UNIT3 HARDWARE – INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES

Structure

1.1 Introduction
Objectives
1.2 InputDevice
1.2.1 Mouse
1.2.2 Thumb wheel
1.2.3 Tracker ball
1.2.4 Touch panel
1.2.5 Light pen
1.2.6 Key board
1.3 Other Input Devices
1.3.1 Data Glove
1.3.2 Digitizer
1.3.3 Image Scanner
1.3.4 Voice System
1.4 OutputDevices
1.4.1 Dot matrix printer
1.4.2 Laser Printer
1.4.3 Inkjet printer
1.4.4 Thermal Printer
1.4.5 Electro static plotter
1.4.6 Pen plotter
1.5 Summary

1.1 Introduction

An understanding of the operations and applications of Hardware applied in Computer

Aided Design. The Hardware components for computer-aided design are available in
variety of sizes, configurations, and capabilities. Operator input devices are provided at
the graphics workstation to facilitate convenient communication between user and the
system. Workstations generally have several types of input devises to allow operator to
select various programmed input functions. These functions permit the operators to
create or modify an image on the CRT Screen as well as complete geometric
descriptions of the part in the CAD Data Base.
The objective of this unit is mainly to provide description of CAD/CAM hardware and its
related terminology. The types of architectures of CAD/CAM systems, input devices and
output devices is mainly covered under this unit.The images generated during
Computer Aided Designing (CAD) are to be put on an output device.

OBJECTIVES

After studying this unit, you should be able to

 Understand the various Input devises and its operations & applications.

 know about different other input devicesand

 Understand and identify the range of output devices to obtain hard copies.
To know the various operations and applications of Output Devices.

Deflection directs the beam towards specified positions on the phosphor-

coated screen.

1.2 INPUT DEVICE

Various devices are available for data input on graphics workstations. Most systems
have a keyboard and one or more additional devices specially designed for interactive
input.
There are different types of input devices.

Logical and Locator Devices:

 Locator, to indicate a position and/or orientation.

 Pick, to select a displayed entity.
 To input a single value in the space of real numbers.
 Keyboard, to input a character string.
 Choice, to select from a set of possible actions or choices.
1.2.1 Mouse
A mouse is small hand-held box used to position the screen cursor. Wheels or rollers on
the bottom of the mouse can be used to record the amount and direction of movement.
An optical sensor can also be used to detect the mouse motion. For using it, the mouse
is moved over a special mouse pad that has a grid of horizontal and vertical lines.
Movements across the lines in the grid are detected by the optical sensor.
Since a mouse can be picked up and put down at another position without change in
cursor movement, it is used for making relative changes in the position of the screen
cursor. For signaling the execution of some operations, different types of buttons are
included on the top of the mouse. Most general-purpose graphics systems now include
a mouse and a keyboard as the major input devices. The geometrical image of the
mouse as shown in fig 1.

Figure 1: Mouse
Additional devices can be included in the basic mouse design to increase the number of
allowable input parameters. The Z mouse includes three buttons, a thumbwheel on the
side, a trackball on the top, and a standard mouse ball underneath. This design
provides six degrees of freedom to select spatial positions, rotations and other
parameters. With the Z mouse, we can pick up an object, rotate it, and move it in any
direction, or we can navigate our viewing position and orientation through a three-
dimensional scene.
Applications of the Z mouse included virtual reality, CAD and animation.
1.2.2 Thumbwheel:
Thumbwheel device uses two thumbwheels, one to control the horizontal position of the
cursor, the other control to the vertical position. This type of device often mounted as an
integral part of the CRT terminal. The cursor in this arrangement is often represented by
the intersection of a vertical line and a horizontal line displayed on the CRT screen. The
two lines are like crosshairs in a gun sight which span the height and width of the
screen.

1.2.3 Joysticks
A joystick consists of a small, vertical lever (called the stick) mounted on a base that is
used to steer the screen cursor around. Some joysticks are mounted on a keyboard.
Most joysticks select screen positions with actual stick movement; while a few respond
to the pressure on the stick.
The distance moved by the stick in any direction from its center position and the
distance of the screen cursor movement in that direction are proportionate.
Potentiometers mounted at the base of the joystick are used to measure the amount of
movement, and the stick returns to the centre position when it is released due to the
spring. One or more buttons can be programmed to act as input switches to signal
certain actions once a screen position has been selected. The image of the joystick as
shown in fig 2.

Figure 2: Joy Stick

In another type of movable joystick, the stick is used to activate switches that cause the
screen cursor to move at a constant rate in the selected direction. Eight switches,
arranged in a circle, are sometimes provided, so that the stick can select any one of
eight directions for cursor movement.
Pressure-sensitive joysticks have a non-movable stick (isometric joysticks). In case of
pressure sensitive joystick, strain gauges are used to measure the pressure and convert
it into movement of the cursor in the specified direction.
Two thumbwheels are usually required to control the screen cursor in its horizontal and
vertical position respectively.
As the name implies, a trackball is a ball that can be rotated with the fingers or palm of
the hand to produce screen-cursor movement.
Potentiometers, attached to the ball, are used to measure the direction and amount of
rotation. Trackballs are often mounted on keyboards or other devices such as the Z
mouse as explained earlier.
While a trackball is a two-dimensional positioning device, a space ball provides six
degrees of freedom. Unlike the trackball, a space ball does not actually move. The
amount of pressure applied to the space ball is measured by the strain gauges and it is
to provide input for spatial positioning and orientation as the ball is pushed or pulled in
various directions. Space balls are used for three-dimensional positioning and selection
operations in virtual-reality systems, modeling, animation, CAD and other applications.

1.2.4 Tracker ball

Tracker ball is a pointing device consisting of ball held by a socket containing sensors to
detect a rotation of the ball about two axes-like an upside down mouse with an exposed
protruding ball. The tracker ball operation is similar to that of the Joystick except that an
operator – controlled ball is rotated to move the cursor in desired direction on the
screen. The image of the tracker ball as shown in fig.3

Figure 3: Tracker Ball

1.2.5 Touch Panels:
In case of touch panels, displayed objects or screen positions is allowed to be selected
with the touch of a finger. A typical application of touch panels is for the selection of
processing options that are represented with graphical icons. Some systems, such as
the plasma panels, are designed with touch screens. Other systems can be adapted for
touch input by fitting a transparent device with a touch-sensing mechanism over the
video monitor screen. Touch input can be recorded using optical, electrical, or
acoustical methods. The image of the touch panel as shown in fig 4.

Figure 4: Touch Panel

1.2.6 Light Pens
The light pen used to select screen positions by detecting the light coming from points
on the CRT screen. These are sensitive to the short burst of light emitted from the
phosphor coating at the instant the electron beam strikes a particular point. Other light
sources, such as the background light in the room, are usually not detected by a light
pen. An activated light pen, pointed at a spot on the screen as the electron beam lights
up that spot, generates an electrical pulse that causes the coordinate position of the
electron beam to be recorded. As with cursor-positioning devices, recorded light-pen
coordinates can be used to position an object or to select a processing option. The
image shows as Light Pen in fig 5.
 Figure 5: Light Pen
Although light pens still exist, but due to several disadvantages they are not as popular
as other input devices that have been developed. For example, when a light pen is
pointed at the screen, part of the screen image is obscured by the hand and pen. And
prolonged use of the light pen can cause arm fatigue. Also, light pens require special
implementations for some applications because they cannot detect positions within back
areas. To be able to select positions in any screen area with a light pen, we must have
some non-zero intensity assigned to each screen pixel. In addition, light pens
sometimes give false readings due to background lighting in a room.

Electronic tablet / Pen

The electronic tablet and pen in computer graphics describe an electronically sensitive
tablet used in conjunction with an electronics stylus. The tablet is flat surface, separate
from the CRT Screen, on which the user draws with the pen like stylus to input
instructions or to control the cursor.

1.2.7 Keyboards
An alphanumeric keyboard for a graphics system is used primarily as a device for
entering text strings. Keyboards can also be provided with features to facilitate entry of
screen coordinates, menu selections, or graphics functions. The keyboard is an efficient
device for in putting such monographic data such as picture labels associated with a
graphics display. Common features on general-purpose keyboards are cursor-control
keys. Functions keys are used to enter frequently used operations in a single keystroke,
and cursor-control keys can be used to select displayed objects or coordinate positions
by positioning the screen cursor. Additionally, a numeric keypad is often included on the
keyboards for fast entry of numeric data. Some keyboards have other types of cursor-
positioning devices, such as a trackball or joystick.
For specialized applications, input to a graphics application may come from a set of
buttons, dials, or switches that select data values or customized graphics operations.
Buttons and switches are often used to input predefined functions, and dials are
common devices for entering scalar values.

1.3 Other Input Devices

1.3.1 Data Glove:
Data glove is used to grasp a “virtual” object. The glove is constructed with a series of
sensors that detect hand and finger motions. Electromagnetic coupling between
transmitting antennas and receiving antennas is used to provide information about the
position and orientation of the hand. The transmitting and receiving antennas can each
be structured as a set of three mutually perpendicular coils, forming a three-dimensional
Cartesian coordinate system. Input from the glove can be used to position or manipulate
objects in a virtual scene. Atwo-dimensional projection of the scene can be viewed on a
video monitor, or a three-dimensional projection can be viewed with a handset. The
graphical image shows as Data Glove in Fig 6.

Figure 6: Data Glove

1.3.2 Digitizers:
A common device for drawing, painting, or interactively selecting coordinate positions
on an object is a digitizer. These devices can be used to input coordinating values in
either a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional space. Typically, a digitizer is used to
scan over a drawing or object and to input a set of discrete coordinate positions, which
can be joined with straight-line segments to approximate the curve or surface shapes.
One type of digitizers is the graphics tablet (also referred to as a data tablet) which is
used to input two-dimensional coordinates by activating a hand cursor or stylus at
selected positions on a flat surface. A hand cursor contains cross hairs for sighting
positions, while a stylus is a pencil-shaped device that is pointed at positions on the
tablet. Tablet size varies from 12 by 12 inches for desktop models to 44 by 60 inches or
larger for floor models. Graphics table provide a highly accurate method for selecting
coordinate positions, with an accuracy that varies from about 0.2 mm on desktop
models to about 0.5 mm or less on longer models. The graphical image as shows in
fig 7.

Figure 7: Digitizer
Many graphics tablet are constructed with a rectangular grid of wires embedded in the
tablet surface. Electromagnetic pulses are generated in sequence along the wires, and
an electric signal is induced in a wire coil in an activated stylus or hand cursor to record
a tablet position. Depending on the technology, either signal strength, coded pulses, or
phase shifts can be used to determine the position on the tablet.
Acoustic (or sonic) tablet use sound waves to detect a stylus position. Either strip
microphones or point microphones can be used to detect the sound emitted by an
electrical spark from a stylus tip. The position of the stylus is calculated by timing the
arrival of the generated sound at the different microphone positions. An advantage of
two-dimensional acoustic tablets is that the microphones can be placed on any surface
to form the “tablet” work area. This can be convenient for various applications such as
digitizing drawings in a book.
Three-dimensional digitizers use sonic or electromagnetic transmissions to record
positions. One electromagnet transmission method is similar to that used in the data
glove. A coupling between the transmitter and receiver is used to compute the location
of a stylus as it moves over the surface of an object. As the points are selected on a
non-metallic object, a wireframe outline of the surface is displayed on the computer
screen. Once the surface outline is constructed, it can be shaded with lighting effects to
produce a realistic display of the object. Resolution of this system is from 0.8 mm to
0.08 mm, depending on the model.

1.3.3 Image Scanners:

Drawings, graphs, color and black-and-white photos, or text can be stored for computer
processing with an image scanner by passing an optical scanning mechanism over the
information to be stored. The gradations of gray scale or color are then recorded and
stored in an array. Once we have the internal representation of a picture to a particular
screen area, we can also apply various image-processing methods to modify the array
representation of the picture. For scanned text input, various editing operations can be
performed on the stored documents. Some scanners are able to scan either graphical
representations or text, and they come in a variety of sizes and capabilities. The
graphical image of the image scanner as shown in fig 8.

Figure 8: Image Scanner

1.3.4 Voice Systems:
Speech recognizers are used in some graphics workstations as input devices to accept
voice commands. The voice-system input can be used to initiate graphics operations or
to enter data. These systems operate by matching an input against a predefined
dictionary of words and phrases. The image of Voice System as shown in fig 8.

Figure 9: Voice System

A dictionary is set up for a particular operator by having the operator speak the
command words to be used into the system. Each word is spoken several times, and
the system analyzes the word and establishes a frequency pattern for that word in the
dictionary along with the corresponding function to be performed. Later, when a voice
command is given, the system searches the dictionary for a frequency-pattern match.
Voice input is typically spoken into a microphone mounted on a headset. The
microphone is designed to minimize input of other background sounds. If a different
operator is to use the system, the dictionary must be reestablished with that operator’s
voice patterns. Voice systems have some advantages over other input devices, since
the attention of the operator does not have to be switched from one device to another to
enter a command.
A passive graphics device simply draws pictures under computer control; i.e. it allows
the computer to communicate graphically with the user. Examples are dot matrix
printers, an electrostatic plotter, pen and ink plotters, film recorders and storage tube
refresh and raster CRT displays.
An active graphics device allows the user to communicate with the computer
graphically. Generally, this implies that the user is supplying coordinate information in
some indirect manner, i.e. by means other than typing the appropriate numbers. Usually
an active graphics device has the ability to reposition the cursor and read its new
position.

1.4 OUTPUT DEVICES

Hardcopy images are images that can be taken away from the computer and
communicated to your audience without any computer mediation. This can be done in
several ways, but the basic idea is that any kind of medium that can carry an image is a
candidate for hardcopy. Each of these media has its own issues in terms of its capability
and how you must prepare your images for the medium.
Now, you are aware about the input devices as studied in the previous section. In this
section, we will discuss various hard copy technologies.
Before discussing the actual hard copy devices it is important to understand the various
factors which will effect the image quality achievable by these devices. Some of the
factors are explained below.
Dot/Spot Size: Diameter of a single dot.
Addressability: Number of individual dots/inch that can be created. It differs in
horizontal and vertical directions. It can be calculated in x direction as the reciprocal of
the distance between centres of dots at addresses (x, y) and (x + 1, y). Similarly, it can
be defined for y, i.e. (x, y) and (x, y + 1). Inter-dot distance is the reciprocal of
addressability.
Resolution :As discussed earlier, it is the numbers of distinguishable lines/inch that a
device can create and white line can be distinguished by observers. Once we have
understood the terminology defined above we can further see their effect in the image
quality. For example, if dot size is greater than the inter dot distance, then overlapping
smooth shapes can be created. However, at the same time it is to be remembered that
smaller dot size allows the viewing of finer detail. We can also see that the resolution is
related to the dot size and cannot be greater than addressability. In this case, it is clear
that resolution is also dependent on the cross-sectionals intensity distribution of a spot.
Spot having sharply delineated edges yields higher resolution than the spot whose
edges trail off.
After going through the above terminology it will easy to understand now the working of
various output devices and how it is going to affect the quality.

1.4.1 Dot Matrix Printers

These printers are raster output devices requiring scan conversion of vector images
prior to printing. It has 7 to 24 thin pins of stiff pieces of wires which can be individually
fired to strike a ribbon against the paper. Thin wires are arranged in the form of matrix
on a printer head that moves horizontally across the paper. The image of dot matrix
printer as shown in fig 10

Figure 10: Dot Matrix Printer

Printing mechanism involves the electromagnetic release of one or more of spring steel
mounted wires. Therefore, the addressability of a dot-matrix printer need not be limited
by the physical distance between pins on the print head. There can be two columns of
pins, offset vertically by one-half the inter pin spacing. Alternatively, two passes over the
paper can be used to achieve the same effect, by advancing the paper by one-half the
inter pin spacing between the first and second passes.
Colored ribbons can be used to produce color hardcopy. Two approaches are possible.
The first is using multiple print heads, each head with a different color ribbon.
Alternatively and more commonly, a single print head is used with a multicolored ribbon.

1.4.2 Laser Printers

In this, positively charged rotating drum coated with selenium is scanned by a laser
beam. The areas where the laser beam hits loose their charge and the remaining
portions remain positively charged. These are the areas where the copy is to be black.
A negatively charged powdered toner adheres to the positive areas of the drum which is
then transferred to black paper to form the copy. In colored printers, the process is
repeated for each primary color. The image of the laser printer shown in fig 11

Figure 11: Laser Printer

1.4.3 Inkjet Printers

These types of printers spray cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink onto paper. In most
cases, the inkjet are mounted on a head in the printer like mechanism. The print head
moves across the page to draw once scan line, returns while the paper advances by
one inter scan line spacing and draws the next scan line.

Figure 12: Inkjet Printer

There is one more approach in which the paper is wrap around the drum which rotates
rapidly while the printer head moves slowly around the drum. In inkjet printers, all the
colors are deposited simultaneously. The image of the inkjet printer as shown in figure
12.

1.4.4 Thermal Printers

It is a raster hard copy device. Pigments from colored wax paper are transferred to plain
paper by finely spaced heating nibs. Both the papers are drawn together over the strip
of heating nibs which are selectively heated to cause the pigment transfer. Nibs can be
heated and cooled rapidly and single color hard copy image can be created in less than
one minute. The image of the thermal printer as shown in fig 13.

Figure 13: Thermal Printer

Thermal Sublimation Dye Transfer Printers

These are similar to thermal transfer printers in working except the heating and dye
transfer process permits 256 intensity each of cyan, magenta and yellow. The process
is slower than wax transfer, but the quality is near photographic.

1.4.5 Electrostatic Plotters

In these, a negative charge is placed on those parts of white papers that are to be
black, then flows positively charged black toner over the paper. This leads to the
adhering of the toner particles to the paper where the charge has been deposited. In
color electrostatic plotters, the three subtractive primary colors cyan, magenta and
yellow and black are applied to the medium in four successive passes. The medium is
rebound between applications of each color. Others use multiple heads to deposit all
the colors in the single pass. Electrostatic plotters are often faster than pen plotters. On
the other hand, pen plotters create images with higher contrast, since they deposit the
toner even in areas where the paper is not negatively charged. The image of the
electrostatic printer as shown in Fig 14

Figure 14: Electrostatic Plotter

1.4.6 Pen Plotters

It moves the pen over a piece of paper in random, vector drawing style. To draw a line
first the pen is positioned at the start of the line and then lower to the paper, moved in a
straight line to the end point of the line, raised, and move to the start of the next line.
There are two basic varieties of pen plotters – flat bag plotters and drum plotters. In flat
bag plotters, a sheet of paper is spread out on a table and held out by the electrostatic
charge and pen moves in x-y direction on this sheet, whereas in drum plotters paper
moves along one axis and pen moves along the other axis. The image of the pen plotter
as shown in Fig 15.In pen plotters, plotting speed depends on the acceleration and the
velocity with which pen can be moved. Pen acceleration is partially a function of the
mass of the plot head.
 .
Figure 15: Pen Plotter

SAQ 1:

(a) List the different types of input devices.

(b) Write a brief note about mouse as a locating device.

(c) Explain the differences between mouse and trackball.

(d) What are the limitations of light pen as a locating device?

(e) Write a brief note about digitizer as a locating device.

(f) Give brief write up on any one of the following types of output devices:

(i) Dot matrix printer,

(ii) Laser printer, and

(iii) Electrostatic plotter.

1.5 SUMMARY

This unit covers the major hardware features of computer graphics systems like video
monitors, hard copy devices, keyboard and other devices for graphics input and output.
Vector and raster display devices have been elaborated. Raster refresh monitor is
based on television technology. It uses a frame buffer to store intensity information for
each pixel. Vector displays construct pictures by drawing lines between specified points.
Input devices like keyboard, trackballs and joysticks etc., are used to position the screen
cursor. In virtual reality, data gloves are used. Other input devices include image
scanners, digitizers, touch panels, light pens and voice systems. Hard copy devices for
graphics workstations include standard printers and plotters. Printing method includes
dot matrix, laser, inkjet, electrostatic and electro thermal. Plotter method includes pen
plotting and combination of printer-plotter devices.