
Camera

An input device that records and stores videos
on video-tape on memory cards, which can be
transferred to a computer.
-Captures moving images
or video.
Webcam

Webcams capture video images of the scene in
front of it.
-They are used for
chatting or
teleconferencing,
tourists can experience
iconic areas without
going anywhere and for
security.
Micro-
phone

Microphones convert analogue data (sound
waves) into digital data. A disadvantage is that
some words are interpreted incorrectly.
-Microphones detect
sounds and inputs this
sound and an electrical
signal is transferred to a
computer
MICR
Reader

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) is a
technology that allows bank cheques to be read
into a computer quickly and accurately.


-Cheque numbers and
bank account numbers
are printed at the
bottom of each bank
cheque and are read by
MICR machines
OMR
Scanner

Optical Mark Readers machines interpret the
pattern of the marks and sends the results to
the computer for storage, analysis and
reporting. An advantage is that they are a fast
inputting device and has the ability to read
10,000 forms an hour. However, sometimes
forms arent read properly; they may not fill the
space completely or be in a dark enough pencil.
-OMR machines reflect
light onto either your
National Lottery ticket,
test, form or quiz and
read your pencil marks
OCR
Scanner

Optical Character Recognition consists of a
scanner and software. An advantage is that they
are cheaper than paying an employee to
manually enter the large amount of text. A
disadvantage is that the OCR are only 95%
accurate and some letters can be
misinterpreted.
-OCR systems change
physically written letters
into a form, which can
be edited and processed
by a regular word
processing package.
Barcode
Scanner

Most items that are for sale in shops have
barcodes and so do most library books. An
advantage is that any price changes only needs
to be changed on the database and not every
single product package.
-Barcode readers scan
the barcode, using a
visible, red light, and
input information about
the country of
manufacture, the name
of the manufacturer and
the product code.