Types of Computing Devices PDF

Types of Computing Devices COS/SEN/CSC 101 NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 1 TYPES OF COMPUTER Since the invention of computers from first generation computers, they have been classified according to their types and how they operate, that is input, process and output informati...

Types of Computing Devices COS/SEN/CSC 101 NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 1 TYPES OF COMPUTER Since the invention of computers from first generation computers, they have been classified according to their types and how they operate, that is input, process and output information. Computer types can be divided into three categories according to electronic nature. They are named according to their functions. These computer types are: · Analogue Computers · Digital Computers · Hybrid Computers NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 2 ANALOG Computers Analogue computers are designed to process analogue data. Analogue data is continuous data that changes continuously and cannot have discrete values. Analogue computers directly accept the data from the measuring device without first converting it into numbers and codes. They measure the continuous changes in physical quantity and generally render output as a reading on a dial or scale. Speedometer and mercury thermometer are examples of analogue computers. These are computers which measure changes in continuous physical or electrical states, for example, pressure, temperature, voltage, length, volume, or shaft rotation. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 3  A petrol pump (at the filling station) uses an analog device which measures the quantity of petrol to the nearest kobo. A speedometer is another example of an analog device. In general, analog computers solve problems by measuring. They can only measure to a certain level of accuracy. Analog computers were popular throughout the 1950s and 1960s when the cost of digital computers was still very high. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 4 DIGITAL Computers These are computers which perform calculations by counting numbers precisely. In a digital computer data is represented by discrete states ("on" and "off" or yes/no or conducting/ non-conducting) of the computer's electronic circuitry. Number, letters, and symbols are represented by a code based on the binary number system. A number system consisting of two digits, 1 and 0. This binary number system is well suited to depict (or represent) the on/off states of electric current. The digital computer must convert all data to binary form. Generally, results from digital computers are more accurate than results from analog devices. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 5 HYBRID Computers These are computers which are a combination of DIGITAL and ANALOG computers. Some sub-units of hybrid computers are analog devices thereby requiring analog quantities, while others are digital, requiring digital quantities. It has the speed of analog computer and the memory and accuracy of digital computer. are used mainly in specialized applications where both kinds of data need to be processed. process both continuous and discrete data. The operation of a hybrid computer demands that for any given problem, appropriate values of the computer's parameter need to be set up. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 6 CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER Supercomputer A supercomputer refers to the most powerful computer that is currently available. These devices are specifically designed to process massive amounts of information at a high speed. Such as, Weather forecasting, Climate research, Scientific simulation, Oil and gas exploration, Quantum mechanics, Cryptanalysis. Supercomputers are particularly useful for scientific research, most especially in the field of nuclear research, where researchers need to accurately predict what will occur during each millisecond of a nuclear chain reaction. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 7 Mainframe Mainframe computers are the largest type of computers in common use. Mainframes are data servers that are designed to process up to 1 trillion web transactions daily with the highest levels of security and reliability. They are specifically designed to handle enormous amounts of input, output, and storage e. g. census. These computers are typically used by large organizations such as power companies, research institutions, telecommunication companies, and financial institutions. Users typically access mainframe computers through terminals, which consist of a keyboard and a video display or monitor. The mainframe computer is usually located in a dedicated computer room. Major manufacturers of mainframe computers include IBM, Burroughs, BINAC, CBC Cyber series, Univac. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 8 Minicomputer A minicomputer is also known as mini. A minicomputer is a computer which has all the features of a large size computer, but its size is smaller than those. A minicomputer lies between the mainframe and he microcomputer it is also called as a mid-range computer. The term "midrange computers" is used in a general sense to refer to a computer that falls somewhere in between a personal computer and a mainframe computer in terms of processing power, storage capacity, and other capabilities. Minicomputers are mainly multi-users systems where more than one user can work simultaneously. Mini computer examples: IBM’s AS/400e, Honeywell200, TI-990. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 9 Personal Computer (PC) Desktop personal computers are those that are used on a desk and are referred to as Personal Computers (PC). There are varieties of personal computers Desk and Tower Units The first and most prevalent type of PC is Desktop and Tower units. Most desktops are just large enough to be carried around; they are yet tiny enough just to fit onto a desk. It typically has a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and a tower (system unit). Laptops/Noebooks A portable personal computer that is small enough to rest on the user’s lap and can be powered by a battery. It includes a flip down screen and a keyboard with a touchpad. Laptops are small type computers. Since the keyboard is mounted flat on the system unit, the screen is utilized to conceal the system. These can be used in automobiles while travelling and, when closed after use, can be carried around like a box. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 10 Pocket PCs A pocket PC is a mobile device or a portable computer which can be held in the hand or fits in a pocket. They come in various sizes and shapes, ranging from small smartphones to larger tablet computers. These devices are designed to be highly portable and allow users to perform many of the same tasks as traditional desktop or laptop computers. Examples of mobile devices include smartphones, e-readers, and tablets. Electronic Organizers Organizer is an electronic gadget that users use to manage their schedule and save data like names, addresses, telephone numbers, and meeting dates. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 11 Palmtop Computers The palmtop computer is significantly more compact. Despite their smaller size, mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and e- readers contain many of the same components as desktop and laptop computers. These components may include a processor, memory, storage, a display, and various input/output devices such as cameras, microphones, and speakers. However, due to their smaller size, these components are designed to be more compact and energy-efficient. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 12 Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) are compact handheld computers with touch screens that are operated with a stylus. A virtual keyboard that displays on the touchpad is used to enter data (such as text). PDAs were initially used as personal organizers, but their usage has now expanded to include features such as mobile phone capabilities, internet connectivity, GPS navigation, multimedia support, and more. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 13 Components of a Computer System A computer system comprises of hardware and software. They go hand in hand. One cannot have one without the other. Hardware: The physical devices of a computer are known as hardware. Examples include CPU, and peripheral devices such as keyboard, printer and so on. A computer is a system of hardware devices organized to perform five basic functions: -input,, output, storage, communication, processing, control etc. Thus, a computer system consists of: Input Output CPU consisting of Memory, ALU and Control Secondary/External/Auxiliary/Backing storage. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 14 A Schematic Diagram of a Computer System. The phrase "hardware" refers to all the tangible parts of a computer system that a user can touch, such as the keyboard, visual display unit, system unit, mouse, and printer. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 15 Some common hardware that you’ll find inside a computer: Motherboard Central Processing Unit (CPU) Random Access Memory (RAM) Power Supply Video Card Hard Drive Optical Drive (i.e. BD/DVD/CD drive) Sound Card Network Interface Card (NIC) Analog Modem FireWire/USB Expansion Card. Some common hardware that you might find connected to the outside of a computer: Keyboard Mouse Printer Scanner Speakers Monitor Modem NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 16 Input Devices Unit of computer system that bring data and instruction into the computer. It accepts data or instruction given by user and converts into machine readable code if required. Keyboard and mouse are the most popular input unit devices. Other devices of this unit are: light pen, joystick, tracker ball, microphone, scanners, sensors, graphic tablet, touch screen etc. Keyboard A computer key board is an electromechanical component designed to create specialized electronic codes (scan codes) when a key is pressed. These codes are transmitted along the cables to computer system unit or terminal, where it is analyzed and converted in to the appropriate computer usable code. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 17  Keyboards have five distinct groups of keys: Standard type writer keys: resembles a typewriter- Alphanumeric keys Function keys: The top row keys from F1 to F10 or F12 Cursor movement keys: Arrow keys, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown Numeric keys: a keypad at the right to make it easy to enter numbers Special purpose keys: Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Del, Insert. Types of Keyboard 1. PC/XT, 2. PC/AT, 3. Enhanced and 4. Windows 5. USB 6. Virtual keyboards. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 18 PC/XT (Stands for eXtended Technology) keyboards have 83 keys, function keys (F1 to F10) are arranged on left hand side. These keyboards are not compatible with AT keyboards PC/AT (Advanced Technology) contains 84 keys. SysRq (System Request) key was introduced. Indicator LEDs for Caps, Scroll and NUM lock are used in AT keyboards. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 19 Enhanced keyboards have 101 to 106 keys based on different language layout. Windows Keyboards contained 104 to 109 keys based on different language layouts. Win key and Menu key are the addition on the Windows Keyboards. Windows Enhanced Keyboard NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 20  Multimedia Keyboard The keyboard that has all multimedia buttons is called multimedia keyboard. The buttons include play, pause, previous, next, volume up, volume down, mute and special button to launch media. Also, a button to launch a browser, my computer, calculator is available. Wireless Keyboard Bluetooth, IR technology or Radio Frequency is used to connect the keyboard with the computer device. We can port the keyboard and the parent system is not needed near the keyboard. These keyboards are lightweight and smaller in size. These keyboards should have a transmitter and trans-receiver. Transmitter sends the strokes from the keyboard as radio waves which are received by trans-receiver kept near parent device. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 21 Virtual Keyboard The keyboard used in smartphones is called a virtual keyboard. This keyboard appears when needed and disappears when typing is completed. This can be automatically set as per need. Also in the windows system, we can use a virtual keyboard that appears on the screen. There is no physical object to carry for a virtual keyboard. USB Keyboard Universal Serial Bus Keyboard has a USB stick with a wire which has to be inserted into the USB port of the system. And then the keyboard works well. While rebooting the system, the keyboard is not supported and hence the users may face an issue. Installation of suitable drivers helps to resolve this issue. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 22 Ergonomic Keyboard This keyboard is mainly designed for users who use both hands for typing. The advantage of this keyboard is less muscle strain and carpal tunnel syndrome for users. The keyboard is built with the view of ergonomics. This keyboard is expensive and not affordable for common people. Gaming Keyboard The keyboard that has very few keys specific for gamers is called gaming keyboard. Graphics are also included in the keyboard. W, S, D, A and arrow keys are the only keys you could find in this keyboard. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 23 Mouse `A mouse is a device that controls the movement of the cursor or pointer on a display screen. A mouse is a small object you can roll along a hard or flat surface. Its name is derived from its shape, which looks like a mouse, its connecting wire that one can imagine to be the mouse tail; As you move the mouse, the pointer on the display screen moves in the same direction. Mice contain two or three buttons, which have different functions depending on what program is running. Some newer mice also include a scroll wheel for scrolling through long documents. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 24  There are three types of mouse: Mechanical, Opto-Mechanical and Optical. Mechanical mouse has a ball on its underside and sensors detect the direction of ball movement to move the cursor on the screen. Optomechanical mouse are similar to mechanical mouse but they have optical sensors instead of balls in it. Optical mouse uses laser to detect the mouse movement. Looking at how a mouse is connected to computer, we can find three types of mouse: Serial Mouse, Serial mouse connect through RS-232C serial port and it is the simplest of connection. PS/2 Mouse, PS/2 mouse connect through PS/2 port and USB Mouse. USB Mouse connect through USB port. Cordless mouse (wireless mouse) connects to the computer through infrared or radio wave to communicate with computer NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 25 Trackballs Using a trackball, you can input motion information into computers. Its top has a rolling, moving ball that can move in any direction, acting as a mouse- like device. Instead of moving the complete gadget, simply roll the movable ball on top of the trackball unit with your hand to provide motion input. The main function of computer trackballs, which are often used in place of mice, is to move the cursor around the screen. Trackballs can be found in various electronic devices outside computers, such as arcade games, mixing boards, and self-service kiosks. However, they are most frequently used with computers. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 26 Pointing sticks The pointing stick may move and control the computer cursor. It is intended for its height to be just above the keys. A pointing stick is a practical substitute for a touchpad if a laptop lacks the necessary space. The sensitivity grading of the pointing stick must be adjusted to recognise motions and taps intended for its use in order for it to function as intended. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 27 Touchpads Smartphones, ATMs, railway inquiry systems, and many other devices use touch screens widely. To choose an option, users only need to touch it. When the choice is touched, the light beam is broken, the position of the option is registered, and the program that controls that option is run. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 28 Light Pens The tip of a light pen has a photocell. To select the necessary choice, move it around the screen and touch it. The light pen executes the file concealed by that option after detecting the light emanating from it. The light pen is mostly utilised in computer-aided design (CAD) and graphic design work. During football broadcasts, light pens are frequently utilized by commentators to draw free-hand lines on the TV screen. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 29 Scanning Devices /Scanners A scanner is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display. The recognition technology can recognize the text and marks present on the scanned image and convert them into editable form. Scanners come in hand-held, feed-in, and flatbed types and for scanning black-and-white only, or color. Scanners usually come with software, such as Adobe’s Photoshop product, that lets you resize and otherwise modify a captured image. Different scanner technologies are OCR, OMR, BCR and MICR. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 30 Barcode Reader Barcodes are machine-readable vertical lines that are adjacent and have varied widths. Books, groceries, and other items can be identified by barcode. Barcode scanners make use of reflected light to read barcodes. The computer receives this data and uses the bars' spacing and thickness to decipher the code. In order to read labels on books and in department stores, handheld barcode readers are frequently utilised. They help provide customers with faster service and can also be used to count the number of each item sold or to retrieve an item's price. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 31 Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) OMR is employed to find marks on paper. Through their blackness, the marks can be identified. OMR reads the marks using an optical mark reader. The information is passed when the OMR scanner scans the forms and recognises the mark that is correctly positioned on the paper and darker than the surrounding paper. It sends the information to the computer for processing by application software. In order to do this, a light beam is used to capture the presence and absence of marks on the paper that has been marked. By measuring the reflected light, the optical mark reader locates the mark. The computer interprets and stores the mark pattern. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 32  OMR is widely used to read the responses in objective-type tests, where students indicate their responses by darkening a particular circle with a pencil. OMR is used to read a variety of forms, especially orders and questionnaires. The OMR technology allows user to read the check boxes – that is the sign affixed in predefined spaces. This technology useful to automate the marking of objective exams. Specialized software along with OMR can completely automate the checking, marking and tabulating the exam papers. Ink Character Recognition (ICR) Technology ICR technology used to recognize manuscript data in unconstrained or constrained mode when there is usually space among characters. It can be used to enter the forms directly into the computer. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 33 Optical Character Recognition (OCR) OCR is a technique for scanning documents, converting them, and then identifying the image as modifiable ASCII text using OCR software. OCR uses an optical character reader to recognise characters. The optical character reader stores the scanned image as a bitmap image, which is a grid of dots. As a result, the text that has been scanned cannot be edited. OCR software is required in order to alter the scanned text. OCR software converts the array of dots into text that the computer can read as words and letters. In order to recognise the words and letters of text, OCR software compares the pattern on the scanned image with the ones that are stored on the computer. Different file formats can be used to store the text files produced by OCR. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 34 Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) MICR technology used to identify the text written by magnetic ink. Magnetic ink is a special type of ink that contains iron particles dissolved in ink. Banks use MICR to process a lot of checks at once. The magnetic encoding numbers printed at the bottom of a check are recognised using them. The numbers on the check are printed with iron-containing ink and are legible to humans. These figures have magnets in them. For character recognition, MICR uses a magnetic ink character reader. MICR magnetizes the writing and scan it accurately. It used to verify the signatures in bank checks. The magnetic field causes the read head to detect the characters or numbers on the check when it is passed through a magnetic ink character reader. In banks, MICR readers are typically used to process checks. The bank, branch, and check numbers are all located at the bottom of the check. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) cannot read documents as quickly as MICR. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 35 Sensors A sensor is an apparatus that detects changes in electrical, physical, or other characteristics and produces an output to signal the recognition of the change. This sensor's output typically takes the shape of an electrical or optical signal. Infrared (IR) sensors, ultrasonic sensors, light sensors, smoke and gas sensors, proximity sensors, optical sensors, position sensors, thermal or heat or temperature sensors, electric current or potential or magnetic or radio sensors, humidity sensors, fluid velocity or flow sensors, pressure sensors, and magnetic switch sensors are among the most commonly used types of sensors. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 36 Audio-Input Devices Speech or human voice can be used to give the computer an audio input. The computer's audio input can serve a variety of functions. It can be used to make phone conversations, have audio and video conferences online, record voice, create audio files, include those files in emails, or translate spoken words into text. It speaks data into a computer using a microphone or another audio input device. The sound card transforms the analog audio signals from the microphone into digital codes so that the computer can store and use them. The sound card also transforms the digital sound into analog signals that can be sent to the speakers. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 37  Speech recognition, often known as voice recognition, is the process of turning spoken words into written ones. The speech recognition system or voice recognition system is made up of audio input and voice recognition software. Examples include MIDI keyboards, microphones, and different types of digital musical instruments. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 38 Video-Input Devices The computer receives video input from a video camera and a digital camera. Full-motion video images can be captured with a video camera. Images can be compressed and saved on a computer disk after being converted to digital form. A typical type of video camera is the webcam. To take pictures of the user using the computer, it is mounted on top of the screen of the device. The user can connect video equipment, such as camcorders, to the computer using a video capture card. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 39 Electronic Cameras Still photos can be captured with a digital camera. You can move your photographs to an external storage device and use it with your computer after its memory (RAM) is full. As an alternative, you can use a port on your computer—typically FireWire or USB—to download the images, which you can then edit for use in your own publications. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 40 Output Devices A unit of computer system that sends information out of the computer The unit of computer system that provides the result of processing to the users is output unit. This unit receives information from CPU and converts into suitable human readable form. Monitor, Plotter, Printer, Projector, Speaker etc. are output devices. Monitors A computer monitor is also called display screen or visual display unit (VDU). Text and Images are displayed on monitors by individual dots called pixels A pixel is the smallest unit on the screen. The density of dots determines the clarity of the images – known as resolution. A screen resolution 1024 x 768 means that it has 1024 dots in one line and 768 lines in one screen. Another measure of display resolution is a dot pitch. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 41  There are two types of monitors – cathode-ray tubes (CRT) and flat panel display. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitors A cathode ray tube (CRT) is a specialized vacuum tube in which images are produced when an electron beam strikes a phosphorescent surface. CRT monitors are of two types – monochrome and color. Monochrome Monitors Monochrome monitors have only two colors – one for background and other for the foreground (text). The colors can be white, amber or green on a dark background. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 42  A monochrome monitor was very common in the early days of computing, from the 1960s through the 1980s until color monitors became popular. They are still widely used in applications such as computerized cash register systems. Color Monitors A color monitor is a display peripheral that displays more than two colors. Color monitors implement the RGB color model by using three different phosphors that appear red, green, and blue when activated. By placing the phosphors directly next to each other, and activating them with different intensities, color monitors can create an unlimited number of colors. Color display technology have been developed through following paths: CGA stands for Color Graphics Adapter. It is a circuit board introduced by IBM and the first graphics standard for the IBM PC. With a CGA monitor, it is harder to read than with a monochrome monitor because the CGA supports much fewer pixels. It supports 4 colors. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 43 EGA It stands for Enhanced Graphics Adapter. EGA is a video display standard that has a resolution of 640 by 350 pixels and supports 16 colors. EGA supports previous display modes and requires a new monitor. VGA: VGA stands for Video Graphics Array. This is a video display standard that provides medium to high resolution. In a text mode, the resolution of this board is 720 by 400 pixels. It supports 16 colors with a higher resolution of 640 by 480 pixels and 256 colors with 320 x 200 pixels. Super VGA: This is a very high resolution standard that displays up to 65,536 colors. Super VGA can support a 16.8 million colors at 800 by 600 pixels and 256 colors at 1024 by 768 pixels. VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) has set a standard for super VGA. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 44  Flat Panel Displays Portable computers such as a lap top use flat panel displays, because they are more compact and consume less power than CRTs. A Flat panel display LCD Monitor is shown. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 45 LCD monitor LCD stands for Liquid crystal display and is the most widely used monitor in the world. It tends to take up less space, less electricity, generate less heat, and are thinner and lighter than the ageing CRT monitors. These monitors have bright screens, and they are cost-effective. LED monitor An LED (Light Emitting Diode) display is among the newest techs out there and can be flat or curved. These monitors consist of light-emitting diodes rather than cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), are brighter than other monitors, and boast up to 4k resolutions. LED displays are more common among gamers who play HD and high-definition games since they consume less power than LCD monitors. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 46 OLED monitor OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, and it uses organic materials like carbon, plastic, wood, and polymers to transform electric current into light. It is thinner than an LCD unit and is especially good for watching movies. OLED monitors are regarded as the best display technology because of their excellent contrast levels, excellent picture clarity, quick response, and ideal contrast and brightness. However, they have shorter lifespans than LCDs and LEDs, and are more expensive. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 47 Printers A printer is an output device that produces a hard copy of data on to a paper. The resolution of printer output is expressed as DPI (Dots per inch). Printers are classified into two types depending on the type of print image created by hitting an ink ribbon on the paper. In this way, printers fall into two categories: Impact and Non-Impact. Impact Printer The impact printer creates immediate contact between the ink ribbons and paper. They can be noisy yet are very popular. imilar to a typewriter, impact printers operate similar to how characters on paper are created on typewriters when an arm with an embossed character strikes the ribbon and leaves an impression. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 48  Impact printers have mechanical components that allow printing. Impact printers print individual characters one at a time, first from right to left and then from left to right. Examples include Daisy-wheel printers, line printers, and Dot-matrix printers. There are a variety of impact printers Dot matrix printer Daisy wheel printers Drum printer Printer for chains NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 49 Dot-Matrix Printer Dot-matrix printers are printers that write characters and form graphic images using one or two columns of tiny dots on a print head. The dot hammer moving serially across the paper strikes an inked-ribbon and creates images on paper. They are used for tasks where a high-quality image is not essential. Several kinds of dot matrix printers are available with print heads that have 7, 9, 18, or 24 pins. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 50 Non-impact Printer Non-impact printers do not make direct contact between the paper and ink ribbon. They depend upon xerographic, chemical, electrostatic, or laser technology. They’re less noisy and do not have mechanical components that perform printing. Some examples: Laser printers and Inkjet printers. These are a few types of non-impact printers: Inkjet printer Laser printer Thermal printer Dye sublimation printer NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 51  Laser Printer These printers make use of laser technology in order to print. The ink powder (also known as toner) is poured onto the drum and deposits itself on the characters that have been generated there after being charged by the laser beam. These characters are printed on the paper as it revolves on the drum. Although a laser printer has a high initial cost, the cost per page of printing is relatively low. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 52 Plotters plotter is a special-purpose output device that draws images with ink pens. It is a graphics printer for making sophisticated graphs, charts, maps, and three- dimensional graphics as well as high-quality colored documents. It can also produce larger size of documents. Plotters require data in a vector graphics format that can produce images with a series of lines. There are two main types of plotters: Drum Plotter: This is a plotter that has a drum. A paper wraps the drum that rotates to produce plots. Pens in a drum plotter move across the paper while the drum is turning. A drum plotter is usually used to produce smaller drawings. Flatbed Plotter: This is a plotter that has a bed. This is also called a table plotter. The plotter draws graphics on the paper placed on the bed. There are several size of beds. This plotter is usually used for producing large drawings. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 53  Large graphs and designs, such as construction maps, engineering drawings, architectural blueprints, and business charts, are printed out on paper. It can either be a standalone device with an inbuilt processor or a peripheral component added to computer system. When compared to a printer, it produces the data in hardcopy at a comparatively slower rate. It is simple to draw parallel, continuous lines between points. It is primarily employed in specialized fields like engineering, architecture, and drawing. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 54 Microfilm Documents are compressed and stored on photographic film as part of the microform storage technique. Microfiche and microfilm are the two types of microforms. Microform storage can readily store thousands of documents without taking up much space because the papers are typically shrunk to roughly 1/25 of their normal size. Depending on the kind of documents you need to keep, a typical roll of microfilm is either 16mm or 35mm in size. Microfilm NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 55 Microfiche Microfiche is a flat sheet of microfilm, whereas microfilm is a roll of images that resembles a movie reel. Instead of being a roll, microfiche is a flat sheet of microfilm. Microfiche sheets may be simpler to organize due to their structure and shape, although they have a much lesser storage capacity. NINAN O. D. OCTOBER 2024. 56