ICT Fundamentals: Input & Output (I/O)

Input Devices

• Input is any data and instructions entered into a computer's memory.
• Examples of input include programs, commands, and user responses.
• A program is a series of related instructions that tells a computer what tasks to perform and how to perform them.
• Input devices allow users to enter data and instructions into a computer.
• Examples of input devices include:
  • Keyboards: contain keys users press to enter alphanumeric data and instructions.
  • Pointing devices: allow users to control a pointer on the screen.
  • Game controllers: direct movements and actions of on-screen objects.
  • Digital cameras: allow users to take pictures and store them digitally.
  • Voice input: uses voice recognition to enter input.
  • Video input: captures full-motion images and stores them on a computer's storage medium.
  • Scanners and reading devices: read data from paper documents and convert it into digital format.

Types of Keyboards

• Traditional keyboard
• On-screen keyboard
• Virtual laser keyboard
• Flexible keyboards
• Wireless keyboard
• Ergonomic keyboards
• Mini-keyboard
• Keypad
• Touchscreen keypad

Types of Pointing Devices

• Mouse
• Trackball
• Touchpad
• Pointing stick
• Touch screens
• Touch-sensitive pads
• Pen input
• Gamepads
• Joysticks
• Steering wheels
• Light guns
• Dance pads
• Motion-sensing controllers

Scanners and Reading Devices

• Optical scanners: read data from paper documents and convert it into digital format.
• Examples of optical scanners include:
  • Flatbed scanners
  • Sheet-fed scanners
  • Drum scanners
• Optical mark recognition (OMR) readers: read hand-drawn marks such as small circles or rectangles.
• Bar code readers: use laser beams to read bar codes.
• RFID readers: use radio signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached to an object.
• Magnetic strip card readers: read data stored inside the magnetic stripe on the back of the cards.
• Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) readers: read text printed with magnetized ink.

Biometric Input Devices

• Biometric authentication devices: authenticate a person's identity by verifying a personal characteristic.
• Examples of biometric input devices include:
  • Face recognition
  • Hand geometry
  • Voice verification
  • Signature verification
  • Fingerprint recognition
  • Iris recognition
  • Retinal scanners

Output Devices

• Output is data that has been processed into a useful form (text, graphics, video, and audio).
• Output devices convey information to one or more people.
• Examples of output devices include:
  • Display devices: visually convey text, graphics, and video information.
  • Printers: produce text and graphics on a physical medium such as paper.
  • Audio output devices: produce music, speech, or other sounds.
  • Voice output devices: produce a person's voice or computer-generated voice.

Display Devices

• Display devices visually convey text, graphics, and video information.
• Examples of display devices include:
  • Monitors: packaged as a separate peripheral.
  • Flat-panel displays: lightweight, shallow, and flat, typically using LCD or gas plasma technology.
  • CRT monitors: contain a Cathode-Ray Tube.
  • Televisions: require a converter if connecting a computer to an analog television.

Printers

• Printers produce text and graphics on a physical medium such as paper.
• Examples of printers include:
  • Nonimpact printers: form characters and graphics on a piece of paper without actually striking the paper.
    • Ink-jet printers
    • Laser printers
    • Photo printers
    • Mobile printers
    • Thermal printers
    • Label and postage printers
    • Plotters
    • Large-format printers
  • Impact printers: form characters and graphics on a piece of paper by striking a mechanism against an inked ribbon.
    • Dot-matrix printers
    • Line printers

Audio Output Devices

• Audio output devices produce music, speech, or other sounds.
• Examples of audio output devices include:
  • Speakers
  • Earbuds
  • Headphones

Voice Output Devices

• Voice output devices produce a person's voice or computer-generated voice.
• Examples of voice output devices include:
  • Speakers

Other Output Devices

• Data projectors: project images on a larger screen.
• Interactive whiteboards: display the image on a connected computer screen.
• Force-feedback devices: send resistance to the device in response to actions of the user.
• Tactile output devices: provide a physical response (vibration) when providing input.

Input-Output Devices

• Input-output devices can receive data from users or another device (input) and send data to another device (output).
• Examples of input-output devices include:
  • Touch screens
  • Headsets
  • Drones
  • Robots### Robotics Outputs
• Robotics outputs can vary in complexity, ranging from exploring damaged nuclear reactors to taking photos.

Input-Output Devices

• Examples of input-output devices include:
  • Virtual Reality Headgear and Gloves: used to create an artificial or simulated reality in 3D, providing a virtual experience.
  • Multifunctional 3 in 1 Printer (Print-Scan-Copy): combines the capabilities of a scanner, printer, and copy machine, offering cost and space advantages.