Input Devices

These are used to put data or instructions into the computer

Manual input devices data entered by hand Direct input devices these handle large amounts of data

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Keyboard

Most common type of input device. QWERTY - the first row of letters. Function keys Hot key combinations Other types of keyboard supermarket tills Ergonomic keyboards split board

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How a keyboard works

Keys have electric current passing through Pressing and releasing keys causes changes in the amount of electric current A processor in the keyboard detects the change in current Each key has a unique set of codes When a key is pressed, the processor sends that code to BIOS The BIOS interprets the key code using ASCII (binary) and sends it to the program requesting it.

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Keyboard used by
Widespread use at home and in the workplace

Advantages/Disadvantages
Good for manual text entry. Special keys for special functions

Mistakes easily made Large footprint Slow data entry for most No real use for drawing
RSI
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Hot key combinations to simplify tasks

Familiar device

Pointing devices

Pointing device. Next most common type of input device Developed with GUI Touch pads and trackballs on portable computers. Upside down mice

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Mouse and pointing devices used by

Enable drawings and pictures to be done Pointing device used in Portable computers

Advantages/Disadvantages
Allows different data to be put at any point directly on the screen Difficult coordination at first Need a flat space Dust interferes with use
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Good for selecting items from menus

Small

Joystick

Used to control movement from side-to-side, upand-down and diagonally.

One button on it to make something happen - a character in a game jumping or firing a gun.

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Joystick used by

Computer games Flight simulation VR and robot control

Advantages/Disadvantages

Better simulation Specialised use Limited use

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Touch screen & How it Works

Detect exactly where on its surface it has been touched. Criss-crossed with infra-red beams Touching the screen at set points interrupts the beam and sends a message to the processor

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Touch screen used by

fast food chains and restaurants - easy to keep clean and re-program if changes need to be made to the menu. Used in public places like shopping malls - most direct data entry

Advantages/Disadvantages
No training or practice needed instinctive use

Need specialist coated screens limited but specialised use

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Digital camera

Storage - can store more pictures than an ordinary camera memory stick. Different resolutions software to manipulate the image or to put the pictures into albums and give slide shows. Video input

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How a digital camera works

converts light passing through the lens It gives a value to each particle of light Pictures are stored inside its memory transferred to a computer by connecting the camera to it.

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Digital camera used by

widespread use to send photos electronically web albums, attachments Used in screen presentations

Advantages/Disadvantages
No need to scan pictures to get them into computer No developing time or costs Images can easily be edited

expensive up to 1000 Different expertise to learn Need specialist paper to get good print Take up a lot of computer space
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Scanner

used to input pictures and text into a computer. two main types of scanner; hand- held flat-bed. Most common A4 size but can get A3 image software to let you manipulate the images crop, rotate, add special effects etc
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How a scanner works

A laser beam passes over the surface and detects the light intensity of every spot on the paper. It gives a value (digital) to every spot. value is transferred to the screen where the image is recreated. Resolution depends on dpi other accessories - facility to copy slides.

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Scanner used by

offices to incorporate images into promotional literature. Growing use in home in schools for teachers to produce illustrated worksheets

Advantages/Disadvantages
saved hand drawing images to illustrate typed text Scanned images are more appropriate than clipart. Difficult to learn how to use. Some image formats can take up a lot of space Can be difficult to connect takes up desktop space
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OCR & How it Works

special software associated with a scanner. converts a digital image of scanned text into real text so it can be edited on the screen. The text is scanned in as a bitmapped image and software recognises font

patterns.
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OCR is used by

Widely used in offices to save a lot of copy typing Passports and ID cards

Advantages and disadvantages

Saves a lot of time on typing

Difficult to interpret pages with complex layout; need more expensive OCR software. need to check to see if you need to correct everything
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Concept keyboard

a flat board with a grid of programmable keys on its surface. Software allows you to change the instructions for each key. A single key or a group of keys can be set up to carry out a task. Paper overlays are placed on top of the keyboard with pictures drawn on them to represent what will happen if the keys are pressed.

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Concept keyboard used by

used with young children in primary schools who cant use an ordinary keyboard Restaurants

Advantages/Disadvantages
simpler than a normal keyboard = fewer things to click on and less likely to make a mistake. Can program them with pictures as well as words

Need reprogramming a lot New overlays to be designed or bought

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Graphics Tablet

a flat surface and a pen, or stylus, used to produce freehand drawings or trace around shapes.

How a Graphics Tablet works

When the special pen touches the surface of the graphics tablet, data about its position is sent to the computer. Produces an exact copy of what is being drawn
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Graphics tablet used by

Architects and people who do detailed design Computer artists who feel more comfortable inputting into a flat surface than to a screen

Advantages/Disadvantages

more precise input for drawings More natural to people who paint or draw using a pen/pencil

Takes up room on the desk

Cant be used for text

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Microphone

used to input sound into a computer system. used for voice recognition systems - convert sounds made by a user into commands that the computer can carry out. As computers become more powerful in the future, voice recognition will be a much more common input method for all computer users.

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Microphone used by Advantages/Disadvantages

Far faster and more direct.
Any sound can be stored Growing use in offices as software improves. Handicapped people Internet and telephony

Need voice recognition software. training to recognise your voice. speech is full of inconsistencies and false starts etc need for much editing after entry. Background noise Sometimes our voice is affected by things like colds. GCSE Information Technology

Light Pen

Connected to the computer Electronic beam, controlled by the computer this builds up the image on the screen Cost up to 200

How a light pen works

Connected to the computer by cable. As the pen touches the screen at different points, signals are sent to the computer by an electron beam and a picture is built up.

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Light pen used by

popular with Tablet PCs Surgeons

Advantages/Disadvantages
More natural feel Good for inputting drawings Response time can be slow Depends on handwriting recognition for text

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Video Camera
Like ordinary video cameras except images stored digitally Captures still and moving images Images can be stored and edited on a computer Images stored on memory stick or mini DVD

Uses
Home and commercial

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Web Cam
A video camera connected to a computer A live cam continually provides new images that are transmitted
(streaming video) several thousand sites with cams Captures still and moving images Allows video conferencing in business Home use systems

Uses

Coffee machines Advertising Travel promotion -cruise ships use them to show potential
customers what is going on and where ship is Childcare centres so parents can keep a watch on children Weather checks check anywhere in world to see what weather is like Traffic information Visualisation of on-going events

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MIDI
Data is input through a piano-type keyboard or by

sensors that respond when struck. A variety of sounds generated from one keyboard. 'real' sounds recorded into the system through a microphone and then sequenced to produce musical effects.

Uses
The music industry uses MIDI systems Schools.
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Remote Control
These use infra-red signals to give instructions to devices they control

Uses
TV, DVD and video Computer input devices

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Direct input devices

Direct Input devices involve the use of machines to speed data input

Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) Bar Codes Magnetic Stripe Readers Sensors and Data Logging Others
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Optical Mark Recognition

Uses special sheets and a machine - a Reader Detects marks made in special places on the paper How it works light from pencil mark is different level from rest of paper Uses Advantages/Disadvantages

With Data Capture Forms to enter results of questionnaires and surveys lottery, MC exams, food ordering

very fast 1/100th of a second to mark an exam

expensive, need special machine and paper
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Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

Needs a special machine Reader + the use of special magnetic ink. How it works Uses a special font - only 14 characters (0-9 + 4 special characters). The characters are passed through a magnetic field
Uses
Advantages/ Disadvantages

numbers at bottom of cheques

speed (cheques cleared very

quickly): reliable (will read even if cheque is crumpled) expensive and specialised font
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Bar Codes

A set of lines of different thicknesses that represent a number.. How it works Light shone on the lines and t reflected back is detected and generates a code to the computer; this gives information about the product price, size, manufacturer. Can be a read with a light pen or a laser beam Uses
Advantages/ Disadvantages

Supermarkets, libraries

speed (60 per minute), can give detailed

information (supermarket till receipts); can design your own specialised use and need time to set up the codes GCSE Information Technology

Magnetic Stripe Readers

A magnetic strip like a tape which contains coded information. This is read by a machine How it works a code is read and interpreted
Uses
Advantages/ Disadvantages

dont have to carry money around Development of Smart cards

EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) using

a debit or credit card, ATM cards a chip can hold more information security need a PIN number (fraud); only limited amount of GCSE Information Technology information)

Chip readers and PIN pads

Research

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Sensors and Data Logging

A way of collecting data over a long period of time without people. data transferred using communication links to a computer and interpreted. (Period of logging and time interval are important) How it works - Uses different sensors to measure things like temperature, light, pressure, movement. May need converter to convert from analogue to digital Uses
Advantages/ Disadvantages

burglar alarms, weather forecasting, scientific experiments, hospitals, traffic movement.

accurate readings, data can be logged over a long period of time, can be placed in areas where it is difficult for humans (dangerous, inaccessible, GCSE Information Technology monotonous).

Video Digitiser
Moving pictures captured by a computer using a video digitiser .

Uses
by the TV industry to edit TV programmes. Video clips for multimedia CDs digital video cameras in shops, editing of videos through
computers will become commonplace.

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