Types/Components Uses Advantages Disadvantages

Keyboards - Keyboards are used to input

data into applications software.
- They are also used for typing in
commands into the computer.
- Keyboards enable fast entry
of new text into a document.
- They are well-tried technology
and a well-known method of
entry.
- Most people find them easy
to use.

- Users with limited
arm/wrist use can find
keyboards hard to use.
- Keyboards are fairly large
devices that use up
valuable desk space.
Numeric keypads - Numeric keypads are used in
ATMs, where customers can key
in their PIN, an amount of
money, etc.
- Telephones have numeric
keypads to allow phone
numbers, etc. to be keyed in.

-Numeric keypads are faster
than standard keyboards for
entry for numeric data.
-Since many are small devices,
they are very easy to carry
around.
-They can be difficult to
use, due to very small keys.
-It is difficult to use them
for entering text.
- Sometimes the order of
the numbers on the keypad
isnt intuitive.
Concept Keyboard Uses icons or phrases instead of
standard letters. These are often
used in, for example, fast food
restaurants, offices, where a
single key represents an item.
Concept Keyboard enable fast
data entry, as there is no need
to type in whole commands.

Mice Mice are used for controlling the
position of a pointer on the
screen to allow selection from a
menu or selecting an icon and
for scrolling up and down left to
to right.
Mice enable rapid navigation
through applications and the
internet.
Mice are small so it take up
little area.
They are difficult to use if
there is no flat surface
readily available.
Touchpads The uses of a touchpad are the
same as those of a mouse.
-Since the touchpad is
integrated into the laptop
computer, there is no need for
a separate mouse, aiding
portability.
- They can be used even when
there are no flat surfaces
available
They are more difficult to
use when doing certain
operations such as drag
and drop.

Trackerballs They are used in control room
environment, where it is faster
than a mouse to navigate
through process screens and is
more robust than a mouse.
The pointer can be positioned
more accurately on the screen
than with a mouse.
They take up less desk space
than mice since they are
stationary.
Trackerballs are not
supplied with the computer
as standard, so they are
more expensive
Remote
control
Most home entertainment
devices such as a TV, satellite
system, DVD player/recorder,
hifi systems, etc.have remote
controls.
Some chemical processes are
hazardous, so it is safer to operate
equipment from a distance.
The signal between the control
and the device can be easily
blocked.
Joystick Videogames are often
controlled by joysticks.
They are used in simulators.
It is easier to navigate round a screen
using a joystick rather than a
keyboard.
Control is in three dimensions
It is more difficult to control the
on-screen pointer with a joystick
than with other devices such as
mouse.
Touch screens PDAs, mobile phones and
satellite navigation system use
touch screens
Touch screens enable faster entry of
options than using a keyboard or a
mouse.
It is a user friendly method for
inputting data, so no training is
necessary.
Using touch screens frequently
can lead to health problems.
The screen can get very dirty with
constant touching.
Magnetic
stripe readers
Security cards for entry to
buildings, hotel rooms ,etc using
magnetic stripe
Travel systems (train and
underground tickets) use
magnetic stripes
Data entry is faster compared with
keying in using a keyboard or keypad.
They can prevent access to
restricted/secure area.
If the magnetic stripe gets
damaged, the data is lost.

Smart card
readers
Loyalty cards, ID cards and
public transport passes use
smart cards.
Smart cards can be used to track
customer/passenger
movements.
Some smart cards are used instead of
money, reducing the need to carry
cash.
If the card is lost, information
stored on the chip could be used
in identity theft.
Chip and PIN
readers
Chip and PIN readers are used
where payments are made using
card ( restaurants, supermarket,
travel agents, etc)
Provide a more robust system than
magnetic stripe reader since the chip
doesnt not need to be in contact
with the reader.
Since the customer types in the
PIN, they need t be careful that it
isnt read by somebody else, thus
giving and opportunity for fraud.
Scanners Used to scan in documents, and
concert them into a format for
use in various software
packages
Images can be stored for editing at a
later date.
It is possible to recover damaged
documents and photographs by
scanning them then using
appropriate software to produce and
acceptable copy.
The quality can be limited,
depending on how good the
scanner resolution is.
Barcode
Readers
Barcode scanners are used in
supermarkets and other shops
where the goods are marked
with a barcode; the barcodes
are used to give information
about the product, which
enables automatic stock control,
itemized billings,etc to take
place
Scanning barcodes is much faster
than keying in data manually and
fewer mistakes are made.
Barcode scanning is a relatively
expensive system to administer
since every item in the shop
needs a barcode and every
barcode needs to be entered on
to the central database. Also,
there is a need to invest in the
computer technology together
with staff training, which can all
be very expensive.
OMR devices Used to read questionnaires,
multiple choice examination
papers and many other types of
form where responses are
registered in the form of lines or
shaded areas.
It is a very fast way of inputting the
results of a survey,etc- the
documents are fed in automatically
and there is no user input.
The forms need to be carefully
designed to make sure that the
marks/shading are correctly
positioned to gather accurate
information.
OCR Readers One of the most recent uses in
the processing of passports and
identity cards.
It is a much faster data entry system
than manually keying in data.
Since no manual date entry, the
number of errors is also reduced.
The system still has difficulty
reading handwriting.
It is still not a very accurate
technique.
MICR devices It is primarily used to process
cheques in banking operations.
When a cheques is presented its
value is then printed on the
cheques in the special ink. The
cheques are all gathered
together and then read using a
batch processing method
MICT offers greater security than OCT
since the printed characters cannot
be altered.
There is no manual input, thus errors
are reduced.
Only certain characters can be
read and the number of different
characters is very limited.
It is a more expensive method
than other methods used in
direct data entry.
Digital
cameras
Produce photographs for
transfer to a computer directly
or to print out by connecting
directly to a printer.
It is easier to producer better quality
photographs than with a traditional
camera.
The camera user needs to be
computer literate to use the
cameras properly, also the
transferring, storing and
manipulating of the images via a
computer requires some
understanding of how the
computer works
Webcams While chatting online, many
people use webcams as a more
personal way of having a
conversation.
Webcam can be left on constantly,
only being activated as required
Webcams have very limited
features and the picture is often
of poor quality.
Microphones Used to input speech/sounds to
be used in various applications
e.g. presentations, sampling,
special effects.
It is faster to read in text than to type
it in using a keyboard
Sound files can use up a lot of
computer memory
Sensors Used in monitoring and control
applications. When monitoring,
the data sent to the computer is
often transferred directly to a
spreadsheet package.
Reading taken using sensors are
generally more accurate that those
taken by human operators.
Faulty sensors can give spurious
results.
Graphic
tablets
Used to produce drawings,
computer graphics
They offer a very accurate method of
drawing, which is better than using a
mouse or tracker ball.
They are more expensive than
other pointing devices, such as
mouse.
Light pens

Used for selecting objects on
CRT screens, also for drawing on
screen (e.g. with CAD package)

More accurate than touch screens.
Easy to use
There are problems with lag
when drawing on screen.
At the moment, they only work
with CRT monitors.

CRT Monitors Used in the primary output
device for computers so the
user can see immediately what
they are typing in.
CRT monitors still produce a higher
quality image than TFT monitors.
CRT monitors tend to be rather
heavy and are a weight hazard if
not supported properly.
TFT monitors Used as the primary output
device for computers so the
user can see immediately what
they are typing in.
Lightweight, so do not pose the same
risks as CRT monitors.
The angle of viewing a TFT
monitor is fairly critical, with the
image appearing unclear when
viewed slightly from the side.
This can be an issue if several
people are looking at a screen at
the same time.
Loser printers Used where noise levels need to
be kept low.
They are the best option for fast
high quality high volume
printing.
Printing is fast for high volumes. If
only few pages are to be printed they
are little faster than inkjet printers.
Handle very large print jobs
Expensive to buy
They are only really fast if several
copies are being made.
Inkjet Printers Used where low output volumes
are required
3D inkjet printers are not being
used in industry to produce
prototypes.
Output is of high quality.
Cheaper to buy than laser printers.
The output is slow if several
copies needed, as there is little
buffer capacity to store the
pages.
3D Inkjet
Printer
Used to produce prototypes
which actually work from CAD
packages, photograph images,
stored drawings, etc.
Save a lot of money, since making
prototypes by other methods is very
time consuming and expensive
Expensive to buy
Slow at producing their output
The end product can sometimes
be a little rough and often needs
further work to be done on it.

Dot Matrix
Printer
They can be used in noisy
environments and in
applications where print
quality is not very important.
Can be used in environments
which would be a problem for
laser or inkjet printers (e.g. dusty,
dirty or moist atmospheres.)
They are very noisy and so
not good in an office
environment.
Plotters Used to produce large
drawings, and are often used
with CAD applications.
They can produce huge printouts.
The print quality is extremely high.
They are slow in operation.
They are expensive, both to
buy and to maintain.
Speakers Used to output sound from
multimedia presentations
Used in home entertainment
centres.

Multimedia
projector
Used for training
presentations, advertising
presentations.
Enable many people to see a
presentation rather than all of
them crowding around a small
computer screen.
Images can sometimes be
fuzzy.
Expensive to buy.
Setting up projectors can be
a little difficult.

Actuators Used to take signals from a
computer and convert them
into some form of motion,
for example operating
motors, pumps, switches and
valves

Motors In industry, they are used to
control robot arms.
In computers, they operate
fans, disk drives and DVD
drives.

Lights Used for security lights
Used in greenhouses to
control the lighting
conditions.

Heaters Used in automatic washing
machines, cookers, central
heating, greenhouses to
control the temperature.

Buzzers Used in cookers and
microwave ovens to tell the
operator when the cooking
process is complete.