OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER: INPUT DEVICES, PART-1

Introduction

Hello today we are going to discuss about the input devices which are connected to the
computer however to first describe the input devices let me start what is a computer? A computer
is a device, which accepts input in the form of binary data, processes the input data by applying a
series of well defined computations to produce the desirable results. However, it is difficult for
the human beings to provide input data to the computer or easily interpret output which is
available in the form of binary data. In order to bridge this gap, input and output devices were
invented and are used for effective interaction of the human beings with the computer. The input
devices take the data from the user and supply the data to the computer in binary form. Similarly,
the output devices convert the binary data and provides the data to the user in the form of
readable text or presentable form. In this session, we are going to study two common input
devices, which are keyboard and mouse. Input devices are the devices, which are used to convert
the data as explained earlier given by the user into binary information for use by the computer.

In short, an input device is any device that provides input to the computer. Every key you press
on the keyboard, every movement or click you make with the mouse sends a specific input signal
to the computer. These commands allow you to open programs, type messages, drag objects, and
perform many other functions on your computer. Some examples
include joysticks, MIDI keyboards, microphones, scanners, digital cameras, webcams, card
readers, UPC scanners, and scientific measuring equipments. All these devices send information
to the computer and therefore are categorized as input devices. The peripherals that output data
from the computer are called output devices.

In this session we are going to discuss two important devices first is keyboard, mouse and few
other pointing devices.
Keyboard

In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style device. These keyboards contain the standard

alphanumeric keys to enter text and special characters like star (*), percentage (%), plus (+),
minus (-), underscore (_), opening bracket, closing bracket ( ) etc. along with the alphanumeric
keys a numeric keypad for efficiently entering numbers is used. The numeric keys are useful for
bulk data entry of numbers. The function keys which are over and above the alphanumeric and
the numeric keys are used for entering commands in some programs. The delete and backspace
keys are used to delete characters from computer.

Modifiers

Modifier keys are special keys that modify the normal action of another key, when the two are
pressed in combination. For example, <Alt> + <F4> in Microsoft Windows will close the
program in an active window. The most widely used modifier keys include the Control key, Shift
key and the Alt key. The control and alternate keys are used in conjunction with other keys are to
issue commands for example Ctrl + s command, the control key followed by pressing s key is
used to save a document. The Enter and Return key typically causes a command line, window
form or dialog box to operate its default function, which is typically to finish an "entry" and
begin the desired process. In word processing applications, pressing the enter key ends a
paragraph and starts a new one.
Another form of keys which are available on keyboard are navigation keys. The
Navigation keys include a variety of keys which move the cursor to different positions on the
screen. Arrow keys are programmed to move the cursor in the specified direction; page scroll
keys, such as the Page Up and Page Down keys, scroll the page up and down. Whenever you
have a large document to be on the monitor using Page Up and Page Down we can quickly reach
on the desired page of the document. Another key is Home key, the Home key is used to return
the cursor to the beginning of the line where the cursor is located; the End key puts the cursor at
the end of that line. The Tab key advances the cursor to the next tab stop. The Insert key is
mainly used to switch between overtype mode, in which the cursor overwrites any text that is
present on and after its current location, and insert mode, where cursor inserts a character at its
current position, forcing all the characters past it one position further. The Delete key discards
the character ahead of the cursor's position, moving all the following characters one position
"back" towards the freed place. On many notebook computer keyboards the key labelled Delete
(sometimes Delete and Backspace are printed on the same key) and serve the same purpose as a
Backspace key. The Backspace key deletes the preceding character. Another set of keys which
are available on the keyboard are the lock keys. The lock keys lock part of the keyboard,
depending on the settings selected. The lock keys are scattered around the keyboard. Most styles
of the keyboards have three LEDs indicating which locks are enabled, in the upper right corner
above the numeric pad. The lock keys include Scroll lock, Num lock that mean numeric
lock (which allows the use of numeric keypad), and Caps lock. If the Caps lock is on and
whenever you type any character a, b, c it will be available in the uppercase. Some keyboards
also contain additional keys for the specific purpose or software program, such as to open the
windows start menu, control the speaker volume, launch an e-mail program or a favourite web
site. When buying a PC or replacing the keyboard, one need to consider whether it fits our
requirements. The keyboards must be protected from dust and bacterial infections and often
requires cleaning using a vacuum cleaner.
The notebook or laptop PCs have a keyboard that is smaller and contain fewer keys than the
desktop PCs. A potential buyer should check and do the practice on the notebook keyboard to
check, if the small size, layout does not create discomfort while working on the conventional
keyboard. The conventional keyboards can also be connected to the notebook over a USB port or
a ps/2 port. Most handheld PCs and mobile devices have a different type of keyboard smaller in
size and it is also called a thumb pad. As the name thumb pad it can be operated with the help of
a thumb only. To reduce the size, several letters are assigned to a single key in the thumb pad.
Therefore, the same key is pressed multiple times to type a desired letter. Creating documents in
smart phones or mobile phones is difficult and cumbersome with these keyboards. Therefore,
these mobiles provide an interface for connecting conventional keyboards. For space constraints,
foldable keyboards also have been designed. As the name implies a foldable keyboard is a
keyboard which can be folded. It’s a flexible, it’s made of a flexible material. It’s made of soft
plastic or silicone which can be rolled or folded on itself where you are travelling or when you
are taking it the some other place. When in use, these keyboards can conform to even
uneven surfaces, and are more resistant to liquids than standard keyboards. If by mistake any
water or any liquid falls on the conventional keyboard, their quality or reliability might suffer.
But these foldable keyboards are designed in a manner that they are resistant to even these
liquids. These can also be connected to portable devices and smart phones. Some models of the
foldable keyboards can be fully immersed in water, making them popular in hospitals and
laboratories, as they can be disinfected. Because in hospitals and laboratories, the environment
should be extremely clean and if the keyboards have dust or bacterial infection they cannot be
used in those environments. So these plastic keyboards are foldable keyboards, since they are not
affected even when immersed in the water, they can be disinfected and are useful in hospitals
and laboratories. Another important keyboard is a software keyboard or the onscreen keyboard,
on the screen an image of a keyboard layout is made using a software program that display the
image of the keyboard on the screen. An another input device such as a mouse or touch-screen
can be used to operate each virtual key to enter the text. Software keyboards have become very
popular in touch-screen enabled cell phones, due to the additional cost and space requirements of
other types of hardware keyboards. Also, the virtual keyboards designed with softwares helps
eliminate security concerns against the worms, which can capture key strokes on the keyboard
and replay, whenever the user enters password in the system for authentication. Another type of
keyboard is a projection keyboard also called a laser keyboard. The projection keyboards project
an image of keys, usually with a laser, onto a flat surface using a small projection system. The
device then uses a camera or infrared sensor to "watch" where the user's fingers move, and will
count a key as being pressed when it "sees" the user's finger touch the projected image. The
projection keyboards can simulate a full size keyboard from a very small projector. The users of
projected keyboards often experience increased discomfort in their fingertips because of the lack
of "give" when typing. Another important key on the keyboard is space key. The space again
irrespective of technology or type of keyboard, the space key is available with all types of
keyboards. A space bar is a horizontal bar in the lower most row which is significantly wider
than the other keys. Its main purpose is to enter the space between the words during typing. It is
large enough so that thumb from the either hand can be used to operate it. In computer games
and other applications, the key has various uses in addition to its normal purpose when typing
such as jumping and adding marks to check boxes. So this is all about to keypad devices so far I
have discussed the keyboard technologies, type of keys which are present on the keyboard.
Pointing Devices

The next input device which is very important and popular these days is the pointing device. In
addition to a keyboard, most PCs these days come equipped with some type of pointing device.
Unlike keyboards, the pointing devices are used to move a onscreen pointer also called a cursor.
Once it reaches the desired object by moving the arrow, certain operations can be performed over
the object. Some common types of pointing devices are called mouse, electronic pen and touch
screen. The popular device called mouse rests on the desk or any flat surface closer to the PC.
When it is moved across the surface with the user’s hand to point and select the object located on
the screen. The older mouse had a ball exposed on the bottom surface to control and track the
horizontal movement of the mouse. These mice are frequently subject to failures because of the
accumulation of the dust and therefore require regular cleaning. The mechanical ball, these days
has been replaced with optical or laser light in mouse. A typical mouse has two buttons at the top
of the device you will find a left and right button allows for the “clicks”. There is a scrolling
wheel between the two buttons. The mouse fits in the palm of your hand. Generally all mice are
set up for right-hand dominant use as most of us are right handed but the same mice or mouse
can also be customized and adjusted for left-hand use so that even the left handed can use the
mouse efficiently. While operating the mouse, your shoulder and elbow rather than your wrist
should be moving the around the mouse pad or table. A mouse pad may be provided as a clean
smooth surface to guide your mouse on the top. You should have plenty of room for full
movement of the mouse. The muscles of your hands, fingers, and arms should be relaxed while
operating a mouse.

The list of common mouse operations are explained next: one of the most common operation of
mouse is point. Using the mouse we can point a certain object on the screen. You can move the
mouse until a mouse point or cursor is at the desired location on screen and it is called a point
operation. Next operation of the mouse is a click operation. Pressing and releasing, left mouse
button is called a click operation. Pressing and releasing right mouse button is called a right click
operation. That means by default the left click operation is the click operation. Double Click –
Double click operation is pressing and releasing the left mouse button twice. Drag and drop is
another operation of mouse when the mouse point is over the appropriate object, you can press
and hold down the left mouse button at the object to the proper location on the screen and drop
the object by releasing mouse button is called a drag and drop operation and drag and drop
action. Another operation which you can do with the help of a mouse is a scroll wheel operation.
If your mouse has a wheel or button on the top of it. It can be used to scroll through the displayed
content. Using the scroll wheel it is easier for user to perform the page scrolling operation. If you
have large document of 50-100 pages then, that large document can easily be viewed by scrolling
operation page by page. So, this was all about the explanation about the working of mouse. The
variants of mouse are also available in the market because of the replicated and the repeated use
of the mouse over a prolong period of 8-10 hours by the operators, the operators have face health
related hazards because of the prolong use of the mouse and because of that, these days the
ergonomic mouse are also designed and are in operation, as the name suggests this type of mouse
is intended to provide optimum comfort and avoid injury such as carpel tunnel syndrome,
arthritis and other repetitive strain injuries. These mice are designed to fit natural hand position
and movements to reduce discomfort. Another type of mouse which is used in the market is
gaming mouse. These mice are specifically designed to use in computer games they typically
imply a wide array of controls and button and have designs that offer radically different from the
traditional mouse. Again the objective of gaming mouse is to provide a comfortable interface
even after its prolong use. So, we have discussed various types of mouse devices and keyboard
devices. These keyboards and mouse can either be connected using a cable to the computer
system through a PS2 or USB port. But these days the cordless or wireless keyboard or mice are
also available. These wireless keyboard or mouse are powered by batteries and transmit data via
infrared radiation using iRDA technology or radio waves using Bluetooth technology. The
earlier keyboards used infrared signal to transmit data and therefore it was essential that the
keyboard be in line of sight with the receiver. The newer models use radio wave based on the
Bluetooth technology and does not require the wireless device to be in line of sight of the
receiver. There is a limit on the allowable distance between the keyboard and a desktop when the
wireless connection is used. And in short, these days this wireless keyboard and wireless mouse
are common, only thing they require is additional battery which is fitted into the keyboard or
mouse and it has to be replaced whenever it goes down. That’s an additional overhead when you
are using a wireless connection.

Mouse Speed:

Mickeys per second is a unit of measurement for the speed and movement direction of a
computer mouse. One mickey is approximately 1/200th of an inch. But speed can also refer to
the ratio between how many pixels the cursor moves on the screen and how far the mouse moves
on the mouse pad, which may be expressed as pixels per Mickey, or pixels per inch, or pixels per
cm.
Another pointing device generally used in gaming applications is a joystick device The
movement of joystick’s stick controls an onscreen object, such as player or vehicle in the game
and also used as steering wheel, similar to steering of a vehicle.
Another pointing device is which is normally used and connected to the desktop systems is a
trackball. A trackball has the ball mechanism on the top. The ball is rotated using a thumb, hand
or finger to move the onscreen pointer. Unlike mouse, the trackball remains stationery and
therefore requires less space and track ball is easier to use.
Another pointing device which is generally used in notebook computer is a Pointing Stick. A
pointing stick is a pencil eraser shaped device found in the middle of many notebook computers.
It works similar to trackball except that thumb or finger pushes the stick in appropriate direction
in place of rolling the ball in a trackball. The stick is pushed whenever a click operation is
required.

A touch pad is another device which is used and is used for similar functionality as trackball or a
mouse or a pointing stick and a touch pad is a rectangular pad across which a fingertip or thumb
slides to move the onscreen pointer. The two buttons on the bottom of touch pad act as left and
right button to perform the click operation.

As we have seen all the three pointing devices, like joystick, pen stick and the third device which
is a touch pad performed similar functionality of a mouse but are alternate devices available
where it is not convenient for us to use the mouse. And generally these three devices are
available in laptops and notebooks. In certain desktops this touchpad can also be made available
as standalone device. Because there are many users who have, they may be using a notebook or
laptop for six to eight months and suppose they require to work on desktop, then they need a
touchpad device. A touchpad can be made available as a standalone device on the desktop also.

CONCLUSION

So, in short what we have studied today in input device are the keyboard, mouse and various
pointing devices. We have also studied variant of these devices and their usability aspects for
various applications. These devices are designed keeping in mind the ergonomics aspects so that
various health problems related to prolonged use can be minimised.