nput Devices

Two categories oI input hardware:

Those that deal with original data.
Those that handle previously stored data.
nput hardware: Those that deal with original data.
Keyboard
Mouse
Voice recognition hardware
Scanner
Digital camera
Digitizing: The process oI taking a visual image, or
audio recording and converting it to a binary Iorm Ior
the computer.
Used as data Ior programs to display, play or manipulate the
digitized data.
onnecting Hardware to the computer:
Hardware needs access through some general input/output
connection.
Port: The pathway Ior data to go into and out oI the
computer Irom external devices such as keyboards.
There are many standard ports as well as custom
electronic ports designed Ior special purposes.
Ports Iollow standards that deIine their use.
SS, USB: Multiple peripheral devices (chain).
RS-232, DE: ndividual peripheral devices.
Peripheral device: A piece oI hardware like a printer or
disk drive, that is outside the main computer.
onnecting Hardware to the computer: (continued)
Hardware needs soItware on the computer that can service the
device.
evice driver: SoItware addition to the operating system
that will allow the computer to communicate with a
particular device.
ommon Basic Technologies Ior Storing Binary
nIormation:
Electronic
Magnetic
Optical
Electronic ircuits
Most expensive oI the three Iorms Ior storing binary
inIormation.
A Ilip-Ilop circuit has either one electronic status or the other.
t is said to Ilip-Ilop Irom one to the other.
Electronic circuits come in two Iorms:
Permanent
Non-permanent
Magnetic Technology
Two parts to most oI the magnetic Iorms oI inIormation
storage:
The 2ediu2that stores the magnetic inIormation.
Example: Floppy disk. Tiny spots on the disk are
magnetized to represent 0s and 1s.
The device that can 'read that inIormation Irom the
medium.
The drive spins the disk.
t has a magnetic sensing arm that moves over the
disk.
PerIorms nondestructive reading.
Optical
Uses lasers to 'read the binary inIormation Irom the medium,
usually a disc.
Millions oI tiny holes are 'burned into the surIace oI the
disc.
The holes are interpreted as 1s. The absence oI holes are
interpreted as 0s.
Secondary Memory nput Devices
These input devices are used by a computer to store
inIormation and then to retrieve that inIormation as needed.
External to the computer.
ommonly consists oI Iloppy disks, hard disk drives, or
D-ROMs.
Secondary memory uses binary.
The usual measurement is the byte.
A byte consists oI 8 binary digits (bits). The byte is a
standard unit.
The Iour most important characteristics oI storage
devices:
Speed and access time
ost / Removable versus non-removable
apacity
Type oI access
$peed (Access time) - How Iast inIormation can be
taken Irom or stored onto the computer memory
device`s medium.
Electronic circuits: Fastest to access.
40 billionths oI a second.
Floppy disks: Very slow in comparison.
Takes up to 1/2 second to reach Iull speed beIore access is
even possible.
ost
egabyte: A Million bytes.
Gigabyte: A billion bytes.
Two parts to a removable secondary storage device:
The cost oI the medium. (Cheaper if bought in quantity)
The cost oI the drive.
Examples: ost Ior drive ost Ior medium
Floppy drive (1.4MB) 59.00 .50
Zip 100 (100 MB) 99.00 10.00
D-RW (650 MB) 360.00 and up 1.00
apacity - The amount oI inIormation that can be
stored on the medium.
Unit Description Approximate Size
1 bit 1 binary digit
1 nibble 4 bits
1 byte 8 bits 1 character
1 kilobyte 1,024 bytes 1/2 page, double spaced
1 megabyte 1,048,576 bytes 500,000 pages
1 million bytes
1 gigabyte 1,073,741,824 bytes 5 million pages
1 billion bytes
1 terabyte 1 trillion bytes 5 billion pages
%ype of Access
$equential - Obtained by proceeding through the storage
medium Irom the beginning until the designated area is
reached (as in magnetic tape).
Rando2 Access - Direct access (as in Iloppy and hard
disks).
!7ima7 Memo7
Pri2ary storage or 2e2ory: s where the data and program that
are currently in operation or being accessed are stored during use.
onsists oI electronic circuits: Extremely Iast and expensive.
Two types:
RA(non-permanent)
Programs and data can be stored here Ior the
computer`s use.
Volatile: All inIormation will be lost once the
computer shuts down.
RO(permanent)
ontents do not change.
%e Cent7al !7ocessing Unit
The entral Processing Unit ( PU)
OIten reIerred to as the 'brain oI the computer.
Responsible Ior controlling all activities oI the computer system.
The three major components oI the PU are:
1. Arith2etic Unit (omputations perIormed)
Accumulator (Results oI computations kept here)
2. ontrol Unit (Has two locations where numbers are kept)
Instruction Register (nstruction placed here Ior analysis)
Progra2 ounter (Which instruction will be perIormed next?)
3. Instruction ecoding Unit (Decodes the instruction)
otherboard: The place where most oI the electronics
including the PU are mounted.
utput Devices
Output units store and display inIormation (calculated
results and other messages) Ior us to see and use.
Floppy disk drives and Hard disk drives.
Display monitors: Hi-resolution monitors come in two types:
athode ray tube (RT) - Streams oI electrons make
phosphorous glow on a large vacuum tube.
Liquid crystal display (LD) - A Ilat panel display that
uses crystals to let varying amounts oI diIIerent colored
light to pass through it.
Developed primarily Ior portable computers.
Audio Output Devices
Windows machines need special audio card Ior audio output.
Macintosh has audio playback built in.
Audio output is useIul Ior:
Music
D player is a computer.
Most personal computers have D players that can
access both music Ds and D-ROMs.
Voice synthesis (becoming more human sounding.)
Multimedia
Specialized tasks (i.e.: elevator`s Iloor announcements)
Optical Disks: D-ROM and DVD
D-ROM (ompact Disk - Read Only Memory)
By its deIinition, D-ROM is Read Only.
Special D drives 'burn inIormation into blank Ds.
Burn: A laser is used to 'burn craters into the
surIace to represent a binary 1.
Two main types oI Ds:
D-R (ompact Disk - Recordable)
D-RW (ompact Disk - Rewritable)
t takes longer to write to a D-R than a hard drive.
Special soItware is needed to record.
DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)
Allows up to 17 gigabytes oI storage (Irom 4.7 GB to 17 GB).
ompatible with older D-ROM technology.
The Iour versions oI the DVD:
Storage Requirements: How much storage capacity is
needed Ior.
One keystroke on a keyboard. 1 byte (8 bits)
One page single-spaced document. 4.0 K
Nineteen pages Iormatted text. 75 K
One second oI high-Iidelity sound. 95-110 K
omplete word processing program. 8.4 MG
Storage apacity: How much data can be stored on.
One inch oI 1/2 in. wide magnetic tape. 4 K
One 3 1/2 Iloppy disk, high density. 1.4 MG
One ompact Disk. 650 MG
One DVD. up to 17 GB