Input Devices

An input device is any peripheral (piece of computer hardware equipment) used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other information appliance. Input and output devices make up the hardware interface between a computer and a user. Many input devices can be classified according to: Modality of input (e.g. mechanical motion, audio, visual, etc.) The input is discrete (e.g. key presses) or continuous (e.g. a mouse's position, though digitized into a discrete quantity, is fast enough to be considered continuous) The number of degrees of freedom involved (e.g. two-dimensional traditional mice, or three-dimensional navigators designed for CAD applications) Pointing devices, which are input devices used to specify a position in space, can further be classified according to: Whether input is direct or indirect. With direct input, the input space coincides with the display space, i.e. pointing is done in the space where visual feedback or the cursor appears. Touchscreens and light pens involve direct input. Examples involving indirect input include the mouse and trackball. Whether the positional information is absolute (e.g. on a touch screen) or relative (e.g. with a mouse that can be lifted and repositioned) Direct input is almost necessarily absolute, but indirect input may be either absolute or relative. For example, digitizing graphics tablets that do not have an embedded screen involve indirect input and sense absolute positions and are often run in an absolute input mode, but they may also be set up to simulate a relative input mode where the stylus or puck can be lifted and repositioned.

Digital Camera
A type of camera that stores the pictures or video it takes in electronic format instead of to film. There are several features that make digital cameras a popular choice when compared to film cameras. First, the feature often enjoyed the most is the LCD display on the digital camera. This display allows users to view photos or video after the picture or video has been taken, which means if you take a picture and don't like the results, you can delete it; or if you do like the picture, you can easily show it to other people. Another nice feature with digital cameras is the ability to take dozens, sometimes hundreds of different pictures. Digital cameras have quickly become the camera solution for most users today as the quality of picture they take has greatly improved and as the price has decreased. Many users however are hesitant in buying a digital camera because of the inability of getting their pictures developed. However, there are several solutions in getting your digital pictures developed. For example, there are numerous Internet companies capable

of developing your pictures and send you your pictures in the mail. In addition, many of the places that develop your standard cameras film now have the ability to develop digital pictures if you bring them your camera, memory stick, and/or pictures on CD.

Types of digital cameras

Ultra compact digital cameras Ultra compact digital cameras are capable of taking quality images. They are very small, lightweight, easy to use and convenient to carry. Some models have fewer features than compact cameras, such as manual controls and a viewfinder. Buttons and dials are small though usually work well. Moderate to high priced. Compact digital cameras Consumer-level digital cameras are compact, lightweight and great for point-and-shoot photo-taking. They have fully automatic and scene modes; some have semi-automatic and manual controls. All but the cheapest provide very good image quality. Low to moderately priced, depending on features. Advanced digital cameras Prosumer digital cameras are geared to advanced amateurs with skill levels between a professional and consumer. They sport high quality lenses and advanced features for creative control. Some have long telephoto zooms lenses while others start at wide angle. A few have a zoom range from wide to super telephoto. Most advanced digital cameras accept accessories and add-ons including converter lenses,* filters, remote controls and external flashes. Moderate to high priced. All-in-one digital camera with professional grade sensor All-in-one digital still camera with a professional-grade, APSclass image sensor. It provides a live preview while taking photos. High priced. Micro Four Thirds cameras Introduced in 2008, these are digital single lens reflex-like that have no reflex mirrors and optical viewfinders. Micro cameras have large sensors like a DSLR and take interchangeable lenses. They are smaller and thinner than High priced. cameras Four Thirds most DSLRs.

Joy Stick
A peripheral input device that looks similar to a control device you would find on an arcade game at your local arcades. A computer joystick allows an individual to easily navigate an object in a game such as navigating a plane in a flight simulator. The image to the

right of this text is an image of the Logitech Freedom 2.4 joystick and is an example of what you would expect most computer joysticks to look like.

Joystick Types
Competition The Competition joystick is most common found joystick in United States arcades in the late eighties and early nineties. It's a micro switch based joystick with a smooth 360 degree circular motion, meaning you can't feel any "corners" as you move it 360 degrees. This joystick comes in 5 different colors: Black, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow. Perfect 360 The Perfect 360 from Happ Controls uses an optical which direction you are moving the joystick rather than It's a very quiet and precise joystick with smooth 360 motion. The only draw back with this joystick, besides comes stock with a fairly tight spring making it tiresome periods for some people. This joystick only comes in black. Sanwa JLF The Sanwa JLF Joystick offers quick response and a ball preferred joystick in Japan and many U.S. players have joystick because of it's precise movement and quick The default joystick comes with a square gate that know when you are at a diagonal. The optional makes the joystick more fluid in a 360 degree motion.

sensor to sense micro switches. degrees of the price, is it to use for long

top. This is the adopted this reaction time. really lets you Octagon gate

Mini joystick Ultra Electronics Measurement Systems

Joystick Ultra Electronics Measurement Systems

Joystick with buttons Ultra Electronics Measurement Systems

Desktop trackball Ultra Electronics Measurement Systems

Keyboard

One of the main input keyboard looks very typewriters, with some of the Saitek Gamers' each of the major portions

devices used on a computer, a PC's similar to the keyboards of electric additional keys. Below is a graphic keyboard with indicators pointing to of the keyboard.

Keyboard Types

Basic Windows Keyboard

Natural Keyboard

Laptop Keyboard QWERTY area. This line of the your designed keyboard, frequently area.

QWERTY Keyboard A standard computer keyboard is called a keyboard because of the layout of its typing keyboard is named after the first six leftmost letters on the top alphabetic keyboard. A QWERTY keyboard might limit typing speed. Dvorak Keyboard A keyboard with an alternative layout was to improve typing speed. Called the Dvorak this type of keyboard places the most typed letters in the middle of the typing

Microphone

Sometimes abbreviated as mic, a peripheral that allows computer users computers. To the right is a visual from Logitech with a microphone. A gaming.

microphone is a hardware to input audio into their example of a USB headset popular solution for computer

Types of Microphone

Dynamic Microphone * Dynamic mics are useful when the sound source is close and reasonably loud, and where the sound is predominantly bass or mid-range. * High-frequency detail reproduction isn't as good as with a capacitor mic. * The bass roll-off of cardioid models can affect low bass reproduction unless the mic is close to the source. Capacitor cardioid mics also exhibit the proximity effect, but they tend to have switched able low-frequency roll-off filters, enabling the response to be better optimized for close or distant use. * Dynamic mics have the benefit of being tough and relatively inexpensive, and they don't require phantom power or batteries. * As a general rule, the more expensive dynamic models will have the best sensitivity, the smoothest frequency response and the most natural sound. However, no two models are the same, so always try to hear several side by side and make up your own mind. Capacitor Mics * Capacitor mics work well in most situations and have sufficient sensitivity to pick up quieter or more distant sounds properly. * Their weaknesses are their high cost compared to dynamic models, their reliance on external power and the susceptibility of some models to succumb to condensation. (High sensitivity is not usually a weakness in high-SPL (Sound Pressure Level) situations, as most models intended for these applications have inbuilt 'pad' switches, enabling them to handle levels in excess of 140dB.) BACK-ELECTRET MICS * The strengths of the back-electret mic are similar to those of the capacitor, but multi-pattern back-electrets are not usually available. * The use of a permanently charged back-plate means that a backelectret can be cheaper to build, but the electrical charge weakens over time and eventually the mic capsule will need replacing.

Mouse
An input device that allows an individual to control a pointer in a graphical user interface (GUI). Utilizing a user has the ability to perform various functions such program or file and does not require the user to mouse mouse a as opening a memorize

commands, like those used in a text-based environment such as MS-DOS. To the right is a picture of a Microsoft IntelliMouse and is an example of what a computer mouse may look like.

Types of Mouse
Mouse-in-a-Box Wireless Optical Wireless Connection - RF connection allows you to anywhere within 6 feet of your computer. Optical Technology - Work on nearly any surface accuracy and ease. buttons. Orbit Optical Track ball Technology offers precise, optical control. The hand-hugging design provides mouse with the ease of use of a tracking and excellent cursor the comfort and support of a fingertip-controlled trackball. work with freely

Mouse Works Software - Award-winning software allows you to program all 5

Logitech MX310 Optical Mouse High-resolution sensor measures the smallest motion to give you instant response to even your fastest movements. Ultra-smooth, precise tracking to the sleek silver and black design to the comfortable sculpted shape that fits both left and right hands. A collection of advanced features will streamline frequent tasks like scrolling through long documents, switching between applications, and navigating the web. Cordless Optical Trackman A comfortable, cordless, fingeroperated trackball that works where you need it. Take advantage of extra buttons that help you navigate around Windows and the web more easily. Virtually maintenance-free precision and smooth tracking. No-Hands Mouse Eliminates wasteful, repetitive "keyboard-to-mouse" hand movements. With the No Hands Mouse, you can have complete control of the cursor without having to take your hands off the keyboard, or your eyes off the monitor. Avoid carpal tunnel syndrome associated with desktop mice. It virtually eliminates stress on the delicate handwrist area by moving mouse control to the feet.

Optical Scanner
Hardware input device that allows a user to take an and/or text and convert it into a digital file, allowing image the

computer to read and/or display the scanned object. A scanner is commonly connected to a computer USB, Fire wire, Parallel or SCSI port

Types of Scanner
Drum Scanners Drum scanners capture image information using photomultiplier tubes (PMT) technology unlike the charged coupled device (CCD) used in flatbed scanners and film scanners. In the drum scanner the reflective and Tran missive originals are mounted to an acrylic cylinder, the scanner drum, which rotates at high speed while it passes the object being scanned in front of precision optics that deliver image information to the PMTs. In most modern color drum scanners 3 matched PMTs are found in use, which read red, blue and green light respectively. In drum scanner light from the original artwork is split into separate red, blue and green beams in the optical bench of the scanner making the digital image more precise. Flatbed Scanner Another type of scanner is the flatbed scanner. A usually made of a glass pane, which is illuminated found underneath, and a moving optical CCD or flatbed scanner images to be scanned are placed glass and the sensor and light source move across reading the entire area.

flatbed scanner is with a bright light CIS array. In the face down on the the glass pane

Hand Scanner A Hand scanner is a manual device that is dragged across the surface of the image to be scanned. Scanning documents in this manner is difficult as this requires a steady hand, to avoid uneven scanning rate that would produce distorted images. They have a "start" button which is held by the user during the scan, some switches to set the optical resolution, and a roller which generates a clock pulse for synchronization with the computer.

Webcam
A camera connected to a computer or server that allows anyone connected to the Internet to view still pictures or motion video of a user. The majority of webcam web sites are still pictures that are frequently refreshed every few seconds, minutes, hours, or days. However, there are some sites and

personal pages that can supply streaming video for users with broadband the image to the right is a picture of the Logitech QuickC am Express and an example of what a webcam may look like. Today, most webcams are connected to the USB or Fire wire port on a computer. Term used to describe information that comes from a computer or computer device after it has been processed. An example of output is the information being displayed on your screen.

Output Devices
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by an information processing system (such as a computer) to the outside world. In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system (such as a computer), and the outside world. Inputs are the signals or data sent to the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent by the system to the outside.

Types of Output Devices are following;

Monitor
Also called a video display terminal (VDT) a display screen and the hard shell that holds common usage, monitor refers only to no electronic equipment other than what is display and adjust the characteristics of an monitor is a video it. In its most devices that contain essentially needed to image.

Types of Monitor

CRT Monitor This one is heavy and thick and has a normal tube you could get a glare on the the room. That could be irritating so flat CRT screen which

normal tube. Because of this tube from light sources within thats why they developed the has a flat tube.

Flat This one is also heavy and thick but this one screens are designed to reduce the glare and conventional CRT screens. The flat tube while reducing glare from light sources within LCD LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens are most laptop screens but are becoming and more affordable for desktop

has a flat tube. Flat CRT distortion created by increases image clarity the room.

commonly used for increasingly popular users. These screens

use a TFT (thin film transmitter) to produce a more secure picture with a relatively wide angle of view. TFT provides the best resolution of all of the flat panel technologies. These are the most expensive screens on the market. Also these are available in several sizes

Printer
An external hardware device data and generating a hard one of the most used are commonly used to print image to the right is a visual Inkjet printer and is an look like. responsible for taking computer copy of that data. Printers are peripherals on computers and text, images, and/or photos. The example of the Lexmark Z605 example of what a printer may

Types of printers
Ink-jets (bubble-jets) Laser LED/LCD Impact (Dot-matrix) Solid Ink Dye Sublimation Portable Plotters Digital Photo Network printers Multifunction printers The Bravo Auto Printer Printers for banking EZ CD/DVD Printers Label Printers Versa Laser 3D Printers Here is the information about different types of printers you should be aware of. The main categories are: - laser printers, ink-jets, dot-matrix, multifunctional, etc. Normally home computer users will use inkjets as they are relatively cheap but superior in quality to dotmatrix. Laser jets and other printers created by new technology are more expensive and more commonly found in the offices. INK-JET Printer Ink-jets (bubble-jets) printers spray ionized tiny drops of ink onto a page to create an image. This is achieved by using magnetized plates which direct the ink's path onto the paper in the desired pattern. Almost all ink-jets offer a color option as standard, in varying degrees of

resolution. Ink-jet printers are capable of producing high quality print which almost matches the quality of a laser printer. A standard ink-jet printer has a resolution of 300 dots per inch, although newer models have improved on that. As a rule color link-jet printers can also be used as a regular black and white printer. Laser printer Laser printers operate by shining a laser beam to produce an image on a drum. The drum is then rolled through a pool, or reservoir, or toner, and the electrically charged portions of the drum pick up ink. Finally, using a combination of heat and pressure, the ink on the drum is transferred onto the page. Laser printers print very fast, and the supply cartridges work a long time. Color laser printers use the same toner-based printing process as black and white ( B/W) laser printers, except that they combine four different toner colors. Color laser printers can also be used as a regular black and white laser printer. LED/LCD printer LED/LCD printers are types of electro photographic printers that are identical to laser printers in most ways. Both LCD (liquid crystal display) and LED (light-emitting diode) printers use a light source instead of a laser to create an image on a drum. In most contexts, "laser printer" covers LCD and LED printers as well. The print process is almost identical, but LED printers use Light Emitting Diodes to charge the drum, and the other uses Liquid Crystals. These printers produce a very high quality text and graphics print out. Impact (Dot-matrix) printer Impact (Dot-matrix) printers use a set of closely spaced pins and a ribbon to print letters or other characters on a page. These printers actually impact the page to print a character, much like a typewriter. Dot-matrix printers vary in terms of speed and the number of pins they have. They can run at a speed anywhere between 50 and 500 CPS (Characters Per Second). The number of pins, which can vary Between 9 to 24, determines the quality of the print job. Dot matrix printers are commonly used for printing invoices, purchase orders, shipping forms, labels, and other multi-part forms. Dot matrix printers can print through multi-part forms in a single pass, allowing them to produce more pages than even high-speed laser printers. Solid Ink printers Solid Ink printers are page printers that use solid wax ink sticks in a "phasechange" process. They work by liquefying wax ink sticks into reservoirs, and then squirting the ink onto a transfer drum, from where it is cold-fused onto the paper in a single pass. Solid-ink printers offer better color consistency than do most technologies, with little variation caused by changes in temperature, humidity, or type of paper. Solid ink machines have better

reliability, because they have fewer components in comparison, for example with color laser printers. Dye Sublimation printer Dye Sublimation printers are professional devices widely used in demanding graphic arts and photographic applications. True these printers work by heating the ink so that it turns from a solid into a gas. The heating element can be set to different temperatures, thus controlling the amount of ink laid down in one spot. In practice, this means that color is applied as a continuous tone, rather than in dots, as with an inkjet. One color is laid over the whole of one sheet at a time, starting with yellow and ending with black. The ink is on large rolls of film which contain sheets of each color, so for an A4 print it will have an A4-size sheet of yellow, followed by a sheet of cyan, and so on. Dye sublimation requires particularly expensive special paper, as the dyes are designed to diffuse into the paper surface, mixing to create precise color shades. Portable printer Portable printers are usually fairly lightweight and sometimes carry the option of using a battery instead of drawing power from the computer. Usually they realize basic print resolutions suitable for plain text printing. You can find on the market the following types of the portable printers: Thermal printer, Thermal transfer printer and Ink-Jet printer. The main advantage of thermal and thermal transfer printers is that they can be very small. The smallest thermal and thermal transfer printers weigh approximately one pound. Usually the ink-jet portable printer weighs more than 2 pounds. Thermal printers require a special type of paper. Plotters are large-scale printer Plotters are large-scale printers that are very accurate at reproducing line drawings. They are commonly used for technical drawings such as engineering drawings or architectural blueprints. The two basic types of plotters are called flatbed plotters and drum plotters. Flatbed plotters are horizontally aligned with a flat surface to which a piece of paper is attached. The paper remains stationary and the printer moves pens across the paper to draw the image. Drum plotters, also called upright plotters, are vertically positioned. They have a drum that the paper rolls on. Drum plotters usually make more noise and are more compact than flatbed plotters. Digital Photo printer Digital Photo printers Many middle range printers are now able to print photo quality images. Usually an option with color printers, specialist photo print heads allows a greater resolution to be achieved

to improve photo image quality. Photo ink jet printers expand their gamuts by adding additional ink colors, usually light cyan and light magenta. Network printer Network printer is a printer that provides output capabilities to all network users. Multifunction printer Multifunction printer combine topquality color ink-jet or laser prints with plainpaper and PC faxing, color copying and color scanning, telephoning- all in one convenient, space-saving machine. If you work from home or have a small office a multifunctional device may be ideal. The Bravo Auto Printer The Bravo Auto Printer is the worlds first automated CD/DVD printing system that can truly be called innovative. It combines automatic, robotic-based CD or DVD printing along with full-color, 2400 dpi disc printing all in one compact, desktop unit. Printers for banking Printers for banking: these printers realize innovative technology and functionality to increase productivity, and reduce costs. EZ CD/DVD Printer Provide a low cost way to create professional printed CD-Rs and DVD-Rs. Instead of writing on the CD or applying labels, you can print directly on the CD surface! With high speed capabilities, a full color image can be printed directly on the top surface of your CDs in less than 1 minute. Label Printer Label Printers are the smartest way to print labels one at a time. The printers allow easy installation. You can get highquality, professional results every time. Versa Laser Versa Laser (Universal Laser Systems Inc.) is peripheral tool, that can transform images or drawings on your computer screen into real items made out of an amazing variety of materials wood, plastic, fabric, paper, glass, leather, stone, ceramic, rubber and its as easy to use as your printer. 2 models of Versa Laser have 16"x12"(VL-200) and 24"x12" (VL-300) work areas.

Sound Card
Also known as a sound card is an expansion card or computer with the ability to board or an audio card, a sound integrated circuit that provides a produce sound that can be heard by

the user. Below is an image of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio sound card and an example of what a sound card may look like.

Speaker
A term used to describe the user who is giving software program vocal commands. A hardware device connected to a computer's sound card that outputs sounds generated by the card.

Loudspeaker Types
Floor-Standing Floor-standing big-block V-8 or "tower" loudspeakers are engine. Floor-standers move Speaker audio's equivalent of a quantities of enormous

air, enabling them to have greater dynamic range (to play louder and cleaner) and produce deeper bass than other designs. Powered Towers-Floor-standing with Built-in Subwoofers A new and increasingly popular approach to loudspeaker design, "powered towers" are floor-standing speakers with the powered subwoofers built right in. Bookshelf Speakers towers won't. such tucked designs inside With their compact cabinets, bookshelf speakers work where Actually, the name "bookshelf" is unfortunate, since most perform best when placed upon rigid stands, rather than

pieces of furniture. These speakers are not only more placement-friendly but, since small enclosures are more rigid, they produce less sonically degrading "box resonance" than all but the best towers. Subwoofer/Satellite sub-woofer/satellite (sub/sat) system is the Systems answer. By combining specifically the most to work popular Speakers or bookshelf) loudspeakers into are the When even the smallest bookshelf speakers are too visible to fit your lifestyle, a palm-sized satellites with a subwoofer designed with them, sub/sat systems have become one of categories in home audio. In-Wall For environments where box-type (tower unacceptable, in-wall speakers flush-mount in holes cut

sheet-rock of your walls. Most models feature paint able grilles so you can disguise them, enabling them to virtually disappear.

Video Adopter
Also known as a graphics card, video controller, a video board that allows a display display images from the video card, video board, or a adapter is an internal circuit device, such as a monitor, to computer.

Projector
A device that projects computer output onto a white or silver fabric screen that is wall, ceiling or tripod mounted. Data projectors typically accept resolutions of 800x600, 1024x768 or 1280x1024 and may also support standard video from a VCR, DVD or cable box. Widely used in classrooms and auditoriums

DLP

Projection

DLP technology is based on an optical semiconductor called a DMD chip (Digital Micro mirror Device). The way it works is that a DMD chip is made up of millions of tiny mirrors that can rotate at a 10 degrees angle (12 degrees on better models). These mirrors are literally capable of switching on and off thousands of times per second and are used to direct light towards and away from a dedicated pixel space. LCD Projection LCD Projection is by far the cheaper method of getting great home cinema. LCD (liquid crystal display) projectors contain three separate LCD glass panels, one for red, green, and blue components of the image signal being transferred to the projector. As the light passes through the LCD panels, individual pixels can be opened to allow light to pass or closed to block the light. This activity modulates the light and produces the image that is projected onto the screen. CRT Projection CRTCathode Ray Tube This is the largest and most experienced player. CRT utilizes three tubes, sometimes called "guns." The colors combine or converge to make your image. CRTs not have a fixed number of pixels, making them versatile machines capable of clear images from

three do

higher or lower resolution sources. CRTs also require periodic 'calibration' by a trained professional, which can mean additional expense for the end user down the road. These projectors are generally used in fixed installations because of their size. CRTs are typically not as bright as the other technologies, but the refined picture quality of a properly calibrated CRT is tough to beat. Its worth noting that to replace the Guns, it costs quite a bit of money. Plotter A plotter is a operates by moving printing device connected to a computer that a pen to the surface of the paper.