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Input and Output Devices

Last Updated : 01 Nov, 2023

An input/output device, often known as

an IO device, is any hardware that
allows a human operator or other
systems to interface with a computer.
Input/output devices, as the name
implies, are capable of delivering data
(output) to and receiving data from a
computer (input). An input/output (I/O)
device is a piece of hardware that can
take, output, or process data. It receives
data as input and provides it to a
computer, as well as sends computer
data to storage media as a storage
output.

Input Devices
Input devices are the devices that are
used to send signals to the computer
for performing tasks. The receiver at the
end is the CPU (Central Processing
Unit), which works to send signals to
the output devices. Some of the
classifications of Input devices are:

Keyboard Devices
Pointing Devices
Composite Devices
Game Controller
Visual Devices
Audio Input Devices

Some of the input devices are described

below.

Keyboard

The keyboard is the most frequent and

widely used input device for entering
data into a computer. Although there
are some additional keys for performing
other operations, the keyboard layout is
similar to that of a typical typewriter.
Generally, keyboards come in two sizes:
84 keys or 101/102 keys but currently
keyboards with 104 keys or 108 keys
are also available for Windows and the
Internet.

Keyboard

Types of Keys

Numeric Keys: It is used to enter

numeric data or move the cursor. It
usually consists of a set of 17 keys.
Typing Keys: The letter keys (A-Z)
and number keys (09) are among
these keys.
Control Keys: These keys control the
pointer and the screen. There are
four directional arrow keys on it.
Home, End, Insert, Alternate(Alt),
Delete, Control(Ctrl), etc., and
Escape are all control keys (Esc).
Special Keys: Enter, Shift, Caps Lock,
NumLk, Tab, etc., and Print Screen
are among the special function keys
on the keyboard.
Function Keys: The 12 keys from F1
to F12 are on the topmost row of the
keyboard.

Mouse

The most common pointing device is

the mouse. The mouse is used to move
a little cursor across the screen while
clicking and dragging. The cursor will
stop if you let go of the mouse. The
computer is dependent on you to move
the mouse; it won’t move by itself. As a
result, it’s an input device.
A mouse is an input device that lets you
move the mouse on a flat surface to
control the coordinates and movement
of the on-screen cursor/pointer.
The left mouse button can be used to
select or move items, while the right
mouse button when clicked displays
extra menus.

Mouse

Joystick

A joystick is a pointing device that is

used to move the cursor on a computer
screen. A spherical ball is attached to
both the bottom and top ends of the
stick. In a socket, the lower spherical
ball slides. You can move the joystick in
all four directions.

Joystick

The joystick’s function is comparable to

that of a mouse. It is primarily used in
CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and
playing video games on the computer.

Track Ball

Track Ball is an accessory for notebooks

and laptops, which works on behalf of a
mouse. It has a similar structure to a
mouse. Its structure is like a half-
inserted ball and we use fingers for
cursor movement. Different shapes are
used for this like balls, buttons, or
squares.

Light Pen

A light pen is a type of pointing device

that looks like a pen. It can be used to
select a menu item or to draw on the
monitor screen. A photocell and an
optical system are enclosed in a tiny
tube. When the tip of a light pen is
moved across a monitor screen while
the pen button is pushed, the photocell
sensor element identifies the screen
location and provides a signal to the
CPU.
 Light Pen

Scanner

A scanner is an input device that

functions similarly to a photocopier. It’s
employed when there’s information on
paper that needs to be transferred to
the computer’s hard disc for subsequent
manipulation. The scanner collects
images from the source and converts
them to a digital format that may be
saved on a disc. Before they are printed,
these images can be modified.
 Scanner

Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

An Optical Mark Reader is a device that

is generally used in educational
institutions to check the answers to
objective exams. It recognizes the marks
present by pencil and pen.

Optical Character Reader (OCR)

OCR stands for optical character

recognition, and it is a device that reads
printed text. OCR optically scans the
text, character by character turns it into
a machine-readable code, and saves it
to the system memory.

Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)

It is a device that is generally used in

banks to deal with the cheques given to
the bank by the customer. It helps in
reading the magnetic ink present in the
code number and cheque number. This
process is very fast compared to any
other process.

Bar Code Reader

A bar code reader is a device that reads

data that is bar-coded (data that is
represented by light and dark
lines).Bar-coded data is commonly used
 to mark things, number books, and so
on. It could be a handheld scanner or
part of a stationary scanner. A bar code
reader scans a bar code image, converts
it to an alphanumeric value, and then
sends it to the computer to which it is
connected.

Bar Code Reader

Web Camera

Because a web camera records a video

image of the scene in front of it, a
webcam is an input device. It is either
built inside the computer (for example,
a laptop) or attached through a USB
connection. A webcam is a computer-
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connected tiny digital video camera. It’s
also known as a web camera because it
can take images and record video.
These cameras come with software that
must be installed on the computer in
order to broadcast video in real-time
over the Internet. It can shoot images
and HD videos, however, the video
quality isn’t as good as other cameras
(In Mobiles or other devices or normal
cameras).
 Web Camera

Digitizer

Digitizer is a device that is used to

convert analog signals to digital signals.
it converts signals into numeric values.
An example of a Digitizer is Graphic
Tablet, which is used to convert
graphics to binary data.

Microphone

The microphone works as an input

device that receives input voice signals
and also has the responsibility of
converting it also to digital form. It is a
very common device that is present in
every device which is related to music.

Output Devices
Output Devices are the devices that
show us the result after giving the input
to a computer system. Output can be of
many different forms like image, graphic
audio, video, etc. Some of the output
devices are described below.

Monitor

Monitors, also known as Visual Display

Units (VDUs), are a computer’s primary
output device. It creates images by
arranging small dots, known as pixels,
in a rectangular pattern. The amount of
pixels determines the image’s
sharpness.
The two kinds of viewing screens used
for monitors are described below.

Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor:

Pixels are minuscule visual elements
that make up a CRT display. The
higher the image quality or
resolution, the smaller the pixels.
Flat-Panel Display Monitor: In
comparison to the CRT, a flat-panel
display is a type of video display
with less volume, weight, and power
consumption. They can be hung on
the wall or worn on the wrist.

Flat-panel displays are currently used in

calculators, video games, monitors,
laptop computers, and graphical
displays.

Monitor

Television

Television is one of the common output

devices which is present in each and
every house. It portrays video and audio
files on the screen as the user handles
the television. Nowadays, we are using
plasma displays as compared to CRT
screens which we used earlier.
Printer

Printers are output devices that allow

you to print information on paper. There
are certain types of printers which are
described below.

Impact Printers
Character Printers
Line Printers
Non-Impact Printers
Laser Printers
Inkjet Printers

Printer

Impact Printer
Characters are printed on the ribbon,
which is subsequently crushed against
the paper, in impact printers. The
following are the characteristics of
impact printers:

Exceptionally low consumable cost.

Quite noisy
Because of its low cost, it is ideal for
large-scale printing.
To create an image, there is physical
contact with the paper.

Character Printers
Character Printer has the capability to
print only one character at a time. It is of
two types.
 Dot Matrix Printer
Daisy Wheel

Line Printers
Line Printers are printers that have the
capability to print one line at a time. It is
of two types.

Drum Printer
Chain Printer

Non-Impact Printers
Characters are printed without the need
for a ribbon in non-impact printers.
Because these printers print a full page
at a time, they’re also known as Page
Printers. The following are the
characteristics of non-impact printers:

Faster
They don’t make a lot of noise.
Excellent quality
Supports a variety of typefaces and
character sizes

Laser Printers
Laser Printers use laser lights for
producing dots which will produce
characters on the page.
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are printers that use
spray technology for printing papers.
High-quality papers are produced in an
Inkjet printer. They also do color
printing.

Speakers

Speakers are devices that produce

sound after getting a command from a
computer. Nowadays, speakers come
with wireless technology also like
Bluetooth speakers.
Projector

Projectors are optical devices that have

the work to show visuals on both types
of screens, stationary and moving both.
It helps in displaying images on a big
screen. Projectors are generally used in
theatres, auditoriums, etc.

Plotter

Plotter is a device that helps in making

graphics or other images to give a real
view. A graphic card is mandatorily
required to use these devices. These are
the pen-like devices that help in
generating exact designs on the
computer.

Braille Reader

Braille Reader is a very important

device that is used by blind users. It
helps people with low vision or no
vision to recognize the data by running
their fingers over the device to
understand easily. It is a very important
device for blind persons as it gives them
the comfort to understand the letters,
alphabets, etc which helps them in
study.

Video Card

A video Card is a device that is fitted

into the motherboard of the computer. It
helps in improvising digital content in
output devices. It is an important tool
that helps people in using multiple
devices.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Global Positioning System helps the
user in terms of directions, as it uses
satellite technology to track the
geometrical locations of the users. With
continuous latitudinal and longitudinal
calculations, GPS gives accurate results.
Nowadays, all smart devices have
inbuilt GPS.

Headphones

Headphones are just like a speaker,

which is generally used by a single
person or it is a single-person usable
device and is not commonly used in
large areas. These are also called
headsets having a lower sound
frequency.

The Input and Output

Devices of a Computer
There are so many devices that contain
the characteristics of both input and
output. They can perform both
operations as they receive data and
provide results. Some of them are
mentioned below.

USB Drive

USB Drive is one of the devices which

perform both input and output
operations as a USB Drive helps in
receiving data from a device and
sending it to other devices.

Modem

Modems are one of the important

devices that helps in transmitting data
using telephonic lines.

CD and DVD
CD and DVD are the most common
device that helps in saving data from
one computer in a particular format and
send data to other devices which works
as an input device to the computer.

Headset

The headset consists of a speaker and

microphone where a speaker is an
output device and a microphone works
as an input device.

Facsimile

A facsimile is a fax machine that

consists of a scanner and printer, where
the scanner works as an input device
and the printer works as an output
device.

FAQs on Input and Output

Devices

1. List the Disadvantages of CRT

Monitor.

Answer:

Some of the disadvantages of

CRT Monitor are :

High power consumption

Big back and take up a lot of
desk space.
Because it is less bright than
an LCD, it is not ideal for
excessively bright
environments.
They’re big, heavy, and clumsy.
2. Compare Input & Output Devices.

Answer:

Input Device Output

Device

It shows
the data
Data is accepted by
after
the user of the device
processing
to the user

It receives
It accepts the user’s
the data
data and transmits it
from the
to the processor for
processor
saving in the
and returns
secondary memory or
it to the
processing.
user

Less
More complex
complex
designing
designing

These
devices are
These devices are
used to
used to accept the
display or
data
show the
data

Example:
Example: Keyboard,
Monitor,
mouse, etc
Printer, etc

3. What are the types of flat-panel

displays?

Answer:

There are 2 types of flat-panel

 displays, which are described
below.

Emissive Display: Devices that

turn electrical energy into light
are known as emissive
displays. For example, LEDs,
Plasma panels, thin film
electroluminescent displays,
etc.
Non-Emissive Display: Optical
effects are used in Non-
Emissive displays to turn
sunshine or light from another
source into graphical patterns.
LCDs are a good example
(Liquid Crystal Devices).

4. Explain the output device: Plotter.

Answer:

A plotter is a device that prints

graphics in a variety of color
formats with high-quality images.
It’s similar to a printer but with
more advanced capabilities.
Plotter allows us to create
pictures, 3D postcards,
advertising signs, charts, and
various designs of the internal
structure of building machines, as
well as print large maps,
architectural drawings, large-
format printing, and create
pictures, 3D postcards,
advertising signs, charts, and
various designs of the internal
structure of building machines.

5. Compare Impact & Non-Impact

Printers.

Answer:
 Impact Printers Non-
Impact
Printers

Slow Speed Fast Speed

They are
Makes a lot of Noisy
less Noisy

Cheap Costly

Poor quality as Good

compared to non- quality
impact printers printing

It works by Ink is
hammering a set of deposited in
metal pins or a several
character set into forms during
the paper printing

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