COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER

PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

INTRODUCTION - COMPUTER • The terms hardware and software are

• Today, almost all of us in the world make almost always used in connection with
use of computers in one way or the other the computer
• It finds applications in various fields of
engineering, medicine, commercial, HARDWARE
research and others • The hardware is the machinery itself
• The word computer is derived from the • It is made up of the physical parts or
word compute devices of the computer system like the
• Compute means “to calculate” Electronic Integrated Circuits (ICs),
• The computer was originally defined as a magnetic storage media and other
superfast calculator mechanical devices like input devices,
• It had the capacity to solve complex output devices etc
arithmetic and scientific problems at very • All these various hardware are linked
high speed together to form an effective functional
• But nowadays in addition to handling unit
complex arithmetic computations, • The various types of hardware used in
computers perform many other tasks like the computers, has evolved from vacuum
accepting, sorting, selecting, moving, tubes of the first generation to Ultra
comparing various types of information Large Scale Integrated Circuits of the
• They also perform arithmetic and logical present generation
operations on alphabetic, numeric and
other types of information SOFTWARE
• This information provided by the user to • The computer hardware itself is not
the computer is data capable of doing anything on its own
• The information in one form which is • It has to be given explicit instructions to
presented to the computer is the input perform the specific task
information or input data • The computer program is the one which
• Information in another form is presented controls the processing activities of the
by the computer after performing a computer
process on it is the output information or • The computer thus functions according
output data to the instructions written in the
• The set of instructions given to the program
computer to perform various operations • Software mainly consists of these
is called as the computer program computer programs, procedures and
• The process of converting the input data other documentation used in the
into the required output form with the operation of a computer system
help of the computer program is called as • Software is a collection of programs
data processing which utilize and enhance the capability
• The computers are therefore also of the hardware
referred to as data processors
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

EVOLUTION OF COMPUTER SOME OF EARLY COMPUTER INCLUDED

FIRST GENERATION MARK 1
• The first generation computers made use • This was the first fully automatic
of: calculating machine
➢ Vacuum tube technology • It was designed by Howard Aiken of
➢ Punched cards for data input Harvard University in collaboration with
➢ Punched cards and paper tape IBM
for output • This machine was an electronic
➢ Machine Language for writing relay computer
programs • Electromagnetic signals were used for
➢ Magnetic tapes and drums for the movement of mechanical parts
external storage • Mark I could perform the basic
• The computers of the first generation arithmetic and complex equations
were very bulky and emitted large amount • Although this machine was extremely
of heat which required air conditioning reliable, it was very slow (it took about 3-
• They were large in size and cumbersome 5 seconds per calculation) and was
to handle complex in design and large in size
• They had to be manually assembled and
had limited commercial use ANTANASOFF=BERRY COMPUTER
• The concept of operating systems was not • This computer developed by John
known at that time Atanasoff and Clifford Berry was the
• Each computer had a different binary world's first general purpose electronic
coded program called a machine language digital computer
that told it how to operate • It made use of vacuum tubes for
• Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician internal logic and capacitors for storage
invented the first mechanical machine, a
rectangular brass box, called Pascaline ENIAC
which could perform addition and • Electronic Numeric Integrator and
subtraction on whole numbers Calculator
• Colmar, a Frenchman invented machine • The first all electronic computer was
that could perform the four basic produced by a partnership between the
arithmetic functions of addition, US Government and the University of
subtraction, multiplication and division Pennsylvania
called Arithmometer (widely used until • It was built using 18,000 vacuum tubes,
the First World War) 70,000 resistors and 1,500 relays and
• Charles Babbage, also known as 'the consumed 160 kilowatts of electrical
father of modern digital computer’, a power
British mathematician at Cambridge • The ENIAC computed at speed about
University invented the first analytical thousand times faster than Mark 1
engine or difference engine
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• However, it could store and manipulate ➢ Concept of stored program emerged

only a limited amount of data. Program ➢ High level languages were invented
modifications and detecting errors • This was the generation of
were also difficult Transistorized Computers
• Vacuum tubes were replaced by
EDVAC transistors
• Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic • As a result, the size of the machines
Computer started shrinking
• In the mid 1940's Dr. John von Neumann • These computers were smaller, faster,
designed the Electronic Discrete Variable more reliable and more energy efficient
Automatic Computer with a memory to • The first transistorized computer was TX-0
store both program and data • The first large scale machines that took
• This was the first machine which used advantage of the transistor technology
the stored program concept were the early supercomputers, Stretch
• It had five distinct units- arithmetic, by IBM and LARC by Sperry Rand
central control, memory, input and • These machines were mainly developed
output for atomic energy laboratories
• The key element was the central control • Typical computers of the second
• All the functions of the computer were generation were the IBM 1400 and 7000
co- ordinate through this single source, series, Honeywell 200 and General
the central control Electric
• The programming of the computers was
TRANSISTORS
done in machine language
• IBM 1401 was universally accepted
UNIVAC throughout the industry and most large
• Universal Automatic Computer businesses routinely processed financial
information using second generation
• Remington Rand designed this computer
computer
specifically for business data processing
applications • The machine language was replaced by
assembly language
• The Universal Automatic Computer was
• Thus, the long and difficult binary code
the first general purpose commercially
was replaced with abbreviated
available computer
programming code which was relatively
SECOND GENERATION easy to understand
• The stored program concept and
• In the second generation computers:
programming languages gave the
➢ Vacuum tube technology was
computers flexibility to finally be cost
replaced by transistorized
effective and productive for business use
technology
➢ Size of the computers started
reducing
➢ Assembly language started being
used in place of machine language
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• The stored program concept implied that • The third generation computers made
the instructions to run a computer for a use of 'Integrated Circuits that had 10- 20'
specific task were held inside the components on each chip, this was Small
computer's memory and could quickly Scale Integration (SSI)
be modified or replaced by a different • The Fourth Generation realized Large
set of instructions for a different Scale Integration (LSI) which could fit
function hundreds of components on one chip and
• High level languages like COBOL, Very Large Scale integration (VLSI) which
FORTRAN and AL-GOL were dev eloped squeezed thousand of components on
• Computers started finding vast and one chip
varied applications • The Intel 4004 chip, located all the
• The entire software industry began with components of a computer (central
the second generation computers processing unit, memory, input and
output controls) on a single chip and
THIRD GENERATION microcomputers were introduced
• The third generation computers • Higher capacity storage media like
were characterized by: magnetic disks were developed
➢ Use of Integrated circuits • Fourth generation languages emerged
➢ Phenomenal increase in and applications software's started
computation speed becoming popular
➢ Substantial reduction in size and
power consumption of the FIFTH GENERATION
machines • Defining the fifth generation computers is
➢ Use of magnetic tapes and drums somewhat difficult because the field is
for external storage still in its infancy
➢ Design-of Operating systems and • The computers of tomorrow would be
new higher level languages characterized by Artificial Intelligence
➢ Commercial production of computers (Al)
• This generation was characterized by the • An example of Al is Expert Systems
invention of Integrated Circuits (ICs)
• Computers could be developed which
• The IC combined electronic components
could think and reason in much the same
onto a small chip which was made from
way as humans
quartz
• Computers would be able to accept
spoken words as input (voice
FORTH GENERATION
recognition)
• The general features of the
• Many advances in the science of
fourth generation computers
computer design and technology are
were:
coming together to enable the creation
➢ Use of Very Large Scale Integration
➢ Invention of microcomputers of fifth generation computers
➢ Introduction of Personal Computers
➢ Networking
➢ Fourth Generation Languages
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• Two such advances are parallel EXAMPLES OF COMPUTER

processing where many CPUs work as MICROCOMPUTERS
one and advance in superconductor • Microcomputers are generally referred to
technology which allows the flow of as Personal Computers (PCs)
electricity with little or no resistance, • They have smallest memory and less
greatly improving the speed of power
information flow • They are widely used in day to day
applications like office automation, and
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER professional applications
ANALOG
• Ex. PC- AT, Pentium etc
• In analog computers, data is recognized
as a continuous measurement of a NOTEBOOK OR LAPTOP COMPUTERS
physical property like voltage, speed, • These are portable in nature and are
pressure etc. battery operated
• Readings on a dial or graphs are obtained • Storage devices like CDs, floppies etc. and
as the output output devices like printers can be
• Ex. Voltage, temperature; pressure can connected to these computers
be measured in this way • Notebook computers are smaller in
physical size than lap top computers
DIGITAL
• However, both have powerful
• These are high speed electronic devices processors, support graphics, and can
• These devices are programmable accept mouse driven input
• They process data by way of
mathematical calculations, comparison, HAND HELD COMPUTERS
sorting etc
• These types of computers are mainly used
• They accept input and produce output as in applications like collection of field data
discrete signals representing high (on) or
• They are even smaller than the note book
low (off) voltage state of electricity
computers
• Numbers, alphabets, symbols are all
represented as a series of 1s and OS HYBRID COMPUTERS
• Digital Computers are further classified
• Hybrid Computers are a combination of
as General Purpose Digital Computers
Analog and Digital computers
and Special Purpose Digital Computers
• They combine the speed of analog
• General Purpose computers can be used
computers and accuracy of digital
for any applications like accounts, payroll,
computers
data processing
• Special purpose computers are used for a • They are mostly used in specialized
specific job like those used in applications where the input data is in an
analog form i.e. Measurement
automobiles, microwaves etc
• This is converted into digital form for
further processing
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• The computers accept data from sensors • These computers are widely used in
and produce output using conventional very advanced applications like
input/output devices weather forecasting, processing
geological data etc. ex. CRAY-2, NEC-
MINI COMPUTERS 500, PARAM
• Mini computers are more powerful than
the microcomputers APPLICATION OF COMPUTER
• They have higher memory capacity and SCIENTIFIC, ENGINEERING, AND RESEARCH
more storage capacity with higher • This is the major area where computers
speeds find vast applications
• These computers are mainly used in • They are used in areas which require lot
process control systems of experiments, mathematical
• They are mainly used in applications like calculations, weather forecasting, and
payrolls, financial accounting, Computer complex mathematical and engineering
aided design etc. ex. VAX, PDP-11 applications
• Computer Aided Design (CAD) and
MAINFRAME COMPUTERS Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
• Main frame computers are very large help in designing robotics, automobile
computers which process data at very manufacturing, automatic process
high speeds of the order of several control devices etc
million instructions per second
• They can be linked into a network with BUSINESS
smaller computers, micro computers • Record keeping, budgets, reports,
and with each other inventory, payroll, invoicing, accounts are
• They are typically used in large all the areas of business and industry
organizations, government departments where computers are used to a great
etc. ex. IBM4381, CDC extent
• Database management is one of the
SUPERCOMPUTERS major area where computers are used on
• A super computer is the fastest, most a large scale
powerful and most expensive • The areas of application here include
computer which is used for complex banking, airline reservations, etc. where
tasks that require a lot of large amounts of data need to be
computational power updated, edited, sorted, searched from
• Super computers have multiple large databases
processors which process multiple
instructions at the same time MEDICINE
• This is known as parallel processing • Computerized systems are now in
widespread use in monitoring patient
data like pulse rate, blood pressure etc.
resulting in faster and accurate diagnosis
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• Modern day medical equipment are • The speeds of computers are measured in
highly computerized today. Computers milliseconds (10-3 sec), micro-seconds
are also widely used in medical research (10'6 sec), and nano-seconds (10-9sec)
• Computers are superfast machines and
INFORMATION can process millions of instructions per
• This is the age of information. Television, second
Satellite communication, Internet, • Smaller computers can execute
networks are all based on computers thousands of instructions per second,
while the more complex machines can
EDUCATION execute millions of instructions per
• The use of computers in education is second
increasing day by day
• The students develop the habit of ACCURACY
thinking more logically and are able to • Computers are very accurate
formulate problem solving techniques • They are capable of executing hundreds
• CDs on a variety of subjects are available of instructions without any errors
to impart education • They do not make mistakes in their
• On line training programs for students computations
are also becoming popular day by day • They perform each and every
• All the major encyclopedias, dictionaries calculation with the same accuracy
and books are now available in the digital
form and therefore are easily accessible EFFICIENCY
to the student of today • The efficiency of computers does not
• Creativity in drawing, painting, decrease with age
designing, decoration, music etc. can be • The computers can perform repeated
well developed with computers tasks with the same efficiency any
number of times without exhausting
GAMES AND ENTERTAINMENT themselves
• Computer games are popular with • Even if they are instructed to execute
children and adults alike millions of instructions, they are capable
• Computers are nowadays also used in of executing them all with the same speed
entertainment areas like movies, sports, and efficiency without exhaustion
advertising etc
STORAGE AND CAPABILITY
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF • Computers are capable of storing large
COMPUTER amounts of data in their storage devices
SPEED • These dev ices occupy very less space and
can store millions of characters in
• The speed of a computer is measured in condensed forms
terms of the number of instructions that
it can perform or execute in a second
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• These storage devices typically include • A computer is made up of a number of

floppy disks, tapes, hard disks, CDs etc., integrated elements like:
the data stored on these devices can be ➢ The central processing unit
retrieved and reused whenever it is ➢ The input and output devices
required in future ➢ The storage devices
• The basic parts of computer system are:
VERSATILITY ➢ Input Unit
• Computers are very versatile ➢ Central Processing Unit
• They are capable not only of performing ➢ Output Unit
complex mathematical tasks of science
and engineering, but also other non- INPUT UNIT
numerical operations fielding air-line • Input devices are the devices which are
reservation, electricity bills, data base used to feed programs and data to the
management etc computer
• The input system connects the external
LIMITATIONS OF COMPUTER environment with the computer system.
• Although the computers of today are The input devices are the means of
highly intelligent and sophisticated they communication between the user and the
have their own limitations computer system
• The computer cannot think on its own, • Typical input devices include the keyboard,
since it does not have its own brain floppy disks, mouse, microphone, light
• It can only do what is has been pen, joy stick, magnetic tapes etc. The way
programmed to do in which the data is fed into the computer
• It can execute only those jobs that can be through each of these devices is different.
expressed as a finite set of instructions to However, a computer can accept data only
achieve a specific goal in a specific form
• Each of the steps has to be clearly defined • Therefore these input devices transform
• The computers do not learn from previous the data fed to them, into a form which can
experience nor can they arrive at a be accepted by the computer
conclusion without going through all the • These devices are a means of
intermediate steps communication and inter station between
• However the impact of computers on the user and the computer systems
today's society in phenomenal and they • Thus the functions of the input unit are:
are today an important part of the society ➢ Accept information (data) and
programs
COMPUTER SYSTEM ➢ Convert the data in a form which the
computer can accept
• Any system is defined as a group of
➢ Provide this converted data to the
integrated parts which are designed to
computer for further processing
achieve a common objective
• Thus, a system is made up of more than
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
one element or part, where each element
performs a specific function and where all • This is the brain of any computer system.
the elements (parts) are logically related The central processing unit or CPU is made
and are controlled in such a way that the of three parts:
goal (purpose) of the system is achieved ➢ The control unit
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

➢ The arithmetic logic unit • Thus the primary unit:

➢ The primary storage unit ➢ tores data and programs during actual
processing
CONTROL UNIT ➢ Stores temporary results of
• The Control Unit controls the operations of intermediate processing
the entire computer system ➢ Stores results of execution
• The control unit gets the instructions from temporarily
the programs stored in primary storage
unit interprets these instruction an OUTPUT UNIT
subsequently directs the other units to • The output devices give the results of the
execute the instructions process and computations to the outside
• Thus it manages and coordinates the world
entire computer system • The output units accept the results
produced by the computer, convert them
ARITHMETIC LOGIC UNIT into a human readable form and supply
• The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) actually them to the users
executes the instructions and performs all • The more common output devices are
the calculations and decisions printers, plotters, display screens,
• The data is held in the primary storage unit magnetic tape drives etc
and transferred to the ALU whenever
needed INTRODUCTION – INPUT DEVICES AND
• Data can be moved from the primary OUTPUT DEVICES
storage to the arithmetic logic unit a • As seen earlier, computer hardware is
number of times before the entire made up of the physical parts of the
processing is complete computer system like the electronic ICs,
• After the completion, the results are sent magnetic storage media and the
to the output storage section and the mechanical devices.
output devices • The devices which are of communication
between the computer and the outside
PRIMARY STORAGE UNIT world are called as peripheral devices
• This is also called as Main Memory • Those peripheral devices which supply
• Before the actual processing starts the information i.e. data and programs from
data and the Instructions fed to the the outside world to the computer are the
computer through the input units are input devices
stored in this primary storage unit • Those peripheral devices which give
• Similarly the data which is to be output information from the computer to the user
from the computer system is also or store them in secondary storage
temporarily stored in the primary memory devices, like floppy disks or tapes for
• It is also the area where intermediate future use are called output devices
results of calculations are stored • The processors which are required to
• The main memory has the storage section convert the input data into machine
that holds the computer programs during readable form and to convert the output
execution generated by the computer into human
readable form are known as input/output
(O) Interfaces
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• There are two concepts related to the way • There are las messages generated by
in which data is input to the computer special keys on the keyboard which allow
➢ On-line Data Input: Here data is the cursor to move in up, down, left and
directly transferred to the computer right directions
➢ Off-line Data Input: Here the data is • Other special keys on the keyboard include
not immediately transferred to the keys like Tab, Del, Ctrl, Ins, Page Up, Page
computer Down etc

INPUT DEVICES MOUSE

PUNCH CARDS • The mouse is a pointing device. The mouse
• Data is recorded onto punch cards or is used to control and manipulate cursor
punch tapes using standard codes, like the movement on the monitor
Hollerith code • The mouse usually has three or four
• The pattern of these holes is interpreted buttons on it and a roller ball which signals
by a card reader device and converted into the movements made by the mouse on a
machine readable form flat surface
• A punch card machine is used to transcribe • These movements are transferred to the
the data onto the card system
• Characteristics of punch cards: • The mouse is rolled on a flat surface by the
➢ Cheaper user
➢ Reliable • It can be used independently, but normally
• Disadvantage of punch cards: it is used in conjunction with the keyboard
➢ Cannot be reused to improve the efficiency of the input
➢ Have to be handled and stored operation
carefully • The mouse can be used to select data
➢ Difficult to rearrange • Also the mouse makes it possible to move
➢ Require large storage space fast from one par of the screen to the
other
KEYBOARDS • The various types of mouse in use are:
• The keyboard is one of the most commonly ➢ Mechanical mouse
used input devices ➢ Optical mouse
• The computer keyboard is similar to a ➢ Opt mechanical mouse
typewriter keyboard ➢ Track Ball
• The keyboard has keys made up of letters, - The track ball uses a hard sphere
numbers, symbols and special function to c movement
keys - The bail can be rotated in any and
• A display screen or monitor (CRT/LCD) is this is translated into a digital
used to display the data entered by the signal cursor movement on the
operator with the keyboard screen
• This monitor can also display the results of
processing as the computer LIGHT PEN
• A special symbol, called a cursor, indicates • The light pen is a picking device
the position on the screen • The light pen contains a photocell placed
in a small tube
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

• This photo cell detects the presence of SCANNER

light on the CRT (monitor) • Scanner is able to directly enter text and
• The tip of the pen is moved on the surface images into the computer memory
of the screen to write or sketch data • Therefore the duplication work of entering
• The light pen is especially useful in data is eliminated and this also results in
Computer Aided Design (CAD) applications increased accuracy
• The speed of data entry also increases
JOY STICK • There are two types of scanners:
• The position and speed with which the ➢ Optical Scanners
joystick is moved is converted into digital ➢ Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
signals by the use of a lever devices
• These signals are then sent to the
computer system OPTICAL SCANNER
• This in turn controls the movement of the • The optical scanner uses a light source and
cursor on the screen sensor for reading the information on the
• The joystick is mainly used in video games paper
applications • It can read characters, pictures, graphics
from the paper
TOUCH SCREENS • The common types of optical scanners are:
• A touch panel is a transparent plate which ➢ The Optical Mark Reader (OMR): This
is fitted over the CRT is capable of reading pre specified
• Input is registered when a finger or any marks made by pencils or pens with
other object comes in contact with the the help of light Light is focused on the
plate page that is to be scanned. The
• There are two types of touch panels: reflected light pattern is detected by
➢ Optical touch panels the device. These types of scanners
➢ Electric touch panels are normally used where the data is
preprinted for applications. eg.
DIGITIZER answer papers of the objective tests
where the answers are marked with
• A digitizer converts a graphical or pictorial
data into digital form which can be directly pencils or preprinted forms.
➢ The Optical Character Reader (OCR):
entered and stored in a computer
can read alphabets, characters and
• A digitizer is also called as a graphics tablet
numbers printed on paper. These
• There are two types of digitizers:
characters can be either handwritten
➢ Image scan digitizer
or typed. However special fonts are
- In the image scan digitizer the entire
required to be used while typing. In
image is scanned and reproduced
case of handwritten data, the
automatically
characters have to be of standard
➢ Flat bed digitizer
predefined size. The OCR reads each
- Flat bed digitizers are mainly used in
character as a collection of pixels. The
simple drawings, graphs etc.
light which is reflected from the page
whereas image scan digitizers are
to be scanned is converted into binary
used for photographs and pictures
data. OCRS are available in various
sizes and speeds
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune

MAGNETIC INK CHARACTER RECOGNITION • The Voice Recognition System consists of a

• A special type of input device, this mainly microphone or telephone into which the
finds application in banking areas operator speaks
• A magnetic ink is used to encode the • The speech is converted into electrical
characters to be read signals
• This ink contains iron oxide particles. • The signal is input as the voice of the
When a cheque is presented in the bank, operator
the amount is encoded by the bank • This is matched with an already entered
employee in the lower right comer and the pre-stored pattern of words called
cheque is then processed with MICR vocabulary
• Special character sets like E138 and CMC7 • When the closest match is found the word
are used by these devices to encode data is recognized
• The E138 has four special character and • Since each operator may have a different
the digits 0-9. The CMC7 has five special style of speaking, all Voice Recognition
characters, digits 0-9, and all alphabets systems are highly operator dependent
• The advantages of using MICR are that • Also a separate vocabulary for each
they speed up data entry, and even operator is required to be maintained
roughly handled cheque can be processed • The advantages of the Voice Recognition
relatively easily systems are that they reduce the cost of
• However among the limitations are that data entry
special type of magnetic ink is required for • Also the operator can move freely while
.encoding characters and only a limited talking into the computer
number of digits and characters are
available for encoding OUTPUT DEVICES
• The output device allows the compute to
BAR CODE READER communicate with the outside world by
• Bar code reader is a device which reads bar accepting data from the computer and
coded data Data which is coded in the form transforming it into user readable form
of light or dark lines (bars) is a bar code
• Bar code readers are normally used in PRINTERS
applications like labeling of products in • A printer produces the output from the
retail shops, super markets etc computer on the paper
• A laser beam scanner is used to read the • It is the most commonly used output
bar code device
• The most commonly used bar code is the • The printers produce a hard copy i.e. a
Universal Product Code (UPC) permanent copy of the results which can
• In this code the bars are coded as 10 digits be stored and read later
• The first five digits define the • Printers are classified as:
manufacturer or supplier, and the ➢ Impact printer
remaining five digts denote the actual ➢ Non-impact printer
product of the manufacturer
IMPACT PRINTERS
VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS • Impact printers are similar to typewriters
• This system allows the user to talk with the
computer
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune
band there is hammer located
• They use hammer to strike a character behind the paper. The drum
against an inked ribbon and the impact of rotates at a fast rate. The
the hammer causes the image of the hammer strikes the paper along
character to be printed on paper with the inked ribbon and
• Types: produces the output. One line is
➢ Dot matrix printers - Dot matrix printed in each revolution of the
printer prints each character as a printer
pattern of dots. The printer has a - Chain printers - In the chain
printer head with a matrix of pins printers there is one print
(needles). Typical heads have a matrix hammer for each print position
of 7 rows and 9 columns. These pins on a line. There is a fast moving
produce a pattern of dots to form the chain called the print chain.
individual characters When this chain rotates, the print
➢ Daisy wheel printers - These printers hammer and the inked ribbon
are also called as letter quality strike the paper against the
printers. These printers have a daisy proper character on the chain.
wheel with a number of petals. A
character is embossed on each wheel. NON-IMPACT PRINTERS
There is a motor which spins the wheel • They use thermal, chemical, electrostatic
at a fast rate. When the desired and inkjet technologies for printing as
character is brought to the correct against the hammer mechanism of impact
position, a hammer strikes the petal to printers
produce the output. Thus these • Types:
printers are impact printers. The letter ➢ Ink jet printer - Ink jet printer is a non
quality of these printers is much impact printer. It prints characters by
superior as compared to the dot spraying ink from tiny nozzles onto the
matrix printers. But they are slow and paper. A special type of ink which has
typically print in the range of 10-50 a high iron content is used. This ink is
characters per second charged electrically when it comes out
➢ Line printers - These printers are also of the nozzle. This ink is absorbed by
called as letter quality printers. These the paper and dries instantly. The
printersLine printers are very fast output of the ink jet printer is of a
printers which print at speed of 200- superior quality. Also it is possible to
2500 lines per minute. These printers obtain colored output. A number of
are impact printers and normally have character styles and sizes are
132 print positions per line. Different available. However, being a non
types of character set are available for impact printer it is not possible to
different printers. But they are slow prepare carbon coples with this
and typically print in the range of 10- printer.
50 characters per second. TYPES: ➢ Laser printer - These printers are used
- Drum printers - This consists of a where a very superior cut put is
metallic cylinder. On the surface desired. The image is created on a
of this drum there are characters photo sensitive drum; with a laser
in bands Each column or band on beam. The laser is turned on and off
the drum contains I the when it moves back and forward
characters. Opposite to each across the drum. It leaves a negative
COMP 100 – BASIC COMPUTER
PRELIM REVIEWER
2ND SEMESTER | 2ND YEAR | A.Y. 2023 – 2024
LECTURER: Ms. Melissa Mangune
charge on the drum to which a
positively charged black toner powder
slicks. When the paper rolls by the
drum, the ink is transferred to the
paper. Laser printers have a buffer
memory to store entire pages and
hence their speed is very fast. The
biggest advantage of these printers is
that no mechanical movement is
involved, therefore they are noiseless
in operation. However there are
comparatively expensive.
➢ Plotter - A plotter is an output device
used in applications where printouts
of graphs and drawings required.
Plotters are of two types:
- Flat bed Le. X-Y plotter - This
plotter plots on a paper which is
fixed on a rectangular flatbed
table. One recording pen moves
in the x direction and one in the y
direction to plot on the paper.
Color plotting is also possible by
using pens of different colors
- Drum Plotter - In this plotter the
paper on which the output is to
be obtained, is placed over a
drum. The drum rotates back and
forth to produce motion. The pen
is mounted horizontally across
the drum and the horizontal
motion of the pen is achieved
with the help of the pen holder.