Choose what kind of device a mouse is. input device output device storage device network device

Following are some of the important input devices which are used in a computer −

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Joy Stick
• Light pen
• Track Ball
• Scanner
• Graphic Tablet
• Microphone
• Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)
• Optical Character Reader(OCR)
• Bar Code Reader
• Optical Mark Reader(OMR)

Keyboard

Keyboard is the most common and very popular input device which helps to input 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 are as follows −

Mouse

Mouse is the most popular pointing device. It is a very famous cursor-control device having a small palm size box with a round ball at its base, which senses the movement of the mouse and sends corresponding signals to the CPU when the mouse buttons are pressed.

Generally, it has two buttons called the left and the right button and a wheel is present between the buttons. A mouse can be used to control the position of the cursor on the 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 the keyboard.

Joystick

Joystick is also a pointing device, which is used to move the cursor position on a monitor screen. It is a stick having a spherical ball at its both lower and upper ends. The lower spherical ball moves in a socket. The joystick can be moved in all four directions.

The function of the joystick is similar to that of a mouse. It is mainly used in Computer Aided Designing (CAD) and playing computer games.

Light Pen

Light pen is a pointing device similar to a pen. It is used to select a displayed menu item or draw pictures on the monitor screen. It consists of a photocell and an optical system placed in a small tube.

When the tip of a light pen is moved over the monitor screen and the pen button is pressed, its photocell sensing element detects the screen location and sends the corresponding signal to the CPU.

Track Ball

Track ball is an input device that is mostly used in notebook or laptop computer, instead of a mouse. This is a ball which is half inserted and by moving fingers on the ball, the pointer can be moved.

Since the whole device is not moved, a track ball requires less space than a mouse. A track ball comes in various shapes like a ball, a button, or a square.

Scanner

Scanner is an input device, which works more like a photocopy machine. It is used when some information is available on paper and it is to be transferred to the hard disk of the computer for further manipulation.

Scanner captures images from the source which are then converted into a digital form that can be stored on the disk. These images can be edited before they are printed.

Digitizer

Digitizer is an input device which converts analog information into digital form. Digitizer can convert a signal from the television or camera into a series of numbers that could be stored in a computer. They can be used by the computer to create a picture of whatever the camera had been pointed at.

Digitizer is also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet as it converts graphics and pictorial data into binary inputs. A graphic tablet as digitizer is used for fine works of drawing and image manipulation applications.

Microphone

Microphone is an input device to input sound that is then stored in a digital form.

The microphone is used for various applications such as adding sound to a multimedia presentation or for mixing music.

Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)

MICR input device is generally used in banks as there are large number of cheques to be processed every day. The bank's code number and cheque number are printed on the cheques with a special type of ink that contains particles of magnetic material that are machine readable.

This reading process is called Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR). The main advantages of MICR is that it is fast and less error prone.

Optical Character Reader (OCR)

OCR is an input device used to read a printed text.

OCR scans the text optically, character by character, converts them into a machine readable code, and stores the text on the system memory.

Bar Code Readers

Bar Code Reader is a device used for reading bar coded data (data in the form of light and dark lines). Bar coded data is generally used in labelling goods, numbering the books, etc. It may be a handheld 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 that the bar code reader is connected to.

Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

OMR is a special type of optical scanner used to recognize the type of mark made by pen or pencil. It is used where one out of a few alternatives is to be selected and marked.

It is specially used for checking the answer sheets of examinations having multiple choice questions.

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Paul's passion for technology and digital media goes back over 30 years. Born in the UK, he now lives in the US.

This article covers 10 of the most common input devices used with home and office computers.

Free-Photos via Pixabay

What Is an Input Device?

An input device is essentially a piece of hardware that sends data to a computer. Most input devices either interact with or control the computer in some way. The most common input devices are the mouse and the keyboard, but there are many others.

The key distinction between an input device and an output device is that the former sends data to the computer, whereas the latter receives data from the computer. Input and output devices that provide computers with additional functionality are also called peripheral or auxiliary devices.

10 Examples of Input Devices

1. Keyboard
2. Mouse
3. Touchpad
4. Scanner
5. Digital Camera
6. Microphone
7. Joystick
8. Graphic Tablet
9. Touch Screen
10. Webcam

Each device in this list is covered in more detail below.

1. Keyboard

Keyboards are the most common type of input device. Before keyboards, interaction with computers was generally carried out using punch cards and paper tape.

Most English language keyboards use the QWERTY layout for the alphabetic keys, which are surrounded by number, symbol, function, and other key types. By pressing the relevant keys, a user can feed data and instructions to the computer.

Input devices like keyboards and mice allow users to interact with their computers by selecting icons and entering text and commands.

Ilya Pavlov via Unsplash

2. Mouse

A mouse interacts with a computer through a process known as "point and click." Essentially, when a user moves the mouse on the mouse pad, the pointer moves in a corresponding direction on the computer's monitor screen.

The concept of a computer mouse has its roots in the trackball, a related pointing device invented in 1946 that used a "roller ball" to control a pointer. Most modern computer mice have two buttons for clicking and a wheel in the middle for scrolling up and down documents and web pages.

3. Touchpad

Also known as a trackpad, a touchpad is a common substitute for a computer mouse. It is essentially a specialized surface that can detect the movement of a user's finger and use that information to direct a pointer and control a computer.

Touchpads were first introduced for laptops in the 1990s, and it's now rare to find a laptop without one.

4. Scanner

The word "scanner" can be used in a number of different ways in the computer world, but here I am using it to refer to a desktop image scanner.

Essentially, a scanner is an input device that uses optical technology to transfer images (or sometimes text) into a computer, where the signal is converted into a digital image. The digital image can then be viewed on a monitor screen, saved, edited, emailed, or printed.

5. Digital Camera

Digital cameras are used to capture photographs and videos independently.

Later, these photo and video files can be transferred to a computer by connecting the camera directly with a cable, removing the memory card and slotting it into the computer, or through wireless data transfer methods such as Bluetooth.

Once the photos are on the computer, they can be saved, edited, emailed, or printed.

Microphones are input devices that allow users to record, save, and transmit audio using a computer.

CoWomen via Unsplash

6. Microphone

A microphone captures audio and sends it to a computer where it is converted to a digital format. Once the audio has been digitized, it can be played back, copied, edited, uploaded, or emailed. Microphones can also be used to record audio or to relay sounds live as part of a video chat or audio stream.

7. Joystick

Joysticks are commonly used to control characters and vehicles in computer video games. Essentially, a joystick is a handle that pivots on a base and sends its angle or direction to the computer as data. Many video gaming joysticks feature triggers and buttons that can be pressed to use weapons or projectiles in games.

8. Graphic Tablet

Also known as digitizers, graphic tablets are input devices used for converting hand-drawn artwork into digital images. The user draws with a stylus on a special flat surface as if they were drawing on a piece of paper. The drawing appears on the computer screen and can be saved, edited, or printed.

While scanners can only create digital images from drawings, graphic tablets offer greater control and versatility for artists by allowing them to see their drawing appear live on their monitor as they create it.

Touch screens provide the same functionality as a mouse or trackpad by allowing users to make selections and commands directly through a device's display screen.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator via Unsplash

9. Touch Screen

Many devices nowadays use a touch screen rather than a mouse as a way for users to point, drag, or select options on a screen. As the name suggests, a touch screen is a touch-sensitive monitor screen that reacts to fingers moving across it.

Touch screens are particularly common in portable devices, such as tablets, palmtops, laptops, and smartphones.

10. Webcam

Webcams are different from digital cameras in two ways. Firstly, they cannot operate independently from a computer, and second, they have no inbuilt memory.

Although webcams can capture photographs and videos, they are more often used to live-stream videos or facilitate video chats, for this reason. webcam devices often incorporate built-in microphones in addition to cameras.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2019 Paul Goodman

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