Input output Devices

1) Keyboard
The keyboard is a basic input device that is used to enter data into a
computer or any other electronic device by pressing keys. It has different sets
of keys for letters, numbers, characters, and functions. Keyboards are
connected to a computer through USB or a Bluetooth device for wireless
communication.
Types of keyboards: There can be different types of keyboards based on the
region and language used. Some of the common types of keyboards are as
follows:
i) QWERTY Keyboard:

It is the most commonly used keyboard with computers in modern times. It is

named after the first six letters of the top row of buttons and is even popular in
countries that do not use Latin-based alphabet. It is so popular that some
people think that it is the only type of keyboard to use with computers as an
input device.
ii) AZERTY Keyboard:

It is considered the standard French keyboard. It is developed in France as an

alternative layout to the QWERTY layout and is mainly used in France and
other European countries. Some countries have manufactured their own
versions of AZERTY.
Its name is derived from the first six letters that appear on the top left row of
the keyboard. The Q and W keys in AZERTY keyboard are interchanged with
A and Z keys in QWERTY keyboard. Furthermore, in AZERTY keyboard M
key is located to the left of the L key.
AZERTY keyboard differs from QWERTY keyboard not only in the placement
of letters but also in many other ways, e.g., it gives emphasis on accents,
which is required for writing European languages like French.
iii) DVORAK Keyboard:

This type of keyboard layout was developed to increase the typing speed by
reducing the finger movement while typing. The most frequently used letters
are kept in a home row to improve typing.

2) Mouse
The mouse is a hand-held input device which is used to move cursor or
pointer across the screen. It is designed to be used on a flat surface and
generally has left and right button and a scroll wheel between them. Laptop
computers come with a touchpad that works as a mouse. It lets you control
the movement of cursor or pointer by moving your finger over the touchpad.
Some mouse comes with integrated features such as extra buttons to perform
different buttons.
The mouse was invented by Douglas C. Engelbart in 1963. Early mouse had
a roller ball integrated as a movement sensor underneath the device. Modern
mouse devices come with optical technology that controls cursor movements
by a visible or invisible light beam. A mouse is connected to a computer
through different ports depending on the type of computer and type of a
mouse.
Common types of the mouse:
i) Trackball Mouse:

It is a stationary input device that has ball mechanism to move the pointer or
cursor on the screen. The ball is half inserted in the device and can be easily
rolled with finger, thumb or the palm to move the pointer on the screen. The
device has sensor to detect the rotation of ball. It remains stationary; you don't
need to move it on the operating surface. So, it is an ideal device if you have
limited desk space as you don't need to move it like a mouse.
ii) Mechanical Mouse:

It has a system of a ball and several rollers to track its movement. It is a

corded type of mouse. A mechanical mouse can be used for high
performance. The drawback is that they tend to get dust into the mechanics
and thus require regular cleaning.
iii) Optical Mouse:

An optical mouse uses optical electronics to track its movement. It is more

reliable than a mechanical mouse and also requires less maintenance.
However, its performance is affected by the surface on which it is operated.
Plain non-glossy mouse mat should be used for best results. The rough
surface may cause problems for the optical recognition system, and the
glossy surface may reflect the light wrongly and thus may cause tracking
issues.
iv) Cordless or Wireless Mouse:

As the name suggests, this type of mouse lacks cable and uses wireless
technology such as IrDA (infrared) or radio (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) to control the
movement of the cursor. It is used to improve the experience of using a
mouse. It uses batteries for its power supply.

3) Scanner
The scanner uses the pictures and pages of text as input. It scans the picture
or a document. The scanned picture or document then converted into a digital
format or file and is displayed on the screen as an output. It uses optical
character recognition techniques to convert images into digital ones. Some of
the common types of scanners are as follows:

Types of Scanner:

i) Flatbed Scanner:

It has a glass pane and a moving optical CIS or CCD array. The light
illuminates the pane, and then the image is placed on the glass pane. The
light moves across the glass pane and scans the document and thus
produces its digital copy. You will need a transparency adapter while scanning
transparent slides.
ii) Handheld Scanner:
It is a small manual scanning device which is held by hand and is rolled over a
flat image that is to be scanned. The drawback in using this device is that the
hand should be steady while scanning; otherwise, it may distort the image.
One of the commonly used handheld scanners is the barcode scanner which
you would have seen in shopping stores.
iii) Sheetfed Scanner:

In this scanner, the document is inserted into the slot provided in the scanner.
The main components of this scanner include the sheet-feeder, scanning
module, and calibration sheet. The light does not move in this scanner.
Instead, the document moves through the scanner. It is suitable for scanning
single page documents, not for thick objects like books, magazines, etc.
iv) Drum Scanner:

Drum scanner has a photomultiplier tube (PMT) to scan images. It does not
have a charge-coupled device like a flatbed scanner. The photomultiplier tube
is extremely sensitive to light. The image is placed on a glass tube, and the
light moves across the image, which produces a reflection of the image which
is captured by the PMT and processed. These scanners have high resolution
and are suitable for detailed scans.
v) Photo Scanner:

It is designed to scan photographs. It has high resolution and color depth,

which are required for scanning photographs. Some photo scanners come
with in-built software for cleaning and restoring old photographs.
Output Devices
The output device displays the result of the processing of raw data that is
entered in the computer through an input device. There are a number of
output devices that display output in different ways such as text, images, hard
copies, and audio or video.
Some of the popular output devices are:

1. Monitor
1. CRT Monitor
2. LCD Monitor
3. LED Monitor
4. Plasma Monitor
2. Printer

1. Impact Printers

1. Character Printers
1. Dot Matrix printers
2. Daisy Wheel printers
2. Line printers

1. Drum printers
2. Chain printers
2. Non-impact printers
 1. Laser printers
2. Inkjet printers

2. Projector

1) Monitor
The monitor is the display unit or screen of the computer. It is the main output
device that displays the processed data or information as text, images, audio
or video.
The types of monitors are given below.
i) CRT Monitor

CRT monitors are based on the cathode ray tubes. They are like vacuum
tubes which produce images in the form of video signals. Cathode rays tube
produces a beam of electrons through electron guns that strike on the inner
phosphorescent surface of the screen to produce images on the screen. The
monitor contains millions of phosphorus dots of red, green and blue color.
These dots start to glow when struck by electron beams and this phenomenon
is called cathodoluminescence.
The main components of a CRT monitor include the electron gun assembly,
deflection plate assembly, fluorescent screen, glass envelope, and base.The
front (outer surface) of the screen onto which images are produced is called
the face plate. It is made up of fiber optics.
There are three electron beams that strike the screen: red, green, and blue.
So, the colors which you see on the screen are the blends of red, blue and
green lights.The magnetic field guides the beams of electrons. Although LCDs
have replaced the CRT monitors, the CRT monitors are still used by graphics
professionals because of their color quality.
ii) LCD Monitor

The LCD monitor is a flat panel screen that is compact and light-weight as
compared to CRT monitors. It is based on liquid crystal display technology
which is used in the screens of laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc. An LCD
screen comprises two layers of polarized glass with a liquid crystal solution
between them. When the light passes through the first layer, an electric
current aligns the liquids crystals. The aligned liquid crystals allow a varying
level of light to pass through the second layer to create images on the screen.
The LCD screen has a matrix of pixels that display the image on the
screen.Old LCDs had passive-matrix screens in which individual pixels are
controlled by sending a charge. A few electrical charges could be sent each
second that made screens appear blurry when the images moved quickly on
the screen.
Modern LCDs use active-matrix technology and contain thin film transistors
(TFTs) with capacitors. This technology allows pixels to retain their charge.
So, they don?t make screen blurry when images move fast on the screen as
well as are more efficient than passive-matrix displays.
iii) LED monitor
The LED monitor is an improved version of an LCD monitor. It also has a flat
panel display and uses liquid crystal display technology like the LCD monitors.
The difference between them lies in the source of light to backlight the display.
The LED monitor has many LED panels, and each panel has several LEDsto
backlight the display, whereas the LCD monitors use cold cathode fluorescent
light to backlight the display.Modern electronic devices such as mobile
phones, LED TVs, laptop and computer screens, etc., use a LED display as it
not only produces more brilliance and greater light intensity but also
consumes less power.
iv) Plasma Monitor

The plasma monitor is also a flat panel display that is based on plasma
display technology. It has small tiny cells between two glass panels. These
cells contain mixtures of noble gases and a small amount of mercury. When
voltage is applied, the gas in the cells turns into a plasma and emits ultraviolet
light that creates images on the screen, i.e., the screen is illuminated by a tiny
bit of plasma, a charged gas. Plasma displays are brighter than liquid crystal
displays (LCD) and also offer a wide viewing angle than an LCD.
Plasma monitors provide high resolutions of up to 1920 X 1080, excellent
contrast ratios, wide viewing angle, a high refresh rate and more. Thus, they
offer a unique viewing experience while watching action movies, sports
games, and more.

2) Printer
A printer produces hard copies of the processed data. It enables the user, to
print images, text or any other information onto the paper.
Based on the printing mechanism, the printers are of two types: Impact
Printers and Non-impact Printers.

● Impact Printers: They are of two types:

1. Character Printers
1. Dot Matrix printers
2. Daisy Wheel printers
2. Line printers

1. Drum printers
2. Chain printers

● Non-impact printers: They are of two types:

2. Laser printers
3. Inkjet printers

Impact Printer
The impact printer uses a hammer or print head to print the character or
images onto the paper. The hammer or print head strikes or presses an ink
ribbon against the paper to print characters and images.
Impact printers are further divided into two types.
 1. Character Printers
2. Line printers

A) Character Printers
Character printer prints a single character at a time or with a single stroke of
the print head or hammer. It does not print one line at a time. Dot Matrix
printer and Daisy Wheel printer are character printers. Today, these printers
are not in much use due to their low speed and because only the text can be
printed. The character printers are of two types, which are as follows:

i) Dot Matrix Printer

Dot Matrix Printer is an impact printer. The characters and images printed by it
are the patterns of dots. These patterns are produced by striking the ink
soaked ribbon against the paper with a print head. The print head contains
pins that produce a pattern of dots on the paper to form the individual
characters. The print head of a 24 pin dot matrix contains more pins than a 9
pin dot matrix printer, so it produces more dots which results in better printing
of characters. To produce color output, the black ribbon can be changed with
color stripes. The speed of Dot Matrix printers is around 200-500 characters
per second.

ii) Daisy Wheel Printer

Daisy Wheel Printer was invented by David S. Lee at Diablo Data Systems.It
consists of a wheel or disk that has spokes or extensions and looks like a
daisy, so it is named Daisy Wheel printer. At the end of extensions, molded
metal characters are mounted. To print a character the printer rotates the
wheel, and when the desired character is on the print location the hammer
hits disk and the extension hits the ink ribbon against the paper to create the
impression. It cannot be used to print graphics and is often noisy and slow,
i.e., the speed is very low around 25-50 characters per second. Due to these
drawbacks,these printers have become obsolete.
B) Line Printers:
Line printer, which is also as a bar printer, prints one line at a time. It is a
high-speed impact printer as it can print 500 to 3000 lines per minute. Drum
printer and chain printer are examples of line printers.

i) Drum Printer:

Drum printer is a line printer that is made of a rotating drum to print

characters. The drum has circular bands of characters on its surface. It has a
separate hammer for each band of characters. When you print, the drum
rotates, and when the desired character comes under the hammer, the
hammer strikes the ink ribbon against the paper to print characters. The drum
rotates at a very high speed and characters are printed by activating the
appropriate hammers. Although all the characters are not printed at a time,
they are printed at a very high speed. Furthermore, it can print only a
predefined style as it has a specific set of characters. These printers are
known to be very noisy due to the use of hammering techniques.

ii) Chain Printer:

Chain printer is a line printer that uses a rotating chain to print characters. The
characters are embossed on the surface of the chain. The chain rotates
horizontally around a set of hammers, for each print location one hammer is
provided, i.e., the total number of hammers is equal to the total number of
print positions.
The chain rotates at a very high speed and when the desired character comes
at the print location, the corresponding hammer strikes the page against the
ribbon and character on the chain.They can type 500 to 3000 lines per
minute. They are also noisy due to the hammering action.
Non-Impact Printer:
Non-impact printers don't print characters or images by striking a print head or
hammer on the ink ribbon placed against the paper. They print characters and
images without direct physical contact between the paper and the printing
machinery. These printers can print a complete page at a time, so they are
also known as page printers. The common types of non-impact printers are
Laser printer and Inkjet printer:
i) Laser Printer:

A laser printer is a non-impact printer that uses a laser beam to print the
characters. The laser beam hits the drum, which is a photoreceptor and draws
the image on the drum by altering electrical charges on the drum. The drum
then rolls in toner, and the charged image on the drum picks the toner. The
toner is then printed on the paper using heat and pressure. Once the
document is printed, the drum loses the electric charge,and the remaining
toner is collected. The laser printers use powdered toner for printing instead of
liquid ink and produce quality print objects with a resolution of 600 dots per
inch (dpi) or more.
ii) Inkjet Printer:

The inkjet printer is a non-impact printer that prints images and characters by
spraying fine,ionized drops of ink. The print head has tiny nozzles to spray the
ink. The printer head moves back and forth and sprays ionized drops of ink on
the paper, which is fed through the printer. These drops pass through an
electric field that guides the ink onto the paper to print correct images and
characters.
An inkjet printer has cartridges that contain ink. Modern inkjet printers are
color printers that have four cartridges containing different colors: Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow, and Black. It is capable of printing high-quality images with
different colors. It can produce print objects with a resolution of at least 300
dots per inch (dpi).

Multimedia PROJECTOR
A projector is an output device that is capable of connecting to a computer,
which may be an other option for a monitor or television in terms of displaying
pictures to a large number of people. It takes images generated by a Blu-ray
player or a computer and projects them onto a large surface like a wall or
white screen. Projectors come in many shapes and sizes and are used in
conditions like a classroom, home cinemas, office training or presentation
sessions, etc. The projector looks like the below picture.
Commonly, projectors come a few inches tall and about a foot long and wide.
They may be portable and freestanding and can be mounted on ceilings.
Ceiling-mounted projectors come in a large size with a long-distance like 30
feet or more. The main applications of these kinds of projectors are places of
worship, conference rooms, classrooms, and auditoriums.
On the other hand, some of the projectors have the potential to support Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth conectivity, and most projectors are designed in a way that they
can have different input sources, such as VGA ports for older devices and
HDMI ports for newer equipment.
In the early time, there were needed much high amount thousands of dollars
for high-quality projectors, and more than a hundred dollars were required for
bulbs alone. In modern times, the cost of projectors has decreased, like a
bright, high-quality projector has been reduced to a few hundred dollars with
the help of LCD and LED light sources.
Front vs Rear Projection
Projectors can be used for displaying pictures or videos on the front or rear.
The screen is the difference between both types of projection, which is
semi-transparent grey for rear projection and non-transparent white for front
projection. In the front projection, the pictures are sent to the front of the
screen from the audience. This process does not need an empty space back
side of the screen; therefore, this process is most common.
In the rear projection, the pictures are sent from behind the screen toward the
audience. This method provides better contrast as compared to front
projection and is less affected by ambient light. Commonly rear projection is
used in commercial areas where more space is available and also used in
outdoor settings.
Types of Projector
The LCD (liquid crystal display) and DLP (digital light processing) are two
common types of projectors. However, CRT (cathode ray tube) projector is
another type of projector, which was popular in the earlier times of projectors.
In modern times, CRT projectors are no longer in use; because they provided
low light output and came in a large size.

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

A CRT, which stands for Cathode Ray Tube projector, is a video projecting
device that uses a cathode ray tube (which is small and high-brightness) as
the image generating element. A Lens is kept in front of the CRT face through
which the image is focused and enlarged onto a screen. In the early 1950s,
color CRT projectors came on the market for the first time. Instead of a
single-color CRT, most of the modern CRT projectors have colored (red,
green, and blue) CRT tubes and their own lenses to generate color images
and commonly come with color features. An example picture of a CRT
projector is given below.
CRT projectors are not commonly in use today, as they consume high
electricity and are heavy in weight, and large in size. Also, they are not
portable. Although according to users, the picture quality of CRT projectors is
brilliant, it may be tricky and difficult to set up a CRT projector at the initial
stage. As compared to newer technologies, the projectors are capable of
compatible with new improvements; hence, they are nevertheless.
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
An LCD projector is a type of projector based on liquid crystal displays, which
is widely used in business seminars, presentations, and meetings. They utilize
liquid crystal to display images, data or video, and function on transmissive
technology. LCD projectors have excellent color reproduction and are cheaper
to produce, which makes them more popular as compared to many
alternatives. Generally, these kinds of display panels are used in many
devices, such as cell phones, portable video games, Laptops, computers, and
TVs. Comparing with CRT technology, the display in LCD technology is much
thinner. The below picture represents how looks an LCD projector.

Digital Light Processing (DLP)

DLP projectors are utilized for front and back projection units and can be
classified as one-chip or three-chip. Over 16 million colors can be produced
by one-chip DLP projectors, whereas more than 35 trillion colors can be
produced by three-chip models, which makes the projector capable of
providing more lifelike and natural images. It is used in organizations and
classrooms in terms of front projectors and also utilized for back projection in
TVs. The below image is an example of a DLP projector.