Chapter 2: Inputs and

Outputs
IGCSE

Miss. Mariem Ben Wahma

Plan
• Input devices

• Output devices

• Direct Data Entry devices

• Types of printers
 Input devices
What is an input device?
Input devices are devices that are designed to enter data into a system. They
are not to be confused with devices that you put physical components on ( such
as paper in a printer). The device must be putting data in from a physical format
into a digital format.

They come in two forms:

• Manual entry input devices: devices require the user to enter data manually,
such as a keyboard or a mouse.

• Direct data entry systems: systems allow data to be entered semi or fully
automatically. These are usually used in specialist systems, such as retail or
industrial systems.
 Input devices
Text input Devices
Text input devices usually come in the form of either keyboards or numeric
keypads.
Keyboards are an incredibly efficient method for inputting text data in to computer
system.

 Advantages
Fast accurate input – trained typists can type at over 70 words per minute.
Full keyboards can be used for gaming as well as work
Numeric Keypads allow numeric text input only and are usually used for specific
applications (ATM machines, tills)

 Disadvantages
Full size keyboards are larger than many modern computer systems ( tablets,
laptops and phones) so aren’t very portable
Extended use can cause repetitive strain injury.
Can’t be used by people with certain disabilities
New users are very slow at typing.
  Input devices

Position Input Devices

Position input devices are used to position a pointer(cursor) on a screen.

• Mouse
The most common of form of position input device is a mouse. A laser and
sensor in the base of the mouse is used to detect when the mouse moves across
a surface and the movement is translated in a to movement on the screen. Mice
allow for fast, high precision work and that is why they are popular with both
professionals and  pc gamers.
 Input devices
• Tracker ball
Some people with limited arm movement find mice
difficult or impossible to use, and so they often use a
tracker-ball instead. With a tracker-ball the palm of the
hand rests on the device and the ball is rotated by the
fingers.

• Touchpad
Many business people and students choose a laptop
instead of a desktop pc because they are far more
portable, but when used in confined spaces (e.g. on a
bus / train) it isn’t practical to use a mouse. This means
that almost all laptops are fitted with a touch-pad to
serve as a substitute for a mouse. They are must
more compact and portable than a mouse or tracker
ball, but also slow and more inaccurate.
 Input devices
Touch input devices

• Touch screen input

Until quite recently, touch screens were expensive, specialist devices
that were normally found in retail or commercial settings. However this
changed rapidly with the invention of smartphone and tablet computer
systems. This has resulted in the sales high accuracy, low-latency (low
lag)  and cheap touch input devices that are now found in a wide
variety of settings.
 Advantages
When combined with a GUI they are very easy and intuitive to use, with
little or no training required.
 Disadvantages
They aren’t as accurate as a mouse pointer
When in use the finger or hand blocks the user’s sight of the screen
 Input devices
• Graphics Tablets
Graphics tablets are touch sensitive devices that combine the
use of a tablet and stylus. They allow the user to draw in the
same manner as they would on paper, but instead producing
digital art work.

 Advantages
Artists can transfer their drawing skills to the computer.
More ‘natural’ feel than drawing with a mouse.
some tablets hand handwriting recognition so that writing skills
can be used instead of keyboard skills

 Disadvantages
It takes a while to adapt to looking at a screen whilst drawing on
the tablet.
Far more expensive than a mouse
 Input devices
Video and Image input devices

• Scanners
Scanners are used to convert hard-copy versions of
documents (paper versions) in to soft-copy
versions(electronic versions). The are especially useful in
business where an electronic backup of a signed document is
required.

 Advantages
They are highly accurate
Often include ‘scan-to-email’ functionality so the scanned
document can be directed sent.

 Disadvantages
They are bulky – not portable
Can only scan flat documents
 Input devices
• Digital Cameras
Digital cameras have completely changed the
photography industry. Photography used to be a slow,
expensive and unpredictable process. The invention of
the digital camera has led to a massive shirt, not only in
how photos are taken and processed, but the purpose
of photography itself. For the ‘Instagram’ generation
photos have become a throwaway product.

 Advantages
Photos can be accurately previewed before they are
taken and instantly reviewed afterwards.

 Disadvantages
Modern digital cameras require a massive amount of
storage space.
 Input devices
• Webcams
With the development of Voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP)
technology there came a massive drive to put a webcam on the
front of every laptop. Webcams allow users to see the faces of the
people of who they are chatting to online and allow video
bloggers to show their faces at the same time as the content of
their videos.

 Advantages
Allow users to see the faces and read the emotions of those who
they are chatting to online.

 Disadvantages
lower quality than digital cameras
they rely on a high bandwidth internet connection for a steady
video stream
Can be hacked if left connected to the internet, so a potential
security and privacy threat.
 Input devices
Audio Input Devices
Most modern laptops, tables and phones have a high quality, in-built microphone and
the software built to exploit these devices is improving rapidly. As well as the ability to
record sounds and encode them in to a digital format, audio input can be processed in
other ways.

• Voice to text
Most word processing software now has inbuilt voice to text conversion, so as you talk
your words are automatically typed up for you.

 Advantages
Good for those who aren’t good at typing, have a disability, or don’t have any free
hands.

 Disadvantages
The technology isn’t perfect and struggles to convert in noisy environments and where
the user has a strong accent.
  Input devices
Audio Input Devices
Most modern laptops, tables and phones have a high quality, in-built microphone and the
software built to exploit these devices is improving rapidly. As well as the ability to record
sounds and encode them in to a digital format, audio input can be processed in other ways.

• Voice to text
Most word processing software now has inbuilt voice to text conversion, so as you talk your
words are automatically typed up for you.
 Advantages
Good for those who aren’t good at typing, have a disability, or don’t have any free hands.
 Disadvantages
The technology isn’t perfect and struggles to convert in noisy environments and where the
user has a strong accent.

• Voice Control
Many mobile devices have in-built voice control software that allows the user to issue voice
commands to the device.
  Output devices
What is an output device ?
Output devices are pieces of computer hardware used to communicate the results of data
processing performed by a computer.
The objective of output devices is to turn computer information into a human
friendly/readable form.
There are many examples of output devices, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.

• Data projectors
Data projectors are output devices used to project the digital output from a computer
device on to a large screen or wall.
The user can usually choose whether the projector mirrors their computer screen, extends
it, or replaces it.
Projectors are ideal when training or presenting information to a large audience.
Prices are very reasonable for basic projectors, however, a data projector capable of
showing cinema films or sports footage in a bar are far more expensive.
 Output devices
 Advantages
Projected content can be seen easily be a large audience
Allow a wide range of media and ideas to be shared with others
Entry level projectors are affordable

 Disadvantages
Top quality projectors are very expensive
Some projectors do not work very well in natural light

• Speakers and headphones?

Speakers and headphone are the output devices responsible for producing sounds.
Speakers and headphones convert digital signals into analogue sound waves that are
audible to our human ear drums.
Speakers come as standard is most portable computing devices.  Desktop computers
usually require the purchase of separate speakers.
Speakers and headphones aren’t just for music, they also allow us to hear computer
warning signals and other people when communicating via voice or video calls.
 Output devices
• Printers
A printer is an output device that prints paper documents. This
includes text documents, images or a combination of both.
The printed output produced by a printer is often called a hard
copy, which is the physical version of an electronic document.
While some printers can only print black and white hard copies,
most printers today can produce color prints. In fact, many home
printers can now produce high-quality photo prints that rival
professionally developed photos. This is because modern printers
have a high DPI (dots per inch) setting, which allows documents to
printed with a very fine resolution.
 Direct Entry Devices
What are direct data entry devices?
Direct data entry devices are specific purpose devices designed to automate or
speed up the entry of data in to the system by minimising human data entry. They
have a wide range of uses including in education, retail and in business. They
consist of either specialist hardware, software ( or both) and come in a number of
different forms.

 Advantages
Faster data entry
More accurate data entry

 Disadvantages
If hardware / software is faulty large numbers of errors will be made.
Expensive set-up costs to buy the hardware / software
Can only be used for their specific purpose
 Direct Entry Devices
Magnetic Stripe Readers
Magnetic stripe reader technology is made up to two components:
Plastic (or paper) cards with a magnetic storage strip
Magnetic card reader/writer
Data is written to the card by magnetically polarising the surface of the card. The
combination of positive and negative polarisation represents the binary digits of
ones and zeros.

 Advantages
Cheaper to issue/replace than traditional door keys for hotels.

 Disadvantages
High setup costs for some installations (door security)
Cards can be easily cloned, making them insecure.
 Direct Entry Devices
Chip and Pin Readers
As credit and room card cloning became increasingly popular, businesses looked to
a more secure technology MSR. Chip and Pin technology was developed to make
transactions more secure.
The new technology has a similar format to magnetic stripe readers, with:
A card with a microchip placed directly on it.
A reader than reads the chip.
The use of a secure chip meant that the cardholder’s card could be used not just to
contain the bank details of the client, but could also be used to verify the PIN code
entered. This is more secure than MSR technology that required the user to write
their signature to verify the transaction.

 Advantages
The addition of a PIN adds far better security than MSR
The card would not be ‘wiped’ by strong magnetic fields.

 Disadvantages
High setup costs for the new hardware
 Direct Entry Devices
Barcode Readers
With the rapid growth of the supermarkets in the 1970s and 1980s came a need for
a system to speed up the processing of sales at the checkout, as well as accurate
stock control.
From this demand was developed barcode technology.
This technology originally consisted of :
A barcode scanner
A printed barcode, locate on a product.
When the product was scanned, the vertical black and white bars were converted
in a decimal number, and this number was used as the product code.
This meant that shops could accurate input the:
Price of the product, meaning the sale price was correct
The product ID, meaning that the sale could be automatically passed to the stock
control database and stock levels could be updated automatically
 Direct Entry Devices
 Advantages
Stock levels can be updated automatically, making stock control easier
Very cheap for each label, as it was just printed on the side of the product label
 Disadvantages
Limitations on 2D barcodes mean that individual products can’t be tracked, only
product types.
Doesn’t help track the product for security purposes
 Direct Entry Devices

Radio Frequency ID Tags

Tracking stock within retail or warehouse setting has always been a difficult, time-
consuming and expensive task. Businesses have long looked to automate stock
checking and tracking, and RFID tags are the first serious attempt to do so.
RFID tags are small tags that can be directly attached to a product and when a reader
passes within a certain proximity of the tag, the reader can read the contents of the
tag.
The tag itself can contain:
General Product information, such as it’s name and manufacturer.
Specific item information, such as its’ unique ID or it’s sell by date.
This means that a human ( or robot) can pass by close to stock and the stock
information can be automatically read.
 Direct Entry Devices

 Advantages
Faster than processing a barcode as don’t have find the tag, just be near it.
Can also be used as a security device, so set’s off an alarm if too close to a sensor.

 Disadvantages
Higher set-up costs than barcode readers
Higher individual unit cost for the tags than a barcode reader
 Direct Entry Devices
Optical Mark Recognition
Optical mark recognition uses a combination of:
 A pre-formatted document that has been filled in by the user
 A camera / scanner to read the document

 Advantages
Can process large amounts of user input quickly
More accurate and cheaper than human marking

 Disadvantages
Limited to multiple choice style questions
 Direct Entry Devices
Optical Character Recognition
The limitations of OMR led to the development of OCR technology. This
technology is designed to read written or typed input and convert it in to an
electronic format.

 Advantages
More flexible than OMR, can be used on an question type
Excellent from converting old printed books that no electronic of exists
Can be used together with automatic translation technology to translate printed
documents near-instantly.

 Disadvantages
Not always very accurate – especially with hand-written text
 Direct Entry Devices
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
MICR is mainly used with Cheques and this is the only use for it you will need to
know in the exam
When cheques are being printed, the account holder’s name, sort-code and bank
account number is printed on to the cheque using a special magnetic ink. These
magnetic ink details are read by a machine when the cheque is processed,
meaning incorrect account details are rarely entered.

 Advantages
Very accurate due to the technology used
Difficult to copy / edit so very secure technology
Fast processing times in the bank

 Disadvantages
High setup costs
Because cheques can be received from different banks, it requires all banks adopt
the system in order for it to be effective
 Types of printers
Inkjet Printer

Inkjet printers use a highly accurate nozzle to spray a narrow jet of ink on to a piece
of paper.

Main uses
Home printing
Photo printing

 Advantages
Cheap to buy
Affordable ink

 Disadvantages
Expensive for high volume printing
Ink not waterproof
Slow printing speed.
 Types of printers
Laser Printer

Laser printers uses a combination of static electricity, magnetically sensitive toner

and a heated roller to fuse plastic coated toner on to a piece of paper.

Main Uses
Office environments

 Advantages
Cheap for high volume applications
Toner is waterproof.
Very quiet

 Disadvantages
Machines are expensive to buy
Toner refills are expensive to buy
Very sensitive to dirt
 Types of printers
Dot Matrix Printer

These machines physically strike a piece of paper with a print head ( in the shape of
a dot), transferring ink to the paper and causing an imprint on a carbon copy sheet
below.

Main Uses
Factories and dirty environments

 Advantages
Can be used in dirty environments
Only printer that can carbon copy

 Disadvantages
Very low print quality
Very noisy!
 Types of printers
Graph Plotter

This is a very large format printer, that prints highly accurately to scale.
Not to be confused with a graphics tablet!

Main Uses
Architectural Drawings
Schematics

 Advantages
Can print very large printouts accurately

 Disadvantages
VERY expensive (Thousands of pounds) to buy
Paper very expensive!
 Types of printers
3D Printer

This printer uses a nozzle that ejects a fine thread of melted plastic on to a surface.
The printer then repeats the process over hundreds of layers, building up a 3D object
in the process.

Main Uses
Prototyping
Small scale production

 Advantages
Cheap to produce working prototypes
No need to ship globally as can be printed on demand
and on location.

 Disadvantages
More expensive that injection molding for large production runs
Not a accurate as other techniques
Thank you for your attention!