INPUT DEVICES

In this section we will discuss various types of input devices used for entering data into the computer
system. These are:

Keyboard

It is the most common input device used for entering data and information into the computer system.
This is the standard input device attached to all computers. The keyboard is a primary device for
inputting text by pressing a set of keys. All the keys are neatly mounted in a keyboard connected to
the computer system. Keyboard devices can be classified into two type’s general purpose keyboards
and special purpose keyboards. General purpose keyboard are standard keyboards used with most
computer system. They are called general purpose because that have enough keys to make them
useful for any type of application. The layout of keyboard is just like the traditional typewriter of the
type QWERTY. It also contains some extra command keys and function keys. It contains a total of
101 to 104 keys. You have to press a correct combination of keys to input data. The computer can
recognize the electrical signals corresponding to the correct key combination and processing is done
accordingly.

The User can enter data into the computer by pressing a set of keys on the keyboard. In a keyboard
letters are printed on the keys. The first keyboard was developed in the 18th century and was named
as a QWERTY keyboard. A Computer keyboard includes control circuitry which converts the key
pressed by the user into key codes so that the computer can understand it. Now-a-days wireless
keyboards are also being used which increase user freedom. The wireless feature is achieved by
infrared signals or by radio frequency.

 QWERTY Layout
 DVORAK Layout
 ABCDE
 XPeRT
 AZERTY

Most keyboards have keys arranged in five groups:

 Alphanumeric keys
 Numeric keypad
 Function keys
 Special Symbols Keys
 Editing/Modifier keys
 Navigation/Cursor-movement keys
 Toggle keys
Mouse
A Mouse is a handy device which can be moved on a smooth surface to cause the movement of a
cursor on the screen. It is a pointing device which is used to input data and information into the
computer system by pointing on it. Physically, a mouse contains a small case, held under one of the
user’s hands with one or more buttons. For GUI-based systems a mouse is an essential pointing-
device. The cursor of the mouse moves in the same direction in which the mouse ball rolls.

Its name is derived from its shape, which looks a bit like a mouse, with its connecting wire that one
can imagine to be the mouse’s tail. A Mouse rolls on a small ball and has two or three buttons on the
top. When you roll the mouse across a flat surface on the screen, sensors sense the mouse in the
direction of mouse movement. The cursor moves very fast with a mouse giving you more freedom to
work in any direction. It is easier and faster to move through a mouse compared to movement using
keys.

Types of Mouse
Mouse could be mechanical, optical or cordless types. Further information regarding these types are
as follows :

Mechanical Mouse : Mechanical Mouse uses ball for the movement of cursor on the computer
screen. When the ball is rolled in any direction, a sensor of the mouse detects it and also moves the
mouse pointer in the same direction.

Optical Mouse : Optical Mouse uses Laser rays for the movement of cursor on the computer screen.
It is an advanced pointing device. Movement is detected by sensing changes in the reflected light
rather than the motion of a rolling sphere.
Cord-Less Mouse : Cord-Less Mouse is battery driven and does not need any wire for the physical
connection with the motherboard. It transmits data through infrared or radio signal.

Computer mice are very useful in designing pictures and graphs and computer and video games by
multimedia designers. A Mouse pad is required to move the mouse because it provides a smooth
surface. However, an optical or laser mouse doesn’t require a mouse pad.

Digitizing (Graphic) Tablet

Digitizing or Graphics’ tablet is a computer input device that allows one to hand-draw images and
graphics, similar to the way one draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used
to capture data of handwritten signatures. Some tablets are intended as a general replacement for a
mouse as the primary pointing and navigation device for desktop computers. These are used by
architects, engineers and designers in Computer Aided Design (CAD) for designing purposes, such as
buildings, cars, mechanical parts, robots etc. These are also used in Geographical Information System
(GPS) for digitizing of maps.( These are used by architects, engineers and designers in Computer Aided
Design (CAD) for designing purposes, such as buildings, cars, mechanical parts, robots etc.)

Graphics tablet is most suited for artists and those who want the natural feel of a pen-like object to
manipulate the cursor on their screen. Wacom is the most well-known manufacturer of graphics
tablets, and is incredibly well respected.

Trackball
Trackball is a moveable ball mounted on a stationary device, which can be rotated manually by using
fingers. It is also a pointing device. In a trackball, the ball is placed on the top along with buttons
which can be rolled with the fingers. These are used in playing video games.

Mouse and mobile phones are equipped with trackballs to navigate addresses as well as play games.

Joystick
Joystick is a remote control device for a computer which is used for playing video games to indicate
the position. It has a stick that pivots on a base and is used for controlling the action in video games.
The User moves a spherical ball with the help of a stick in the joystick as opposed to the trackball
where fingers are used for moving the ball.

Joysticks are also used for controlling machines such as cranes, trucks, underwater unmanned
vehicles, flight simulators, industrial robots etc.

Pick devices are used to select an object on the screen. The selected object can be text or
graphics. Examples of pick devices are light pens and touch screens.

Light Pens
A Light pen is a pen like light-sensitive device. It is connected by a wire to the computer terminal to
detect the CRT beam when pointed towards the screen and generate a narrow electrical pulse that can
be fed to the computer as an input signal.

It is used to draw on the screen or to point to the displayed objects. It operates by detecting the light
emitted by the screen phosphors.

A light pen can work with any CRT monitor but not with LCD monitors. It is used by architects
and engineers for CAD applications and editing.( A light pen can work with any CRT monitor but not with
LCD monitors)

Touch Screens
Touch screens are monitors / electronic visual display screens which detect where they are being
touched. The user makes selections by directly touching the screen, rather than moving a cursor to the
point on the screen with a mouse or joystick

Now days touch screens are being used in ATM machines for making it user friendly and Kiosk
machines are used for guiding the travelers about their travel plans. Touch screens are also used in
many of the modern cell phones.
SOURCE DATA ENTRY DEVICES
Entry of data into a computer system directly from the source, without transcription is called
source data entry. Source data entry devices have a lower probability of error in input data
than standard keyboard entry.

Some of the common source data entry devices are discussed below:

Digital Camera
A Digital camera is an electronic device which takes video or still photographs or both, digitally by
recording images via an electronic image sensor. Digital cameras can do things which film cameras
can’t, for example displaying images on screen immediately after they are recorded.

Images recorded on a digital camera can be cropped for editing, deleted and various types of special
effects can be created by using Photoshop software.

Digital cameras look like ordinary cameras but have sufficient memory in the form of chips to store
thousands of images, rather than using photographic films.

Most digital cameras allow users to choose the resolution needed for
a picture. Most of those can connect directly to a computer to transfer data. A USB port is generally
used for this purpose. A Wireless connection can also be used for connecting to a computer via
Bluetooth.

These cameras use memory cards with flash memory to store images. The joint photographing
expert’s group standard (JPEG) is the most common file format used for storing data in a camera.
Other formats include raw image format, DNG format etc.

Scanners
A Scanner is an input device and is used to input data into the computer system in the form of
pictures. It optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital
image. Examples of scanners are a desktop or flatbed scanner.

In scanners the document is placed on a glass window for scanning. Mechanically driven scanners
that move the document are typically used for large-formatted volume of documents.
Another type of scanner is a planetary scanner. This scanner takes photographs of books and
documents. Three dimensional scanners are used for producing three-dimensional models of objects.

Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)

OMR is the scanning of paper to detect the presence or absence of a mark in a predetermined position.
Now days, it is used as an input device for source data entry purposes. Universities and colleges often
use OMR for the evaluation of OMR sheets for competitive exams. OMR sheets consist of multiple
choice question papers and students are required to make a mark to indicate their answers. OMR is
used in the evaluation of questionnaires, surveys and university exam OMR sheets.( Universities and
colleges often use OMR for the evaluation of OMR sheets for competitive exams)

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition is a character recognition system that uses special ink and
characters. When a document that contains this ink needs to be read, it passes through a machine,
which magnetizes the ink and then translates the magnetic information into characters.

MICR technology is used by banks for faster processing of large volumes of cheques. Numbers and
characters found on the bottom of checks (usually containing the check number, sort number, and
account number) are printed using Magnetic Ink. To print Magnetic Ink codes, we need a laser printer
that accepts MICR toner. MICR provides a secure, high-speed method of scanning and processing
information. This technology is used for processing large volume of data. It speeds up data input for
the bank because cheques can be directly fed into the input device as it also ensures accuracy of data
entry. The most commonly used character set by MICR devices are known as E13B font which
consists of the numerals 0 to 9, and four special characters(MICR technology is used by banks for
faster processing of large volumes of cheques)

Bar Code Reader

A barcode reader is an electronic device which is used to read printed barcodes. Barcodes represent
alphanumeric data which is a combination of vertical lines (bars) that vary in width and length. It is a
fast and effective way to input data. A Barcode reader uses a laser beam to read the series of thick and
thin lines which represent the bar code number.

The bar code is 13 digits long and it has four main divisions. The First two digits of a bar code
represent the country, the second part represents the manufacturer’s code (five digits) the third part
represents the product code (five digits) and the last digit is a check digit.
Magnetic Stripe Reader
A magnetic reader is a hardware device which is used to read the information encoded in the magnetic
stripe located at the back of a credit/debit card. A bank card holds data about the owner of the card,
bank account number and code of the bank branch, where the account is held.

Magnetic stripe readers are often used at supermarkets and in many different types of shops. In these
machines data is read electronically and the point of sale is called Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS).

There are several other pick devices such as microphones and speakers. These have been discussed in
length under the section Out Put Devices section of this unit.

Microphone
Microphone is an input device to input sound that is then stored in digital form. The microphone is

used for various applications like adding sound to a multimedia presentation or for mixing music.
In computers, resolution is the number of pixels (individual points of color) contained on a
display monitor, expressed in terms of the number of pixels on the horizontal axis and the
number on the vertical axis. The sharpness of the image on a display depends on the
resolution and the size of the monitor. The same pixel resolution will be sharper on a smaller
monitor and gradually lose sharpness on larger monitors because the same number of pixels
are being spread out over a larger number of inches.

A given computer display system will have a maximum resolution that depends on its
physical ability to focus light (in which case the physical dot size - the dot pitch - matches the
pixel size) and usually several lesser resolutions. For example, a display system that supports
a maximum resolution of 1280 by 1023 pixels may also support 1024 by 768, 800 by 600,
and 640 by 480 resolutions. Note that on a given size monitor, the maximum resolution may
offer a sharper image but be spread across a space too small to read well.

Display resolution is not measured in dots per inch as it usually is with printers. However, the
resolution and the physical monitor size together do let you determine the pixels per inch.
Typically, PC monitors have somewhere between 50 and 100 pixels per inch. For example, a
15-inch VGA (see display modes) monitor has a resolution of 640 pixels along a 12-inch
horizontal line or about 53 pixels per inch. A smaller VGA display would have more pixels
per inch.
The 5 Types of Digital Image Files: TIFF, JPEG, GIF,
PNG, and Raw Image Files, and When to Use Each One
1. TIFF (also known as TIF), file types ending in .tif

TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format. TIFF images create very large file sizes. TIFF
images are uncompressed and thus contain a lot of detailed image data (which is why the files
are so big) TIFFs are also extremely flexible in terms of color (they can be grayscale, or
CMYK for print, or RGB for web) and content (layers, image tags).

TIFF is the most common file type used in photo software (such as Photoshop), as well as
page layout software (such as Quark and InDesign), again because a TIFF contains a lot of
image data.

2. JPEG (also known as JPG), file types ending in .jpg

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which created this standard for this type
of image formatting. JPEG files are images that have been compressed to store a lot of
information in a small-size file. Most digital cameras store photos in JPEG format, because
then you can take more photos on one camera card than you can with other formats.

A JPEG is compressed in a way that loses some of the image detail during the compression in
order to make the file small (and thus called “lossy” compression).

JPEG files are usually used for photographs on the web, because they create a small file that
is easily loaded on a web page and also looks good.

JPEG files are bad for line drawings or logos or graphics, as the compression makes them
look “bitmappy” (jagged lines instead of straight ones).

3. GIF, file types ending in .gif

GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format. This format compresses images but, as different
from JPEG, the compression is lossless (no detail is lost in the compression, but the file can’t
be made as small as a JPEG).

GIFs also have an extremely limited color range suitable for the web but not for printing.
This format is never used for photography, because of the limited number of colors. GIFs can
also be used for animations.

4. PNG, file types ending in .png

PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics. It was created as an open format to replace GIF,
because the patent for GIF was owned by one company and nobody else wanted to pay
licensing fees. It also allows for a full range of color and better compression.
It’s used almost exclusively for web images, never for print images. For photographs, PNG is
not as good as JPEG, because it creates a larger file. But for images with some text, or line
art, it’s better, because the images look less “bitmappy.”

When you take a screenshot on your Mac, the resulting image is a PNG–probably because
most screenshots are a mix of images and text.

5. Raw image files

Raw image files contain data from a digital camera (usually). The files are called raw because
they haven’t been processed and therefore can’t be edited or printed yet. There are a lot of
different raw formats–each camera company often has its own proprietary format.

Raw files usually contain a vast amount of data that is uncompressed. Because of this, the
size of a raw file is extremely large. Usually they are converted to TIFF before editing and
color-correcting.

Most of this info is courtesy of Wikipedia, which is a great place to read more about all 5 file
types.