Computer

Systems &
IT Applications
Chapter 2: Input Devices

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Introductio
n
• Input is any data or instructions entered into the memory of a
computer. An input device is any hardware component that allows a
user to enter data and instructions into a computer.
• There are several types of input devices attached with a computer
system and are based on the nature of data or instruction to be given
to a system.
• The nature of data could be unprocessed, facts, figures and symbols
whereas on the other hand instructions could be Programs,
commands or user responses

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 Mous
e•
Mouse is most popular pointing device. It is a very famous cursor-control
device having a small palm size box with a round ball or light beam
generating device at its base which senses the movement of mouse and
sends corresponding signals to CPU when the mouse buttons are pressed.
• Generally it has two buttons called left and right button and a wheel is
present between the buttons. Mouse can be used to control the position of
cursor on screen, but it cannot be used to enter text into the computer.
Advantages
• Easy to use
• Not very expensive
• Moves the cursor faster than the arrow keys of keyboard.

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Keyboar
d
• Keyboard is the most common and very popular input device which
helps in inputting data to the computer. The layout of the keyboard is
like that of traditional typewriter, although there are some additional
keys provided for performing additional functions. Keyboards are of
two sizes 84 keys or 101/102 keys, but now keyboards with 104 keys
or 108 keys are also available for Windows and Internet.
• The keys on the keyboard can be described as further:

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 Keyboar
Sd
.N. Keys Description
1. Typing Keys These keys include the letter keys A − Z and digit keys 0 − 9
which generally give same layout as that of typewriters.
2. Numeric Keypad It is used to enter numeric data or cursor movement. Generally,
it consists of a set of 17 keys that are laid out in the same
configuration used by most adding machines and calculators.
3. Function Keys The twelve function keys are present on the keyboard which
are arranged in a row at the top of the keyboard. Each function
key has unique meaning and is used for some specific purpose.
4. Control keys These keys provide cursor and screen control. It includes four
directional arrow keys. Control keys also include Home, End,
Insert, Delete, Page Up, Page Down, Control (Ctrl), Alternate (Alt),
Escape (Esc).

5. Special Purpose Keys Keyboard also contains some special purpose keys such as
Enter, Shift, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Space bar, Tab, and Print
Screen.
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Microphon
e
• Microphone is an input device to input sound that is then stored in
digital form. The microphone is used for various applications like
adding sound to a multimedia presentation or for mixing music or to
make recording of any desired sound of our surroundings.
• The aspect of microphone may vary according to the need as it may
be of small size to bigger size which can be carried by pinch to hands.

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 Scanne
r• A scanner is a light-sensing input device that converts printed text
and graphics into a digital form that can be further processed by the
• computer.
Scanners are mainly used for image processing, which consists
capturing,
of storing, analyzing, displaying, printing, and manipulating images.
Many scanners also include optical character recognition (OCR) software,
which can convert an image of text into a text file that can be edited.
Advantages
• A scanner with appropriate OCR software can work as an OCR system.
Disadvantages
• A scanner is best for two-dimensional objects only, difficult to scan
3D objects
• Scanned images usually take up a lot of storage space.

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Touch
Panel
• A touch panel is an input/output touch-sensitive display. Touch screens are often
used for information kiosks located in department stores, hotels, airports, and
museums.
• Touch screens are also used for devices such as handheld devices like
smartphones, iPods, monitors along with ATM machines.
Advantages
• No extra peripherals are needed.
• A touch screen allows easy access to commands, which are usually identified by
words or symbols on the screen.
Disadvantages
• Touch screens are not suitable for inputting a large amount of data because they
require a lot of arm movements.
• Only items already on the screen can be selected.
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MIC
R
• A magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) reader can read text printed
with magnetized ink. Magnetic ink character recognition is used most
exclusively by the banking industry for processing checks. The characters
represent the check number, the bank number, and the account number of
customers.
Advantages
• MICR is difficult to forge.
• Documents can still be read when folded or written on.
Disadvantages
• MICR readers and encoders are very expensive.
• The system can only accept a few different character sets.
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OB
R
• Optical Bar Code Reader or in general, Bar Code Reader is a device
used for reading bar coded data datainformoflightanddarklines.
• Bar coded data is generally used in labelling goods, numbering the
books etc. It may be a hand held scanner or may be embedded in a
stationary scanner.
• Bar Code Reader scans a bar code image, converts it into an
alphanumeric value which is then fed to the computer to which bar
code reader is connected.
• It identifies code that consists of a set of vertical lines and spaces of
different widths and used to give Universal Product Code (UPC)
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OM
R
• Optical mark recognition (OMR) readers is used to sense or scan
hand-drawn marks such as small circles or rectangles made on pre-
printed forms in certain places.
• The OMR reader first reads the answer key sheet to record the
correct answers based on the patterns of light, and then reads the
remaining documents and matches their patterns of light against the
answer key sheet.
• OMR readers are often used for marking multiple choice answer
sheets, capturing data from questionnaires, enrolment forms, and
lottery tickets.

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OM
R
Advantages
• OMR has a better recognition rate as fewer mistakes are made by machines
to read marks.
• Large volumes of data can be collected quickly and easily without the need
for specially trained staff.
• The cost of inputting data and the chance of data input errors could be
reduced because it is not necessary to type the details for data entry.
Disadvantages
• The OMR reader needs to be reprogrammed for each new
document design.
• OMR readers are relatively slow.
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Uses of Input
Devices
The uses of input devices depends upon the nature of their types.
Some are mentioned as:
• To give raw data, instruction to the system.
• To give control signals to the system for further processing.
• Used to create or modify different files.
• Used to get some kind of response to the output devices.
• Used to interact with the system in various terms such as
gaming, using applications, browsing internet etc.

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