Input and Output Devices

Input and Output Devices

- A Computer System is a combination of “components working together to perform a specific task”.
- When these components are attached to the Central Processing Unit (Computer System/ Microprocessor)
than a user can perform task, from playing movies, listening to songs, playing games, preparing your
assignments in MS word, or browsing the internet.
- We call these components as Input and Output Devices.
- Without these input / output devices, a computer is just a dumb machine that can't operate effectively and
efficiently to perform a specific task.

Difference between Input and Output Devices

- Input and output devices performs two types of operations in a computer system.
- Input is any data that we send to a computer for processing. That can be an image from a Digital
Camera, or some letters types via keyboard in a word document.
- Output is the result of the data we can see through some output device like a picture displayed by the
Monitor, a word documented printed by a printer etc.
Input Devices
An input device feeds data to the computer system for processing.
The input devices covered include:
- scanners
- barcode readers/scanners
- quick response (QR) code readers
- digital cameras
- keyboards
- pointing devices (such as a mouse)
- microphones
- touchscreens
- sensors
- Interactive whiteboards.

Page 1 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Analogue to Digital Convertor (ADC)
If you want to attach an analogue input device to a digital device such as a computer, you will need an analogue
to digital convertor (ADC).
A good example of a computer peripheral that requires an ADC is a microphone. When you plug a microphone
into a computer, you are actually plugging it into an ADC which converts the analogue signals from the
microphone into digital data that the computer can then process.

Scanners
Scanners can be either two-dimensional (2D) or three – dimensional (3D).
Two-Dimensional Scanners
- Two-Dimensional Scanners a scanner is a device that analyzes the surface of an image, printed text or
an object and converts it into a two-dimensional digital image.
- Scanners come in different shapes and sizes depending on the intended use.
- The most common scanner for home and offices today is the flatbed scanner.
A number of statges occur when scanning a document:

Page 2 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
- Computers equipped with OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION (OCR) software allow the
scanned text from the document to be converted into a TEXT FILE FORMAT.
- This means the scanned image can now be edited and manipulated by importing it into a word processor.
- If the original document was a photograph or image, then the scanned image forms an image file such as
JPEG.

Application of 2d scanning – scanners at an airport

2D scanners are used at airports to read passports.
They make use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to produce digital images
which represent the passport pages. Because of the OCR technology, these digital images can
be manipulated in a number of ways.
For example, the OCR software is able to review these images, select the text part and then
automatically put the text into the correct fields of an existing database. At many airports the two-dimensional
photograph in the passport is also scanned and stored as a jpeg image.
2D Facial Recognition. The passenger’s face is also photographed using a digital camera (a 2D image is taken
so it can be matched to the image taken from the passport). The two digital images are compared using face
recognition/detection software. Key parts of the face are compared.
Each position is checked when the software tries to compare two facial images.
Data such as:
- distance between the eyes
- width of the nose
- shape of the cheek bones
- length of the jaw line
- Shape of the eyebrows are all used to identify a given face.
When the image from the passport and the image taken by the camera are compared, these key positions on the
face determine whether or not the two images represent the same face.

Three-Dimensional Scanners
- 3D scanners scan solid objects and produce a three-dimensional image.
- Since solid objects have x, y and z coordinates, these scanners take images at several points along these
three coordinates.
- A digital image which represents the solid object is formed.

- The scanned images can be used in COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD) or, more recently, sent to a 3D
printer to produce a working model of the scanned image.
- There are numerous technologies used in 3D scanners – lasers, magnetic resonance, and white light.

Page 3 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Application of 3d scanners – computed tomographic (CT) scanners
- COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC (CT) SCANNERS are used to create a 3D image of a solid object.
- This is based on TOMOGRAPHY technology which basically builds up an image of the solid object
through a series of very thin ‘slices’.
- Together these 2D ‘slices’ make up a representation of the 3D solid object.
- Each slice is built up by use of X-rays, radio frequencies or gamma imaging; although a number of other
methods exist.
- Each ‘slice’ is then stored as a digital image in the computer memory.
- The whole of the solid object is represented digitally in the computer memory.
- Depending on how the image is formed, the type of tomographic scanner can have different names.
For example:
- X-rays CT scanners (computerized tomography)
- Radio frequencies MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
- Gamma rays SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography)

Barcode readers/scanners
- A barcode essentially is a way to encode information in a visual pattern that a machine can read.
- The combination of black and white bars (elements) represents different text characters which follows a
set algorithm for that barcode type.
- If you change the sequence of elements you get different text. A barcode scanner reads this pattern of
black and white that is then turned into a line of text your computer can understand.
- Depending on the specific barcode type, barcodes can have from 20-25 characters.
- The main practical concern is that as you increase the amount of information in the barcode the bigger it
will become. Most people encode 8-15 characters.

- Barcode scanners begin by illuminating the code with red light.

- The sensor of the barcode scanner detects the reflected light from the illumination system and generates
an analog signal with varying voltage that represent the intensity (or lack of intensity) of the reflection.
Page 4 of 18
 Input and Output Devices

For example: the digit ‘3’ on the left generates the pattern L D D D D
L D (where L = light and D = dark); this has the binary equivalent of 0
111101
(Where L = 0 and D = 1).

- The converter changes the analog signal to a digital signal which is fed to the decoder.
- The decoder interprets the digital signal, does that math required to confirm and validate that the barcode
is decipherable, converts it into ASCII text, formats the text and sends it to the computer the scanner is
attached to.

Analogue convert to Digital

Advantages of using barcodes to the management include:

- much easier and faster to change prices on stock items
- much better, more up-to-date sales information/sales trends
- no need to price every stock item on the shelves (this reduces time and cost to the management)
- allows for automatic stock control
- Possible to check customer buying habits more easily by linking barcodes to, for example, customer
loyalty cards.

Advantages of using barcodes to the customers include:

- faster checkout queues (staff don’t need to remember/look up prices of items)
- errors in charging customers are reduced
- the customer is given an itemized bill
- cost savings can be passed on to the customer
- Better track of ‘sell by dates’ so food should be fresher.

Quick Response (QR) codes

- A type of barcode which can be read by a digital device, and which stores information.
- A quick response code, also called a QR code, is most frequently used to track information about products,
and is often frequently used in marketing and advertising campaigns.
Advantages:
There is no need for the user to actually write down or key in a website address; this is done automatically
by scanning the QR code.
QR codes can store website addresses/URLs that appear in magazines, trains, buses or even business cards,
providing a very effective method of advertising.

Page 5 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Digital Cameras
- It converts graphics directly into digital form.
- It looks like an ordinary camera, but no film is used therein, instead a CCD (changed coupled Divide)
Electronic chip in used.
- When light falls, on the chip though the lens, it converts light waves into electrical waves.

Advantages Disadvantages
Easier to produce better- quality Need to be computer literate in using the
photographs than with a traditional cameras properly; also, the transferring,
camera. storing and manipulating of the images via
Easier and faster to upload photographs to computer requires some understanding of
a computer rather than having to scan in how the computers work.
hard copies when using traditional There is some artistry lost since clever
methods. software now corrects errors in the
No need to develop film and print out photographs (for example, incorrect
photographs anymore – saves money and exposure, removal of red eye, etc.)
is also environmentally more acceptable The resolution still isn’t as good as many
(saves paper and reduces the use of the expensive traditional cameras (this is
chemicals used in developing traditional improving all the time however; the quality
film). of the photographs depends on the number
Memory cards can store several hundred of pixels (many cameras now offer more
photographs. than 20mega pixels per image), quality of
lens, etc.)
Images often need to be compressed to
reduce that amount of memory used (a
single image can use more than 4MB of
memory, for example)

Keyboards
- Keyboard is used in the input phase of a computer-based information system.
- Keyboard is most common input device is used today.
- The data and instructions are input by typing on the keyboard.
- The message typed on the keyboard reaches the memory unit of a computer. It’s connected to a computer
via a cable.
- Apart from alphabet and numeral keys, it has other function keys for performing different functions.

Advantages
Fast entry of new text into a document.
Easy to use for most people
Easier to do verification checks as the data
is entered (can immediately compare the
source document with typed data on the
screen.)
Disadvantages
Can be difficult to use if the user has
limited are /wrist use.
Slow method when compared to direct data
entry (for example, optical mark
recognition).
Fairly large device that uses up valuable
desk space.

Page 6 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Pointing Devices
- It’s a pointing device. The mouse is rolled over the mouse pad, which in turn controls the movement of
the cursor in the screen.
- We can click, double click or drag the mouse.
- Most of the mouse’s have a ball beneath them, which rotates when the mouse in moved.
- The ball has 2 wheels of the sides, which in turn mouse with the movement of the ball.
- The sensor notifies the speed of its movements to the computer, which in turn moves the cursor/pointer
on the screen.
- Track ball is similar to the upside- down design of the mouse. The user moves the ball directly, while the
device itself remains stationary. The user spins the ball in various directions to effect the screen
movements.

Microphones
Microphones are used to input sound to a computer. For example:
- doing a ‘voice over’ in a presentation
- part of a speech recognition system
- part of a voice recognition system
- enabling a disabled person to communicate with a computer.

This devices converts spoken words to M/C language form.

- A micro phone is used to convert human speech into electric signals.
- The signal pattern is then transmitted to a computer when it’s compared to a dictionary of patterns that
have been previously placed in a storage unit of computer.
- When a close match is found, the word is recognized.

Touchscreens
- A touchscreen is an important source of input device and output device normally layered on the top of an
electronic visual display of an information processing system.
- A user can give input or control the information processing system through simple or multi-touch gestures
by touching the screen with a special stylus and/or one or more fingers.
- Some touchscreens use ordinary or specially coated gloves to work while others use a special stylus/pen
only.
- The user can use the touchscreen to react to what is displayed and to control how it is displayed; for
example, zooming to increase the text size.
- The touchscreen enables the user to interact directly with what is displayed, rather than using a mouse,
touchpad, or any other intermediate device (other than a stylus, which is optional for most modern
touchscreens).
- Touchscreens are common in devices such as game consoles, personal computers, tablet computers,
electronic voting machines, and smartphones.
- They can also be attached to computers or, as terminals, to networks. They also play a prominent role in
the design of digital appliances such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and some e-readers.

Page 7 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
The different types of touchscreen:
- Capacitive Touch Technology – Capacitive touch screens take advantage of the conductivity of the object
to detect location of touch. While they are durable and last for a long time, they can malfunction if they
get wet. Their performance is also compromised if a non-conductor like a gloved finger presses on the
screen. Most smart phones and tablets have capacitive touch screens.

- Resistive Touch Technology – Resistive touch screens have moving parts. There is an air gap between
two layers of transparent material. When the user applies pressure to the outer layer, it touches the inner
layer at specific locations. An electric circuit is completed and the location can be determined. Though
they are cheaper to build compared to capacitive touch screens, they are also less sensitive and can wear
out quickly.

- Infra-red – Infrared touch screens operate on the basis of light-beam interruption, commonly referred to
as beam break, to determine the location of touch events.

Page 8 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Sensors

- A normal PC has no way of knowing what is happening in the real world around it. It doesn’t know if it
is light or dark, hot or cold, quiet or noisy.
- How do we know what is happening around us? We use our eyes, our ears, our mouth, our nose and our
skin - our senses.
- A normal PC has no senses, but we can give it some: We can connect sensors to it.
- A sensor is a device that converts a real-world property into data that a computer can process.

Examples of sensors and the properties they detect are:

Type of sensor Applications

Temperature used in automatic washing machines, central heating systems,
automatic glasshouses, ovens
Pressure used in burglar alarm systems, washing machines, robotics
environmental monitoring
Light used in automatic glasshouses, automatic doors, burglar
alarm systems, street lighting control
Infra-red/ Used to turn on the windscreen wipers on a car automatically
motion Detect intruders in a burglar alarm system
Count people entering/ leaving a building
Sound/Acoustic used in burglar alarm systems, monitoring liquid and powder
flow in pipes
Humidity/ used in automatic glasshouses, environmental monitoring,
Moisture used in factories where moisture levels are crucial(for
example, manufacture of microchips, paint spraying)
Gas (e.g. Oxygen, Used to monitor pollution levels in a river or in the air
Carbon dioxide) Measure oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in a greenhouse
Check for carbon dioxide leaks in a power station
pH used in automatic glasshouses, chemical processes,
environmental monitoring
Magnetic field Any application where detection of changes in magnetic field
is required (e.g. in cell phones, CD players, etc.)

A sensor measures a specific property data and sends a signal to the computer. Usually this is
an analogue signal so it needs to be converted into digital data for the computer to process. This is done
using by an Analogue-to-Digital Converter (ADC).
Sensors are used extensively in monitoring / measuring / data logging systems, and also in computer
control systems.
Page 9 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Advantages Disadvantages

More accurate reading taken when Faulty sensor can give spurious results (for
compared to human operators. example, sensor on the rear bumper of the
car that monitors obstacles; if these
Reading are continuous – no break in the become dirty, they may either not identify
monitoring. an obstacle or give a continuous alarm).

Because it is a continuous process, any

necessary action (control system) or
warning (monitoring system) will be
initiated immediately.

Systems can be automatic, removing the

need for human intervention (very
important if the process is hazardous or
needs precise control/ monitoring).

Page 10 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Monitoring applications
Burglar alarm system

A burglar alarm monitoring system will carry out the following actions:
- The system is activated by keying in a password on a keypad.
- The infra-red sensor picks up the movement of an intruder in the building.
- The acoustic sensor picks up sounds such as footsteps or breaking glass.
- The pressure sensor picks up the weight of an intruder coming through a door or through a window.
- The sensor data is passed through an ADC if it is in an analogue form to produce digital data.
- The computer/microprocessor will sample the digital data coming from these sensors at a given
frequency (e.g. every five seconds); the data is compared with the stored values by the
computer/microprocessor.
- If any of the incoming data values are outside the acceptable range, then the
- computer sends a signal to:
• a siren to sound the alarm, or
• a light to start flashing.
- A DAC is used if the devices need analogue values to operate them.
- The alarm continues to sound/lights continue to flash until the system is reset with a password.

Monitoring of patients in a hospital

A number of sensors are attached to the patient; these measure vital signs such as: temperature, heart rate,
breathing rate, etc.
- These sensors are all attached to a computer system.
- The sensors constantly send data back to the computer system.
- The computer samples the data at frequent intervals.
- The range of acceptable values for each parameter is keyed in to the computer.
- The computer compares the values from the sensors with those values keyed in.
- If anything is out of the acceptable range, a signal is sent by the computer to sound an alarm.
- If data from the sensors is within range, the values are shown in either graphical form on a screen and/or
a digital read out.
- Monitoring continues until the sensors are disconnected from the patient.

Control applications
Control of street lighting
This next sequence shows how a microprocessor is used to control the operation of a street lamp. The lamp is
fitted with a light sensor which constantly sends data to the microprocessor. The data value from the sensor
changes according to whether it is sunny, cloudy, raining or it is night time etc.
- The light sensor sends data to the ADC interface.
Page 11 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
- This digitizes the data and sends it to the microprocessor.
- The microprocessor samples the data every minute (or at some other frequency rate).
- If the data from the sensor < value stored in memory:
- a signal is sent from the microprocessor to the street lamp and the lamp is switched on.
- The lamp stays switched on for 30 minutes before the sensor readings are sampled again (this prevents
the lamp flickering off and on during brief heavy cloud cover, for example).
- If the data from the sensor >= value stored in memory:
• A signal is sent from the microprocessor to the street lamp and the lamp is switched off.
- The lamp stays switched off for 30 minutes before sensor readings are sampled
- Again (this prevents the lamp flickering off and on during heavy cloud cover, for example).

Anti-lock braking systems (on cars)

ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEMS (ABS) on cars use magnetic field sensors to stop the wheels locking up on
the car if the brakes have been applied too sharply.
- When one of the car wheels rotates too slowly (i.e. it is locking up), a magnetic field sensor sends data to
a microprocessor.
- The microprocessor checks the rotation speed of the other three wheels.
- If they are different (i.e. rotating faster), the microprocessor sends a signal to the braking system:
- and the braking pressure to the affected wheel is reduced
- the wheel’s rotational speed is then increased to match the other wheels.
Checking the rotational speed using these magnetic field sensors is done several times a second and the braking
pressure to all the wheels can be constantly changing to prevent any of the wheels locking up under heavy braking;
this is felt as
- a ‘judder’ on the brake pedal as the braking system is constantly switched off and on to equalize the
rotational speed of all four wheels.
- If one of the wheels is rotating too quickly, braking pressure is increased to that wheel until it matches the
other three.

Interactive whiteboard
What Is SMART Board?
SMART Board interactive white board turns you and your computer into a powerful teaching, presenting, and
interactive tool. A projector projects the image from your computer screen onto the board. These components
allow teachers and students to come up to the board and "touch" it. Basically, it allows you to become the mouse
that is attached to the computer.
What Can It Do?
In addition to allowing the user to become the mouse, the interactive whiteboard comes with a set of writing tools.
The pen tray comes with four pens and an eraser that, when used, allow the user to write and draw on the
interactive whiteboard. The pens do not contain any ink; rather sensors within the product tell it which colored

Page 12 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
pen you have and draws the appropriate color when you touch the board. Using the free notebook software
included with SMART Board, you can assign different colors and patterns to any pen.
How Do Educators Use SMART Boards?
Teachers and students use them for morning meetings, Everyday Math lessons, and to explore a variety of
interactive websites. Teachers and students use their SMART Boards for both group activities and as a center
station. Teachers are integrating this technology with activities in math, grammar, creative writing, social studies
and more. Teachers are actively seeking out lessons and activities online via the SMART Exchange online
database as well as from search engine requests. Teachers are also integrating other technologies such as
document cameras and digital microscopes.

Output Devices

An output device retrieves data from the computer system for processing.
The output devices covered include:
- inkjet printers
- laser printers
- 3D printers
- 2D/3D cutters
- actuators
- loudspeakers
- LCD/LED monitors
- projectors (LCD and DLP)

Digital to Analogue Convertor (DAC)

If you want to attach an analogue output device to a digital device such as a computer, you will need a digital to
analogue convertor (DAC).

A good example of a computer peripheral that requires a DAC is a loudspeaker or headphones. When you plug a
loudspeaker into a computer, you are actually plugging it into a DAC, which takes digital data from the computer
and converts it into analogue signals which the loudspeaker then converts into sound.

Another device that contains a DAC is an MP3 player. The music data stored in the player is all digital, but the
player produces analogue signals which the headphones convert into sound.

Page 13 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Inkjet Printers
Cheap, high-quality, full-colour printing became available during the 1980s due to the development of ink-jet
printers.

These printers have a similar print-head mechanism to a dot-matrix printer. The print-head passes left and right
across the paper. However, instead of using pins to hit inky marks onto the paper, the ink-
jet squirts tiny droplets of ink onto the surface of the paper. Several colored inks can be used to produce full-
colour printouts.

The droplets of ink come from tiny holes (the jets) which are less than the width of a human hair in size. Each
droplet creates a tiny dot on the paper. Since the dots are so small, the quality of the printout is excellent (1200
dots-per-inch are possible). This is perfect for photographs.
Ink-jet printers are very quiet in use. Since they have so few moving parts they are also cheap to manufacture and
thus cheap to purchase. However, the ink is very expensive to buy (this is how the printer companies make their
profits!) so the printers are expensive to use.

Laser printers
Laser printers are very complex devices, and thus expensive to buy. However they are very cheap to use. This
is because they produce marks on paper using a fine dust called toner which is relatively cheap to buy. A single
toner cartridge will often last for 5,000-10,000 pages of printing.
The laser printer uses a complex system, involving a laser, to make the toner stick to the required parts of the
paper. (This system is very different to a dot-matrix or ink-jet, and you don’t need to know the details.)

The laser and toner system allows very fast printing compared to other printers (just a few seconds per page).
Laser printers are very common in offices since they print very quickly, are cheap to use and are reasonably quiet.

Page 14 of 18
 Input and Output Devices

Dot matrix printers

A dot-matrix printer is named after the pattern (a grid or ‘matrix’) of dots used when creating the paper printout.
These dots are formed by tiny pins in the printer’s print head that hit an inked ribbon against the paper leaving
marks. As the print head moves along it leaves a pattern of dots behind it which can form letters, images, etc.

Page 15 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Dot matrix printers often use continuous stationary: long, continuous strips of paper (rather than separate sheets
of A4 like ink-jet and laser printers use).

After printing, the printout is torn off from the long strip. Dot-matrix print quality is poor, the printers are noisy,
and there are much better printing systems available today. However, the dot-matrix printers are still used in
certain situations:
Since the pins actually hit the paper, several ‘carbon-copies’ can be printed in one go. An example of this is airline
tickets which have several duplicate pages, all printed in one go
The print mechanism is very cheap, and the inked ribbons last for a long time. So, where cheap, low-quality
printouts are required, dot-matrix printers are used. An example is shop receipts.

3D printers

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file.
The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process an object is created
by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a
thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.

2D/3D cutters
A three-dimensional (3D) laser cutter works in a similar way to a two-dimensional (2D) cutter. The main
difference is that the 3D cutter can recognize an object in the x-y-z direction rather than just x-y. 3D laser cutters
can cut the following materials:
- glass
- crystal
- metal
- polymer
- wood
Very complex designs can be cut since the cutters are controlled by computers and very sophisticated software.
A 3D cutter can cut beyond the surface of the material and produce very intricate designs. It is interesting to
contrast this method of shaping objects with 3D printers, although it is true to say that not all.

Actuators
A normal PC has no way of affecting what is happening around it. It can’t turn on the lights, or make the room
hotter. How do we change what is happening around us? We use our muscles to move things, press things, lift
things, etc. (and we can also make sound using our voice).

Page 16 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
A normal PC has no muscles, but we can give it some. In fact we can give it the ability to do lots of things by
connecting a range of actuators to it
An actuator is a device, controlled by a computer that can affect the real-world.
Examples of actuators, and what they can do are:
Actuators are used extensively in computer control systems.
Actuators Function
Motors The motor is turned on or off.
Buzzers The buzzers are switched on or off by the actuator.
Lights The actuator is connected to the switch that turns the lights on
or off.
Heaters Actuators are connected to the switches that turn the heater on
or off.

Loudspeaker

If you want to hear music or sounds from your computer, you will have to attach loudspeakers. They convert
electrical signals into sound waves. Loudspeakers are essential for applications such as music editing, video
conferencing, watching movies, etc.

Uses:
- Output sound from multimedia presentations.
- Play downloaded sound files.
- Audio output of text on the screen (together with speech – generation software) helps users with
disabilities.

LCD/LED monitors

- LCD stands for “liquid crystal display” and technically, both LED and LCD TVs are liquid crystal
displays.
- The basic technology is the same in that both television types have two layers of polarized glass through
which the liquid crystals both block and pass light. So really, LED TVs are a subset of LCD TVs.
- LED, which stands for “light emitting diodes,” differs from general LCD TVs in that LCDs use
fluorescent lights while LEDs use those light emitting diodes. Also, the placement of the lights on an LED
TV can differ.
- The fluorescent lights in an LCD TV are always behind the screen.
- On an LED TV, the light emitting diodes can be placed either behind the screen or around its edges.
- The difference in lights and in lighting placement has generally meant that LED TVs can be thinner than
LCDs, although this is starting to change. It has also meant that LED TVs run with greater energy
efficiency and can provide a clearer, better picture than the general LCD TVs.
Page 17 of 18
 Input and Output Devices
Projectors (LCD and DLP)
In classrooms they are often used with electronic whiteboards. The project can be portable and placed on a
standard of it can be permanently fixed to the ceiling.
Uses of digital projectors:
- Classroom teaching
- Staff training sessions
- A presentation to an audience
- Home cinemas
Although most digital projectors are fairly large in size, new technology is currently being developed to
incorporate digital projection into small hand held devices.
Digital Light Projectors (DLP)
- DLP projectors first appeared on the market in the 1980s, and they rely primarily on a DLP chip (called a
digital micro mirror device, or DMD), comprised of up to 2 million tiny mirrors, no wider than one-fifth
the width of a human hair.
- Each mirror in this chip is capable of independent adjustment, moving toward or away from the light
source to create a dark or light pixel.
- At this point, however, the image is in grayscale. Color is fed to the DMD by a beam of light that passes
through a spinning color wheel before it reaches the chip.
- Each segment of the color wheel delivers one color.
- Basic color wheels support red, blue, and green, whereas more advanced color wheels support cyan,
magenta, and yellow.
- While these chips can create up to 16.7 million colors, a DLP projector with a three-chip architecture can
deliver up to 35 trillion colors.
- After color reaches the DMD, the image is fed through the lens and onto the projection screen.

LCD projectors
- LCD projectors have also been around since the 1980s, and use the same liquid crystal displays that create
the images in watches and other electronic devices.
- Specifically, most LCD projectors use 3 LCD technology, a patented system that combines three liquid
crystal displays.
- An image is created in a multistep process, which begins with the light source providing a beam of white
light.
- The white light is passed to three mirrors, called dichroic mirrors that are specially shaped to reflect only
a certain wavelength of light. In this case, the mirrors reflect red, blue, and green wavelengths.
- Each beam of colored light is then fed to an LCD panel, which receives an electrical signal that tells it
how to arrange the pixels in the display to create the image.
- All three LCD panels create the same image, but they have different hues because of the colored light
passing through the panel.
- The images then combine in a prism, creating a single image with up to 16.7 million colors that is passed
through the lens and projected onto the screen.

Page 18 of 18