Chapter 2

OUTPUT DEVICE
 Output devices
After data entered into the computer has been processed , the resulting
information needs to be output.
There are many output devices , with a screen (monitor) and a printer being the
most popular.
Output devices:
1. Monitors.
2. Printers.
3. Projectors.
4. Speakers.
5. Control devices
 Monitors
Come in different sizes and they are useful for displaying information
that is not needed as a hard copy.

TFT/LCD CRT

LED Flexible
Monitors
1. CRT Monitors
Cathode Ray Tube are old and least expensive.
They take up more space than the thinner TFT screens.
It makes the use of an electron
gun firing against a phosphor
screen . The picture is made
of tiny dots that are colored red, green, or blue.
Advantages of CRT monitors
▪ Can be used with a light pen .
▪ Sometimes they are used where several people need to view the
screen at the same time.(Viewing prototypes by designers).
Disadvantages of CRT monitors
▪ They are bulky and take up a large amount of space.
▪ They generate a lot of heat.
▪ Glare on the screen can be a problem.
▪ They are much heavier and present a safety problem.
▪ Flicker can cause headaches and eyesight problems.
 2. TFT Monitors and LCD
TFT monitors: “Thin Film Transistor”
• are taking over from CRT monitors as the main output device. One of the
reasons for the rapid development of laptop computers can be attributed
to the advancements made in TFT technology.

• The screen is made up of thousands of tiny pixels, which are made up of

transistors controlled by a microprocessor. Each pixel has three
transistors, colored red, green or blue; the intensity of each governs the
color of the pixel seen by the eye.
Backlight shine on the screen through the liquid crystal to produce the image.

the backlight is either fluorescent lamp or LED.

Advantages of TFT monitors
▪ They are very light and this why they are used in laptops.
▪ They are tiny so they don’t take space.
▪ They use less power.
▪ They can be easily positioned to suit the user .
▪ The radiation given off is much less than that for a CRT monitor.
▪ They don’t get as hot as CRT monitors.
▪ They don’t create glare and less likely to cause health problems.
▪ They are ideal where only one person needs to view.
Disadvantages of TFT monitors
▪ They are not easy to repair . (It is cheaper to replace them which is not
very environmentally friendly ).

▪ They have a narrow viewing angle so the image is not as clear as CRT
when viewed from the side, so they are less useful if many people are
viewing the screen.
IPS monitor
“In plane switching” is a type of LCD monitors with:
1. Improved response time
2. Improved image viewing from an angle.
 3. LED Monitors
• LCD doesn't emit any light, so some form of backlit technology needs to
be used.
• Modern LCD monitors are backlit using light emitting diode (LED)
technology. This gives the image better contrast and brightness.
• Before the use of LEDs, LCD monitors used cold cathode fluorescent
lamp (CCFL) as the backlighting method.
• Essentially, CCFL uses two fluorescent tubes behind the LCD screen,
which supplies the light source.
• When LEDs are used, a matrix of tiny LEDs is used behind the LCD
screen.
 Advantages of LED monitors
• LEDs reach their maximum brightness almost immediately
– no need to 'warm up' before reaching full efficiency
• LEDs give a whiter light, which sharpens the image and makes the colours appear
more vivid;
– CCFL had a slightly yellowish tint
• LEDs produce a brighter light
– which improves the colour definition
• Monitors using LED technology are much thinner than monitors using CCFL
technology
• LEDs last almost indefinitely; this makes the technology more reliable and makes for
a more consistent product
• LEDs consume very little power, which means they produce less heat as well as using
less energy.
4. Flexible screens
can be bent, rolled or folded.

Advantages:
1. Easily transported.
2. Low weight as they don’t use glass.
3. Less probability of being damaged.

Disadvantages:
1. Expensive
2. Not clear in sun.
3. Colors aren’t as clear as other screens.
 5. Touch screen
• Touch screens can work as both an input device, and as an output device.
• One of the few devices that can be used in this way.

Uses of touch screens (acting as both input and output)

• Smartphones and tablets (allowing interaction with apps).
• ATMs at banks (where screen options displayed depend on previous input
response).
• Ticket collection machines at theatres, cinemas and railway stations (again
on-screen outputs will depend on previous inputs).
• Information kiosks at museums or art galleries.
Advantages of Touch Screens
• Faster entry of options than using a keyboard or mouse.
• Very easy method for choosing options.
• User-friendly method – no training necessary in its use.
• Option to expand the size of the display if necessary.

Advantages of Touch Screens

• Limited number of options available.
• Not very good if large amounts of data are being input or output because they
are not very accurate and the interface is not fast.
• The screen can get very dirty with constant touching (giving a risk of spreading
infections, as well as reducing its responsiveness and making it more difficult to
read in strong sunlight).
• Easier for a third party to track a user’s interactions, which is a security risk (for
example, entering credit card details).
 Multimedia projectors
Multimedia projectors are used to project what appears on the
screen of a computer onto a much larger screen enabling an
audience to view it . They are used for training presentations,
teaching, advertising presentations and video/DVD players.
Advantages of multimedia projectors
• Many people can view what is being presented.
• Can show video to a large audience who may be seated
some distance from the screen.
Disadvantages of multimedia projectors
▪ The image quality may not be as high as the computer screen.
▪ The cooling fans on the projector create noise which can
distract.
▪ The image needs a darkened room.
▪ Setting it up can be difficult.
 Speakers

Speakers are used with application that requires sound such as

multimedia presentations and websites. Many online
encyclopedias make use of sound with explanations, famous
speeches, etc.
Speakers are also needed when listening to radios and watching
a DVD.
In laptops the speakers are usually built in.
Printers
Printers are used to provide users with output in hard copy
form.
Laser Printers
Laser printers use laser beam to attract ink from a toner
cartridge onto a paper to form the image.

mainly used by businesses and organizations. Because of their

high speed they are usually chosen as printers used
for networks.
Most laser printers print in black and white and
they are expensive.
 Advantages of laser printers
▪ Very quiet and fast – important when used as a network printer in an
office where phones are also being used.
▪ Supplies last longer – the toner cartridge lasts longer than inkjet
cartridges.
▪ High printing speed .
▪ Very reliable – fewer problems compared to inkjet and handle very large
print jobs.
▪ No wet pages that smudge.
▪ They are cheaper to run (they have a lower cost per page compared to
inkjet printers).
▪ High quality printouts.
Disadvantages of laser printers
▪ More expensive to buy but cheaper to run.
▪ Color lasers are very expensive to buy.
▪ Power consumption is high.
▪ Size as most laser printers are larger than inkjet printers.
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are popular with home users because they are
relatively cheap to buy. However, they are more expensive to run,
because of the high cost of the ink cartridges.
They work by spraying ink
onto the paper and can
Produce very good color or
black and white printouts.
They are ideal printers for
Stand-alone computers but
Less suitable for networks as they are too slow.
Advantages of Inkjet printers
▪ Small and lightweight compared to laser printers.
▪ They don’t produce ozone or organic vapors which can cause health
problems.
▪ High quality print–ideal for printing photographs
▪ Quietness of operation ( important in offices).
▪ Cheaper than laser printers.
▪ 3D inkjet printers are now being used in industry.

Disadvantages of Inkjet printers

▪ High cost of ink cartridges. (expensive to run)
▪ Ink smudges as the paper is wet.
▪ Cartridges do not last long and must be replaced frequently.
▪ Can’t do large print jobs.
 3D printers
These are new type of printer that produce solid 3D models.
They are based on inkjet and laser printer technology and
produce solid objects that actually work.
In this technology, thin layers of fine powder are bonded
together as a 3D model.
 Uses of 3D inkjet printers
▪ They are used to produce prototypes which actually
work from CAD , photograph images and drawings.
▪ Scale models are produced in colors before the real
thing is produced.
▪ Produce organic objects ( Such as humans organs
models).
Advantages of 3D Inkjet printers
▪ 3D Inkjet printers save a lot of money by producing models before
creating real objects.
▪ Physical scale models are produced with working parts which gives a
better idea of how the end product will look.
▪ The powders used can often be ground up and re-used.

Disadvantages of 3D Inkjet printers

▪ 3D inkjets are expensive.
▪ They are slow.
▪ The end product can sometimes be a little rough and often needs
further work to be done on it
 Dot matrix Printers
⮚ Dot matrix are used in offices and factories where
multi part printouts are needed and noise is not an
issue . (invoices).
⮚ Inkjet are impact printers and work by hitting little
pins against an inked ribbon to form the characters
⮚ On the paper, which create a Large amount of
noise.
⮚ They may seem out-of-date but they are ideal in
some situations( invoices in warehouses, car part
stores,…).
Advantages of dot matrix printers
▪ Can be used to print multi-part-stationery.
▪ Can be used with continuous stationary (lists).
▪ Cheaper to run than inkjet.

Disadvantages of dot matrix printers

▪ Very noisy .
▪ Relatively slow.
▪ Low quality printouts. The text look dotty.
▪ Unsuitable for printing graphics.
▪ Colored dot-matrix are more expensive than other printers which produce
higher quality.
▪ More expensive to buy than inkjet printers.
 Graph plotter
Graph plotters are ideal for printing designs that have been
produced using CAD, plans, large printouts and maps. They
produce precise scale drawings . ( A0 size paper).
Advantages of graph plotter
▪ Can be used with larger-sized paper or card.
▪ Can be adapted and used as a cutter to cut out designs .
▪ Produces high quality printouts.

Disadvantages of graph plotters

▪ Slow to complete the image.
▪ Expensive to buy and maintain.
Control Devices
Output devices that work with conjunction with input sensor devices and commands from
computer in order to control a process.

Sensors gather measurable data from the environment and input it to the computer
Once computer decided what to do with the data, it sends instructions to the control device.

The control device physically changes something in response to the commands received from the
computer.
Control Devices, Example
 Actuators
- They are part of the control process, in which digital signals are sent by the computer to actuator to
affect of control the real world “Switches on or off other control devices.”.
- Actuators take instructions from the computer and then make the 'physical' part of the process
happen.

For example in our security system example, the computer has decided that it is necessary to switch
on the security light but it cannot do this by itself.
Instead the computer instructs the actuator to switch the light on.

Actuators can also physically operate devices such as motors, pumps, switches and valves.
 Spins

makes noise

increases heat

creates light