2.1

IO devices

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.

There are many IO Devices available, some of them are shown 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.


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.


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.

The joystick’s function is comparable to that of a mouse. it is used to playing video games on the computer.


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.
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. 


Web Camera

Because it 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-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).


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. 


Printer

Printers are output devices that allow you to print information on paper.

There are two types of printers:

(a) 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.

(b) 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