Chapter - 4

Input/Output Devices

Introduction
Data and instructions must be entered into the computer system
before processing. Thus, a computer system is useful only when
it is able to communicate with its external environment (its us-
ers). Input-output devices (abbreviated I/O devices) provide the
means of communication between the computer and the outer
world. Input devices are used to feed manually prepared data
and programs to computers and output devices are used to print
or display computed results or to store them on a secondary stor-
age devices for future processing. The I/O devices are also known
as peripheral devices because they surround the CPU. This chap- 43
ter familiarize the readers with commonly used type of I/O de-
vices.

Learning Outcome
After completion of this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Know about the different input devices such as keyboard, mouse,
Trackball, Track pad, Track point, joystick, Scanners, Optical Mark
Readers, Barcode readers, smart card readers, web camera and
microphones.
2. Explain the use of each devices and its significance.
3. Know about the different output devices such as monitor ,printer, plotter,
projector, computer output micro film and speaker
4. Describe the use of each devices and its significance.
1.4.1 Input Devices
A wide variety of input devices are now available. They are classified into gen-
eral purpose and special purpose. Keyboard and mouse are general purpose
devices. Optical Mark Reader, Bar code Reader, Track ball etc. are special pur-
pose input devices.

Input/Output Devices
 Input devices used for various types of applications can be classified as follows
1. Character input devices
Keyboard
2. Graphic Input devices
Mouse
Joystick
Trackball
Track pad
Track point
Light pen
Touch screen, etc...
3. Data scanning devices
a) Optical scanners
Optical Mark Reader(OMR)
Optical Character Reader(OCR)
Bar code Reader
b) Magnetic Character Recognition Devices
Magnetic Ink Character Reader(MICR)
4. Electronic cards based device
44 Smart card reader
5. Voice input device
Microphone
6. Vision based devices
Digital Camera
Web cam
Various types of input devices along with their applications are described below.
1.4.1.1 Keyboard Devices
Keyboard devices is the
most common data entry
device. Using a keyboard,
the user can type text and
commands. The keyboard
resembles a regular type-
writer with a few additional
keys. Data is entered into the
Fig.1 Keyboard
computer by pressing keys.
The layout of a keyboard
comes in various styles such as QWERTY, AZERTY and DVORAK. Among these
QWERTY is the most common keyboard layout.

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1.4.1.2 Graphical input devices
Graphical input devices permit the user to select something on the screen by point-
ing to it. Examples of graphic input devices are mouse, trackball, joystick, light
pen etc.
Mouse
Mouse is the most popular pointing device. It is a
small hand-held device that fits comfortably in user’s
palm. It rolls on a small bearing and has one or more
buttons on the top. When a user rolls a mouse on a
flat surface, a graphic cursor moves on the screen in
the direction of the mouse movement. A sensor situ-
ated inside a mouse detects the mouse movement.
Fig 2. Mouse
Optical Mouse

An optical mouse is an advanced computer pointing

device that uses a light-emitting diode ( LED), and
optical sensor. An optical mouse uses light to detect
movement. They work by emitting light from an LED
or laser. A sensor is used to detect the light reflec-
tions as the mouse is moved. Nowadays mechanical
mouse is replaced with optical mouse.
45
Fig 3. Optical Mouse
Trackball
A trackball is a cursor control device used in many
notebook and laptop computers. The trackball is usu-
ally located in front of the keyboard towards the user.
It resembles an upside-down mechanical mouse. The
user rolls the ball to move the cursor to the desired
place on the screen. He can click one of the two
buttons (identical to mouse buttons) near the ball to
select desktop objects. Now a days it is replaced by
touch pad. Fig 4. Trackball

Track Pad

It is one of the latest pointing devices. It looks like a

small, gray window ,about two inches wide. User
merely slides the finger tip across the window to
move the cursor.

Fig 5. Track pad

Input/Output Devices
 Track point
This device is also called as eraser pointer be-
cause it resembles the shape of a pencil eraser.
It has a replaceable red tip and is located in the
middle of the keyboard between G, H, and B
keys. The control buttons are located in front of
the keyboard.
Fig 6. Track point
Read more:
The TrackPoint is operated by pushing in the general direction the user
wants the cursor to move. Increasing pressure causes faster movement.
The relation between pressure and cursor or pointer speed can be ad-
justed, in a manner similar to the way the mouse speed is adjusted in a
traditional desktop computer. The Track Point system, originally intro-
duced by IBM in 1992, has been widely accepted. Lot of people prefer it
to the older Track ball and the more recent touchpad methods of cursor
or pointer control in notebook computers.
Joystick
A joystick is a pointing device .It is used to move the cursor
position on a screen. Its function is similar to that of a
mouse. A joystick is a stick which has spherical ball at its
lower end as well as at its upper end. The joystick can be
46 moved right ,left, forward or backward. The electronic cir-
cuitry inside the joystick detects and measures the dis-
placement of the stick from its central position and this
information is sent to the processor. Joystick is used in video
games and flight simulators.
Fig 7. Joystick
1.4.1.3 Scanners
Scanner is an input device that convert a docu-
ment into an electronic format that can be stored
in the disk. The electronic image can be edited,
manipulated and printed by using the image
editing software. Scanners are also called opti-
cal scanners as they use a light beam to scan the
input data. The main advantage of scanner is
direct data entry. Users need not input any
data. It provides faster and more accurate data
entry. Different types of scanners are optical
scanners and magnetic-ink character readers.
Fig 8. Scanner

1.4.1.4 Optical Mark Reader(OMR)

OMR is a scanner , which can recognize a pre-specified type of mark made by
pencil or pen. For example, in objective type tests applicants mark their choices of

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correct answers on a special pre-printed test scoring sheet (OMR sheet) by dark-
ening a small square or circular shaped box by a pen or pencil. These answer
sheets are fed to an OMR device for evaluation.

Fig.9 Optical Mark Reader

47

Fig.10 OMR sheet

Input/Output Devices
 1.4.1.5 Barcode Reader
Data coded in the form of small lines
(known as bars) are known as bar
codes. Bar codes represent alphanu-
meric data by a combination of adja-
cent vertical lines(bars) of varying
width and the spacing between them.
All types of goods ,books ,postal pack-
ages etc. use bar codes for unique iden-
tification purpose. Bar codes are read Fig.11 Barcode Reader
by a laser-beam scanner ,which is con-
nected to the computer.
1.4.1.6 Smart Card Reader
A smart card, chip card, or integrated
circuit card (ICC) is a pocket-sized card
with embedded integrated circuits. Smart
cards are made of plastic, ge n e r-
ally polyvinyl chloride or polycarbonate.
Smart cards can provide identification,
authentication ,data storage and appli-
cation processing.Smart card readers rec-
ognize a smart card. It is mainly used in
48 Fig 12. Smart Card Reader ATM counters and Point of Sale (POS)
terminals.
1.4.1.7 Touch screen
Some computers have touch screen which is
sensitive to users touch .One can use fingers to
point the command displayed on the screen. It
is popular on Tablets, Smart phones, ATM
counters etc.

1.4.1.8 Vision Input System

A vision input system allows a computer to ac-
cept input by seeing an object.
Fig 13. Touch Screen
Web Camera
A webcam is a portable video camera, which cap-
tures live video or images that may be viewed in
real time over a network or internet. It is just a small
digital camera that is either built in your computer
(in most laptops) or can be connected through a
USB port. It is normally placed on top of the PC
monitor or laptop to capture images of the user
while he/she is working on the computer.
Fig. 14 Web camera
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1.4.1.9 Voice Input System
In a voice input system the speech is converted into elec-
trical signal. The signals are sent to computer for pro-
cessing. Example of voice input system is microphone.
Microphone
It is abbreviated as mic. A microphone is used to input
audio into their computers. Most microphones connect
to the computer using the “mic” port on the computer
sound card.

1.4.2 Ouput Device Fig 15 Microphone

Main purpose of output devices is to receive informa-
tion from the computer and supply them to users. The computer sends informa-
tion to the output devices in binary forms. The output devices convert them into
a form that can be understood by users.
Now a days several output devices are available. We classify them as follows
 Monitors
 Printers
 Plotters
 Screen image Projector
 Voice output system 49
Various types of output devices and their applications are described below.
Output devices generate computer outputs that are broadly of following two
types.
Soft Copy output
The electronic version of output ,which usually resides in computer memory or
disk. A Soft Copy output is temporary in nature. This kind of output is not tan-
gible, that is ,it cannot be touched. Soft copy output includes audio and visual
form of output which is generated using a computer. For example, an image or
document displayed on a screen is soft copy.
Hard Copy output
The physical form of output is known as hard copy. A hard copy output is per-
manent in nature and in a direct usable form. For example, output produced on
paper by printers or plotters are hard copy.
Now we can discuss soft copy output devices

1.4.2.1 Monitors
Monitors are most popular soft copy output devices. Two basic type of monitors
are cathode-ray-tube (CRT) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD).

Input/Output Devices
 Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
CRT is the technology used in traditional computer
monitors and televisions. The image on a CRT dis-
play is created by firing electrons from the back of
the tube to phosphors located towards the front of
the display. Once the electrons hit the phosphors,
they light up and are projected on the screen. The
colour you see on the screen is produced by a blend
of Red, Green and Blue light, often referred to as
RGB . Fig 16 CRT Monitor

Liquid Crystal Display ( LCD)

LCD stands for “Liquid Crystal Display.” LCDs are super-thin displays that are
used in laptop computer screens and flat panel
monitors. Smaller LCDs are used in hand-held
Televisions,Personal Digital Assistance (PDA’s),
and portable video game devices. The image on an
LCD screen is created by sandwiching an electri-
cally reactive substance between two electrodes.
The colour of this substance can be changed by
increasing or reducing the electrical current. LCD
screens are based on the principle of blocking light
Fig 17. LCD Monitor (rather than emitting it).Advantages are light
50 weight ,compact and clarity output.
Thin Filim Transistor (TFT)
TFT stands for “Thin Film Transistor.” These transistors are used in high-quality
flat panel liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). TFT-based displays have a transistor for
each pixel on the screen. This allows the electrical current that illuminates the
display to be turned on and off at a faster rate, which makes the display brighter
and shows motion smoother. LCDs that use TFT technology are called “active-
matrix” displays.
LCD projector
A projector is a device that uses light and lenses
to take an image and project a magnified image
onto a larger screen or wall. Projectors can mag-
nify still or moving images depending on how
they are built. The image must be shown through
a sealed tube or frame when passing through the
lenses to maintain focus. Fig 18. LCD Projector

1.4.2.2 Printers
Printers are commonly used output devices. They provide information in a per-
manent readable form. It produce printed output of results ,programs and data
onto paper. The printers have been classified into the following categories

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  Impact printers
 Non impact printer
In impact printers there will be physical contact with printer head and paper.This
includes dot matrix printers, daisy wheel printers and drum printers. Non-im-
pact printers do not use electromechanical printing head to strike against ribbon
and paper. They use thermal, chemical, electrostatic, laser beam or ink-jet tech-
nology for printing the text. Usually a non-impact type printer is faster than a
impact type printer. The disadvantage of non impact type printer is that they
produce single copy of text where as impact printer produce multiple copies of
text using carbon paper.
Dot-Matrix printer
Dot-Matrix printers are impact printers that
print one character at a time. They print char-
acters and all kinds of images as patterns of
dots. It has a print head that moves
horizontally(left to right and right to left)across
the paper. The print head contains an array of
pins(called matrix). The printer can activate
each pin independent of others to extend and
strike against an inked ribbon to form a dot on
the paper. To print a character ,the printer ac- Fig 19. Dot-Matrix printer
tivates the appropriate set of pins as the print
head moves horizontally. 51
Thermal Printer
Thermal printers are non impact type printers.These
printers use special heat sensitive paper. Such papers
have a special heat sensitive coating. A thermal printer
uses hot needles softly pressed against heat sensitive
paper. When a spot on the special paper is heated,it
becomes dark. The advantage of thermal printer over
dot matrix impact type printer is that it produce very
little noise. Disadvantage is it does not produce mul-
tiple copies. This printer is commonly used in ATM
Fig.20 Thermal Printer counter and KSRTC ticket machine.
Inkjet Printers
These are non-impact printers that form charac-
ters and images by spraying small droplets of ink
on a paper. A special type of iron content ink is
used. Droplets of ink are electrically charged by
an electrode. The droplets are then guided to the
proper position on the paper by the electrically
charged horizontal and vertical deflection plates.
Ink jet printers produce high quality outputs. Inkjet Fig 21. Inkjet Printer

Input/Output Devices
 printers are used for colour printing. The speed of ink jet printer lies in the range
of 40-300 characters per second.
Laser Printers
Laser printers are non-impact type printers. They print one page at a time. These
printers use laser beam to produce an image on a photosensitive drum. The im-
age is transfered from drum to paper using toner. Toner is an electrically charged
ink. After this, the drum is discharged and
cleaned. Now the drum is ready for process-
ing the next page. The laser printers are less
noisy and produce high quality output. These
printers are expensive. Low speed laser printer
produce 10 pages or more per minute and are
used with micro computers. High speed laser
printers producing up to 300 pages per minute.
1.4.2.3 Plotters
Plotters are pen-based output devices that are Fig 22. Laser Printer
used to produce high quality and clarity out-
put. It is mainly used to draw pictures and graphics. Plotters are basically of two
types-Drum and Flat bed. In the case of drum
plotter ,the paper on which the design has to
be made is placed over a drum that rotates back
and forth to produce vertical motion. There are
52
one or more pens mounted on drum. The pen(s)
clamped in the holder(s)can move to produce
horizontal motion. By using computer ,the drum
and pen move simultaneously to produce the
designs and graph. Pens having different colour
of ink can produce multi-coloured designs
Fig 23 Plotter
In flat bed plotter, paper is fixed on a plotting
surface. Here pens are moved to produce the image. Pens having different colour
of ink can produce multi-coloured designs.
1.4.2.4 Computer Output Microfilm (COM)
COM technology is used to record computer output
information as microscopic filmed images. In
COM,informations are recorded on a sheet or
micofilim. The COM recording technology consists
of a microfilm recorder that receives information from
the computer. The microfilm recorder projects the
characters of output information onto a CRT screen. Fig 24 Computer Output
Microfilm
1.4.2.5 Audio Output Devices
The term “audio output device” refers to any device that attaches to a computer
for the purpose of playing sound, such as music or speech. Example of audio
output device is speaker.

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Speaker
Speakers are used to convert electromagnetic
waves into sound waves. It receive audio signal
from a computer. This input may be either analog
or digital form. Analog speakers simply amplify
the analog electromagnetic waves into sound
waves. Since sound waves are produced in ana-
log form, digital speakers must first convert the
digital input to an analog signal, then generate
the sound waves.

Evaluation Fig 25. Speaker

Very short answer

1. Mouse and light pen are examples of ..................................... input devices
2. MICR stands for .....................................
3. The most layout of a keyboard is .....................................
4. LCD stands for .....................................
5. ..................................... is an input device used for playing computer game.
6. Touch screen is a ..................................... device.

Short Answer
7. Why are input and output devices necessary for a computer system? 53
8. What are peripheral device? Why they are so called?
9. What are graphic input devices? List and explain various types of graphic
input devices?
10. What is an input device? Name some commonly used input device?
11. Briefly describe laser printer?
12. Briefly describe ink-jet printer?
13. What is plotter?
14. Differentiate between mechanical and optical mouse?
15. What is track ball? How it is different from a mouse?
16. What is LCD? Differentiate between CRT and LCD monitors?
17. Explain the printing mechanism of dot matrix printer?
18. What is the use of computer output microfilm?

Essay Type Question

19. What are pointing devices? Discuss some of the commonly used pointing
devices?
20. What are scanners? List and explain various types of scanners?
21. What is an output device? Name some commonly used output device?
22. Write a short notes on audio output devices?

Input/Output Devices
 23. What you mean by hard copy? How does it differ from soft copy?
24. Differentiate between impact and non impact printers? Explain its advan-
tages and disadvantages?

Glossary
 input device is an electromechanical device that accepts data from outside
world and translate them into a form a computer can interpret.
 Keyboard is the most commonly used data entry devices. By pressing down
the keys of the keyboard, data are entered into the computer.
 Mouse is the most popular pointing devices.
 Joystick is a pointing device used to move the cursor position on a screen.
 Optical Mark Reader can recognize a pre-specified mark made by pen or
pencil.
 Barcode Reader reads data coded in the form of small lines(bars) .
 Smart card Reader is a pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits.
 webcam is a portable video camera, which captures live video or images that
may be viewed in real time over a network or internet.
 Soft copy output is an electronic version of output ,which is usually resides in
computer memory or disk.
54
 Hard copy output is a physical form of output.
 LCD projector is a device that uses light and lenses to take an image and
project a magnified image onto a larger screen or wall.
 Speakers are used to convert electromagnetic waves into sound waves.
 Plotters are pen-based output devices that are used to produce high quality
and clarity output.

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