Computer - Input Devices

Computer - Input Devices
Following are some of the important input devices which are used in a computer −
Keyboard
Mouse
Joy Stick
Light pen
Track Ball
Scanner
Graphic Tablet
Microphone
Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)
Optical Character Reader(OCR)

Bar Code Reader
Optical Mark Reader(OMR)
Keyboard
Keyboard is the most common and very popular input device which helps to input
data to the computer. The layout of the keyboard is like that of traditional
typewriter, although there are some additional keys provided for performing
additional functions.
Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or 101/102 keys, but now keyboards with 104
keys or 108 keys are also available for Windows and Internet.
The keys on the keyboard are as follows −
Mouse
Mouse is the most popular pointing device. It is a very famous cursor-control
device having a small palm size box with a round ball at its base, which senses the
movement of the mouse and sends corresponding signals to the CPU when the
mouse buttons are pressed.
Generally, it has two buttons called the left and the right button and a wheel is
present between the buttons. A mouse can be used to control the position of the
cursor on the screen, but it cannot be used to enter text into the computer.
Advantages
Easy to use
Not very expensive

Moves the cursor faster than the arrow keys of the keyboard.
Joystick
Joystick is also a pointing device, which is used to move the cursor position on a
monitor screen. It is a stick having a spherical ball at its both lower and upper
ends. The lower spherical ball moves in a socket. The joystick can be moved in all
four directions.
The function of the joystick is similar to that of a mouse. It is mainly used in

Computer Aided Designing (CAD) and playing computer games.
Light Pen
Light pen is a pointing device similar to a pen. It is used to select a displayed
menu item or draw pictures on the monitor screen. It consists of a photocell and
an optical system placed in a small tube.
When the tip of a light pen is moved over the monitor screen and the pen button
is pressed, its photocell sensing element detects the screen location and sends the
corresponding signal to the CPU.
Track Ball
Track ball is an input device that is mostly used in notebook or laptop computer,
instead of a mouse. This is a ball which is half inserted and by moving fingers on
the ball, the pointer can be moved.
Since the whole device is not moved, a track ball requires less space than a
mouse. A track ball comes in various shapes like a ball, a button, or a square.
Scanner
Scanner is an input device, which works more like a photocopy machine. It is used
when some information is available on paper and it is to be transferred to the hard
disk of the computer for further manipulation.
Scanner captures images from the source which are then converted into a digital
form that can be stored on the disk. These images can be edited before they are
printed.
Digitizer
Digitizer is an input device which converts analog information into digital form.
Digitizer can convert a signal from the television or camera into a series of
numbers that could be stored in a computer. They can be used by the computer to
create a picture of whatever the camera had been pointed at.
Digitizer is also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet as it converts graphics and

pictorial data into binary inputs. A graphic tablet as digitizer is used for fine works
of drawing and image manipulation applications.
Microphone
Microphone is an input device to input sound that is then stored in a digital form.
The microphone is used for various applications such as adding sound to a

multimedia presentation or for mixing music.
Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)

MICR input device is generally used in banks as there are large number of cheques
to be processed every day. The bank's code number and cheque number are
printed on the cheques with a special type of ink that contains particles of
magnetic material that are machine readable.
This reading process is called Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR). The
main advantages of MICR is that it is fast and less error prone.
Optical Character Reader (OCR)
OCR is an input device used to read a printed text.
OCR scans the text optically, character by character, converts them into a machine
readable code, and stores the text on the system memory.
Bar Code Readers

Bar Code Reader is a device used for reading bar coded data (data in the form of
light and dark lines). Bar coded data is generally used in labelling goods,
numbering the books, etc. It may be a handheld scanner or may be embedded in
a stationary scanner.
Bar Code Reader scans a bar code image, converts it into an alphanumeric value,
which is then fed to the computer that the bar code reader is connected to.
Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

OMR is a special type of optical scanner used to recognize the type of mark made
by pen or pencil. It is used where one out of a few alternatives is to be selected
and marked.
It is specially used for checking the answer sheets of examinations having multiple
choice questions.

Computer - Input Devices

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Computer - Input Devices

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Computer - Input Devices

Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)

Optical Character Reader(OCR)

Optical Mark Reader(OMR)

The keys on the keyboard are as follows −

Not very expensive

The function of the joystick is similar to that of a mouse. It is mainly used in

Digitizer is also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet as it converts graphics and

The microphone is used for various applications such as adding sound to a

Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)

Bar Code Readers

Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

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