STORAGE DEVICES, INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES

Amal Dominic Reg. No.1120116 MBAB 2011

Introduction
Input Devices as well as output devices are a necessity in order to ensure that data is entered into a computer to be processed and the results output. Such data and information need to be stored to eliminate re-entry and/or reprocessing.

During the information processing cycle, a computer executes instructions and processes data (input) into information (output) and stores the information for future use. Input devices, such as keyboard and mouse, are used to enter instructions and data into the computer. output devices such as printers, monitors, and speakers are used to convey that information to a user. Through these devices, people submit input data to the computer to get processed information, the output. Input and output devices are part of the overall user interface, which includes other hardware devices and software that allow you to interact with a computer system. Storage refers to the media on which data, instructions, and information are kept, as well as the devices that record and retrieve these items Input devices An input device is a peripheral which accepts data and sends it to the CPU. Data presented to an input device has to be in the

right form for the device, e.g. a bar-code reader will only read bar-codes. The input device converts the data into the computer's own internal code before sending it to the CPU Most commonly used input devices are the following 1. Keyboard 2. Mouse 3. Track Ball 4. Joystick 5. Bar Code reader 6. Magnetic Strip Card Reader 7. Pointing Stick 8. Touch Screen 9. Pen Input 10. Optical Scanners 11. Plotter 12. RFID Readers 13. Voice Recognition 14. Biometric Input devices 1.Keyboard The most common method of data input device is the keyboard .The computer continuously scans the keyboard and when a key is pressed , a signal is sent to the CPU using the code for the particular character represented by the key. Desktop computer keyboards typically have from 101 to 105 keys. Keyboards for smaller computers such as notebook contain fewer keys. All computer keyboards have a typing area that includes the letters of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation marks,

and other basic keys. Function keys, which are labeled with

the letter F followed by a number, are special keys programmed to issue commands to a computer. The command associated with a function key may vary, depending on the program with which you are interacting. 2.Mouse A mouse is used to input data in two different ways. Firstly, as the mouse is moved, a ball underneath it revolves and this movement is detected by sensors which relay the data to the CPU. Secondly, buttons on the mouse act in a similar way to keys on a keyboard. When they are pressed, the code for the relevant control character is sent to the CPU. An optical mouse uses devices that emit and sense light to detect the mouse's movement. Some use optical sensors, and others use a laser. An optical mouse is more precise than a mechanical mouse and does not require cleaning as does a mechanical mouse, but is more expensive 3.Trackball A trackball is a variation of the mouse. A trackball is like an upside-down mouse. Whereas a mouse has a ball mechanism on the bottom, a trackball is a stationary pointing device with a ball mechanism on its top. You roll the ball directly with your hand. Around the ball mechanism, usually a trackball also has one or more

buttons that work just like mouse buttons. A trackball requires frequent cleaning because it picks up oils from fingers and dust from the environment.
4.Joystick A joystick consists of a small lever which is moved by the user to control movement on a screen. Sensors detect the movement of the lever and relay the data to the CPU. It is usually used for gaming. 5.Bar Code reader A bar-code is a set of parallel printed lines of differing thickness (usually alternately black and white) which represent a number. Bar Code Readers are used to input data from bar codes. Most products in shops have bar codes on them. Bar code readers work by shining a beam of light on the lines that make up the bar code and detecting the amount of light that is reflected back 6. Magnetic Strip Card Reader A magnetic stripe card reader reads the magnetic stripe on the back of credit cards, entertainment cards, bank cards, gift cards, and other similar cards. The stripe, which is divided in three horizontal tracks, contains information identifying you and the card issuer 7.Pointing Stick

A pointing stick is a pressure-sensitive pointing device shaped like a pencil eraser. It is small in size, so the pointing stick is conveniently positioned between keys on the keyboard. The function of a pointing stick is similar to a mouse. To move the pointer using a pointing stick, you push the pointing stick with your finger. The pointer on the screen moves in the direction that you push the pointing stick. 8. Touch Screen It allows the user to operate/make selections by simply touching the display screen. examples of touch screen include information kiosks, and bank ATMs. The monitor screen is overlaid with another, transparent screen which is sensitive to touch. With the use of special software, the computer is able to calculate the precise point at which the screen is touched. 9. Pen Input With pen input, users write, draw, and tap on a flat surface to enter input . The surface may be a monitor, a screen, a special type of paper, or a graphics tablet. 10. Optical Scanners A scanner can be used to convert a picture into digital form so that it can be processed by a computer and printed out. In a process called imaging, a scanner converts source documents to an electronic version, which can then be stored on a disk and retrieved when needed. 11. RFID(radio frequency identification) Readers A RFID reader reads information on the tab via radio waves. RFID readers can be handheld devices or mounted in a

stationary object such as a doorway. RFID is a technology that uses radio signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached to an object, an animal, or a person. 12. Biometric Input devices Biometrics is the technology of authenticating a person's identity by verifying a personal characteristic. Biometric devices grant users access to programs, systems, or rooms by analyzing some biometric identifier. It can be personal or behavioral or psychological. Examples are fingerprint, eye pattern, voice etc.

OUTPUT DEVICES

Output is data that has been processed into a useful form called information. Computers generate several types of output, depending on the hardware and software being used and the requirements of the user. An output device is any type of hardware component capable of conveying information to one or more people. The commonly used output devices are: Display Devices Printers Speakers headsets and earphones fax machines and fax modems

 multifunction peripherals data projectors Display Devices A display device is an output device that visually conveys text, video information , and graphics. Information shown on a display device often is called soft copy, because the information exists electronically and is displayed for a temporary period of time. Display devices vary greatly in size and in resolution (clarity of graphics). The resolution is determined by the number of pixels on the screen, that is the number of spots which can be lit-up by an electron stream fired from within the monitor. Printers A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on a physical medium like paper or transparency film. Printed information is called hard copy because the information exists physically and is a more permanent form of output than that presented on a display device (soft copy). Printers are of different types ,some of them are impact and non impact printers. Impact printers forms the image by striking a point on a ink socked ribbon.Non impact printers forms image by not actually striking but by spraying ink or by heat or pressure. Audio Output devices Audio is music, speech or any other sound. A device which reproduces the stored audio is called audio output

devices. The commonly used audio devices are speakers, head phones and earphones. Other Output Devices Though display devices, printers and audio devices are most commonly used output devices there are other output devices also they are projectors, fax machines, white boards

STORAGE DEVICES
A storage device is one on which data, command and instructions which are stored and can be retrieved when needed. The physical material on which the data is stored is called storage medium and the capacity of a storage device is the number of bytes a storage device can hold. The different storage devices used are

Magnetic Media
In magnetic medium the storage medium is a magnetic material. In which certain spots are magnetized which represents 1 and the non-magnetized spots represent 0. The major magnetic storage devices are magnetic tape, floppy disk, hard disk etc. 1. Magnetic tape Magnetic tape is a magnetically coated ribbon of plastic capable of storing large amounts of data and information

at a low cost. In this the data is entered and read sequentially .this is one of the disadvantage of using magnetic tape. For this reason magnetic tape is no longer used. 2. Floppy disk A floppy disk is an inexpensive portable storage device. It consists of a flexible circular magnetic disk enclosed in a plastic shell. Because of its very small storage capacity it is no longer used. 3. Hard disk A hard disk, also called hard drive, usually consists of several inflexible, circular metal platters coated with magnetic oxide that can be magnetized to represent data. The entire device is enclosed in an air-tight, sealed case to protect it from contamination. In most of the systems the hard disk is housed inside the system unit so it is called a fixed hard disk. Portable hard disks are also available in different size.

OPTICAL MEDIA The working of optical technology can be explained like this : a laser hits a layer of metallic material spread over the surface of a disk. The heat from the laser produces tiny spots on the disk surface during write process. To read the data the laser scans the disk, and a lens picks up different light reflections from the various spots.

The major optical storage devices are compact disc, DVD, Blu-ray Disc 1. compact disc(CD) An optical disc is a flat, round, portable storage medium made of metal, plastic, and lacquer that is written and read by a laser. Optical discs used in personal computers are 4.75 inches in diameter and less than one-twentieth of an inch thick CD ROM-this is a read only memory device. usually a CD ROM od of 650 MB to 700MB size. CD-R allows you to write to the CD .once you have recorded it allows you to read many times CD-RW allows multiple read write sessions. This allows erasing hence overcome the major disadvantage of CD 2. DVD(Digital Versatile Disc)
A DVD-ROM is an extremely high capacity compact disc capable of storing from 4.7 GB to 17GB. Operating very much like CD-ROM technology, It uses a laser beam to read microscopic spots that represent data. But DVD technology uses a laser with a shorter wavelength, permitting it to read more densely packed spots, thus increasing the disk capacity

3. Blu-ray and HD DVD

These are newer technologies. This offer higher data storage capacity and quality than traditional CD s and DVDs. Currently HD DVD offers a storage capacity of about 60GB which is expected to be 90GB in future

whereas Blu-ray disc offers 100GB and expected to provide 200GB in future

OTHER STORAGE DEVICES

There are many other storage media available now some of them are smart card ,pc card, flash memory devices etc. The flash memory devices uses solid state media for storage. which means entirely electronic components and no movable parts. The main advantage of this solid state devices are they are handy, fast and shock proof. Some examples of solid state devices are CompactFlash (CF), SmartMedia, Secure Digital (SD), miscroSD, miniSD, xD A smart card and smart card reader, Flash memory cards, USB flash drive, Picture Card, and Memory Stick