A very common input device which has a set of buttons. Text, numbers and symbols can be entered
- General text entry such as writing letters etc - Shortcuts/Commands Numeric Keypad / Pin Pad
A small keyboard that only has numbers. Most computer keyboards have these on the right side of them and most mobile phones (they are also computers) have one for entering phone numbers etc.
Used to enter numeric data tonto computers such as those in ATMs. Mouse
Most common input device you will use. Also called a pointing device Usually has two buttons, a left and a right, it also has a central wheel which allows you to scroll up and down. The two different buttons allow you to do different things Enables you to control what happens on the screen by moving/pointing the mouse also by clicking the selecting items on the screen Touchpad
Tracker ball
Graphics Tablet
Remote Control
Handheld device. Remote controls need a line-of-sight in order to send signals to the device that the remote is form. Some allow text to be typed etc
Used to control a machine a short distance away. Can be used for; Televisions Music systems Lighting systems Heating systems Joystick/ Joypad
Technology was made so that gamers experience a more realistic game environment. You can move joysticks in any direction and the joystick then tells the computer what direction its actually moved in. Also have a few buttons that you can press Originally used by pilots as part of aeroplanes controls. Can also be used to control cranes, trucks, and powered wheelchairs Light Pen
Touch Screen
Device Image Description Uses Magnetic Strip Reader
Magnetic strips usually found at the back of most credit cards, cheque guarantee cards, loyalty cards, membership cards etc. Its swiped through a Magnetic Stripe Reader machine (to read the data) so the data is transferred into the computer
Holds personal detail like account names/numbers Can contain up to 60 characters, all stored magnetically Chip Reader
Morden credit cards/ID cards dont use a magnetic strip. They use a tiny chip of a computer memory that is embedded inside of them (smart cards). A card is inserted into the reader where metal contacts connect to the metal pads on the front face of the card. The reader can access the memory chip and the data inside of it Data can be stored in this memory and read back using a chip reader. Many types of card use this system; ID cards, Phone cards, Credit cards, Door Security cards etc. Scanner
Works by shining a beam of light onto the surface of the object you are actually scanning. This light then gets reflected back into a sensor that detects colour.
Used to convert images/text on paper into a digital format that can be used on the computer. Different types of scanners; Flatbed scanner Handheld scanner Specialist scanner Digital Camera
Video Camera
Webcam
Micro- phone
Sound is detected by the microphone and then an electrical signal is transmitted to the computer. Special hardware is used to convert the data into digital data so it can be stored. Used to input sound MICR Reader
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition As it allows bank cheques to accurately get read into a computer, the cheque number and bank account number are printed at the bottom of each bank cheque in a special magnetic ink using a special kind of font.
A machine that allows details from bank cheques to be read into a computer quickly and accurately.
OMR Scanner
Scanned by a piece of equipment called an Optical Mark Reader Detect the pencil marks by reflecting light onto the page. Less light is reflected where a mark has been made. The marks then get transferred over to the computer for storage, analysis and reporting. Used to scan over pencil marks, like on lottery tickets or multiple choice tests at school OCR Scanner
Consists of a normal scanner and some special software. The OCR software examines the page and changes the letters into a form that can be edited. Can read different styles and sizes of text as well as neat handwriting. 95% accurate
Used to scan text on a document or piece of paper onto the computer. Used to automatically recognise postcodes on letters at sorting offices. Barcode Scanner
Classed as an automatic input device. The reflected light is transferred and translated into digital data onto the computer to identify the product and price from the database. The barcode does NOT hold the price of the item This is all help on the company database. Used to scan or read the barcode by using a visible red light. It gives you information about the country of the manufacture, the name of the manufacture and the product code.