Input Devices

Keyboard
These are online devices used for entering data directly into the computer. Data is entered by
pressing a set of keys available on the keyboards. These devices allows the computer to be used
in insertion mode i.e. user can enter the data through keyboard. While a program is running no
intermediate, data recording device is required with the keyboard. They can be places anywhere
from the computer and are economical for handling less or more to volumes of data recording
device is required with the keyboard. They can be places anywhere from the computer and are
economical for handling less or more to volumes of data.
Mouse:
Mouse is used to point and select an option on the screen. It may have 2,3 or 5 buttons. The
function of each buttons depends upon the program or software in which it is used. Moving the
mouse on a flat surface (Mouse-Pad) produces corresponding movement of mouse pointer on the
screen. Generally left and right click are used, the double click, triple click and single click of
left button are having fix functions.

Web Camera:
Web Camera is video camera, usually attached to a computer whose current or latest image can
be had from a website. A live camera is one that is continually providing new images that are
transmitted in rapid succession. Web cameras are easy to connect through a USB [Universal
serial Bus] port (earlier cameras used to be connected through dedicated card or parallel
port).Web camera is also called Webcam.
A piece of software connects to the camera and takes an image from it periodically. For
example , the software might hold a still image from the camera once every 30 seconds. The
software then turns that image into a normal JPEG image can be placed on any web page.
If you don’t have a web-server, several companies now offer you a free place to upload your
images, saving you the trouble of having to set up and maintain a web server or a host website.
This is the simplest possible webcam.
Magnetic Tap :-

It is one of the most popular storage medium of store large data that are sequentially access and
process. The tape is a plastic ribbon usually of ½ inch wide which is cotted one side with an iron-
oxide material which can be magnetised. The reels of 50 to2400 feet are available in small
casetts. It is like tape use in tape recorder except of its high quality and more durable. Tapes can
be reuse many times. Information is recorded in the form of tiny invisible magnetise and
nonmagnetic spots, on the iron oxide cotted side of tape. The tape is divided into vertical
columns called frames and horizontal rows called channels or trac. A character is recorded per
frame using one of the computer codes. Magnetic tape drivers are use to access magnetic tape.

Advantages of Magnetic Tape :-

1) Unlimited storage :- The storage capacity of magnetic tape is vertically unlimited because we
can use number of tapes as per requirements.

2) High Data Density :- A typical 10.5 inch reel of magnetic tape is 2400 feet long and is able to
store 800, 1600 characters per inch..

3) Low cost :- A typical 10.5 inch reel cost about Rs. 400 which is very less as compare other
storage devices, also the tape can be reuse which saves the cost.

4) Rapid Transfer Rate :- Data can be transfer at the rate of 1 million bytes/ sec.

5) Portability :- The magnetic tape is convenient way of carrying information from one place to
another place.

Disadvantages of Magnetic Tape :-

1) No direct access :- It is sequencial access device and hence data recorded on the tape can not be
address directly. Data can be retrieved only in serial manner. In case of randam access, Magnetic
tape cannot be use.

2) Indirect interpretation :- Data is stored on the magnetic tape in the form of tiny invisible
magnetise and non-magnetise spots hence the content can not be interpreted directly and the
question of accuracy of data arises.

3) Environmental Problem :- Dust, uncontrolled humidity and temperature can causes error in
reading the information.

Pen Drive
A pen drive refers to a portable data-storage device. Also known as a USB flash drive, this device
replaced the floppy drives in the early 2000s and has become the most popular data-storage
device among consumers.
A pen drive is a portable Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash memory device for storing and
transferring audio, video, and data files from a computer. As long as the desktop or laptop has a
USB port, and the pen drive is compatible with the operating system, it should be easy to move
the data from the hard drive to the device — and to another computer — in a matter of minutes.
The drive gets its name from the fact that many have a retractable port connector like a ballpoint
pen, and they are small enough to fit into a pocket. Other names include flash drive, jump drive,
and thumb drive.
Compact Disc
CD, a compact disc is a polycarbonate with one or more metal layers capable of storing digital
information.Compact disc, or CD for short, is a digital optical disc data storage format. The format was
originally developed to store and play back sound recordings only (CD-DA), but was later adapted for
storage of data (CD-ROM). Several other formats were further derived from these, including write-once
audio and data storage (CD-R), rewritable media (CD-RW), Video Compact Disc (VCD), Super Video
Compact Disc (SVCD), Photo CD, PictureCD, CD-i, and Enhanced Music CD. Audio CDs and audio CD
players have been commercially available since October 1982.

Standard CDs have a diameter of 120 millimetres (4.7 in) and can hold up to about 80 minutes of
uncompressed audio or 700 MiB (actually about 703 MiB or 737 MB) of data. The Mini CD has
various diameters ranging from 60 to 80 millimetres (2.4 to 3.1 in); they are sometimes used for
CD singles, storing up to 24 minutes of audio or delivering device drivers.

At the time of the technology's introduction it had much greater capacity than computer hard drives
common at the time. The reverse is now true, with hard drives far exceeding the capacity of CDs.

DVD (digital video disk)

DVD is an optical disc technology with a 4.7 gigabyte storage capacity on a single-sided, one-
layered disk, which is enough for a 133-minute movie. DVDs can be single- or double-sided, and
can have two layers on each side; a double-sided, two-layered DVD will hold up to 17 gigabytes
of video, audio, or other information. This compares to 650 megabytes (.65 gigabyte) of storage
for a CD-ROM disk.

DVD uses the MPEG-2 file and compression standard. MPEG-2 images have four times the
resolution of MPEG-1 images and can be delivered at 60 interlaced fields per second where two
fields constitute one image frame. (MPEG-1 can deliver 30 noninterlaced frames per second.)
Audio quality on DVD is comparable to that of current audio compact discs.

Formats:

 DVD-Video is the format designed for full-length movies that work with your television
set.
 DVD-ROM is the type of drive and disc for use on computers. The DVD drive will
usually also play regular CD-ROM discs and DVD-Video disks.
 DVD-RAM is the writeable version.
 DVD-Audio is a CD-replacement format.
 There are a number of recordable DVD formats, including DVD-R for General, DVD-R
for Authoring, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD+R.