Basic Input Devices
What is an input device? _________________________________________________________
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Device Image Description Uses
Keyboard
A very common input device which has a set of
buttons. Text, numbers and symbols can be
entered
- General text entry
such as writing letters
etc
- Shortcuts/Commands
Numeric
Keypad /
Pin Pad
A small keyboard that only has numbers.
Most computer keyboards have these on the
right side of them and most mobile phones
(they are also computers) have one for entering
phone numbers etc.
Used to enter numeric
data tonto computers
such as those in ATMs.
Mouse
Most common input device you will use. Also
called a pointing device
Usually has two buttons, a left and a right, it
also has a central wheel which allows you to
scroll up and down. The two different buttons
allow you to do different things
Enables you to control
what happens on the
screen by
moving/pointing the
mouse also by clicking
the selecting items on
the screen
Touchpad
Tracker
ball
Graphics
Tablet
Remote
Control
Handheld device.
Remote controls need a line-of-sight in order to
send signals to the device that the remote is
form. Some allow text to be typed etc
Used to control a
machine a short distance
away. Can be used for;
Televisions
Music systems
Lighting systems
Heating systems
Joystick/
Joypad
Technology was made so that gamers
experience a more realistic game environment.
You can move joysticks in any direction and the
joystick then tells the computer what direction
its actually moved in. Also have a few buttons
that you can press
Originally used by pilots
as part of aeroplanes
controls. Can also be
used to control cranes,
trucks, and powered
wheelchairs
Light Pen
Touch
Screen
Device Image Description Uses
Magnetic
Strip
Reader
Magnetic strips usually found at the back of
most credit cards, cheque guarantee cards,
loyalty cards, membership cards etc.
Its swiped through a Magnetic Stripe Reader
machine (to read the data) so the data is
transferred into the computer
Holds personal detail like
account names/numbers
Can contain up to 60
characters, all stored
magnetically
Chip
Reader
Morden credit cards/ID cards dont use a
magnetic strip. They use a tiny chip of a
computer memory that is embedded inside of
them (smart cards). A card is inserted into the
reader where metal contacts connect to the
metal pads on the front face of the card. The
reader can access the memory chip and the
data inside of it
Data can be stored in
this memory and read
back using a chip
reader. Many types of
card use this system; ID
cards, Phone cards,
Credit cards, Door
Security cards etc.
Scanner
Works by shining a beam of light onto the
surface of the object you are actually scanning.
This light then gets reflected back into a sensor
that detects colour.
Used to convert
images/text on paper
into a digital format that
can be used on the
computer. Different
types of scanners;
Flatbed scanner
Handheld
scanner
Specialist scanner
Digital
Camera
Video
Camera
Webcam
Micro-
phone
Sound is detected by the microphone and then
an electrical signal is transmitted to the
computer. Special hardware is used to convert
the data into digital data so it can be stored.
Used to input sound
MICR
Reader
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
As it allows bank cheques to accurately get read
into a computer, the cheque number and bank
account number are printed at the bottom of
each bank cheque in a special magnetic ink
using a special kind of font.
A machine that allows
details from bank
cheques to be read into
a computer quickly and
accurately.
OMR
Scanner
Scanned by a piece of equipment called an
Optical Mark Reader Detect the pencil marks
by reflecting light onto the page. Less light is
reflected where a mark has been made. The
marks then get transferred over to the
computer for storage, analysis and reporting.
Used to scan over pencil
marks, like on lottery
tickets or multiple choice
tests at school
OCR
Scanner
Consists of a normal scanner and some special
software. The OCR software examines the page
and changes the letters into a form that can be
edited. Can read different styles and sizes of
text as well as neat handwriting. 95% accurate
Used to scan text on a
document or piece of
paper onto the
computer. Used to
automatically recognise
postcodes on letters at
sorting offices.
Barcode
Scanner
Classed as an automatic input device. The
reflected light is transferred and translated into
digital data onto the computer to identify the
product and price from the database. The
barcode does NOT hold the price of the item
This is all help on the company database.
Used to scan or read
the barcode by using a
visible red light. It gives
you information about
the country of the
manufacture, the name
of the manufacture and
the product code.
