INPUT DEVICES

ALP 2
WEEK 5

29 September 2024 1
 JOYSTICK
• Joysticks were originally used
by pilots as part of an airplanes
controls and the technology
was developed to let computer
gamers experience a more
realistic game environment.
• You can move joysticks in
many directions and the it tells
the computer which direction it
has been moved into.

29 September 2024 2
 JOYSTICK

• They also have one or more

buttons whose position when
pushed can be read by the
computer.
• Joysticks can also be used for
controlling machines such as
cranes, trucks and powered
wheelchairs.

29 September 2024 3
 Advantages of joysticks

1. They give a better gaming

experience for racing or flying
styles of computer games
2. Control is more realistic
than using the mouse
3. Easier than keyboard to
navigate the screen

29 September 2024 4
 Disadvantages of joysticks

1. Some people find joysticks more

difficult to control than a traditional
mouse.
2. Joysticks are not particularly
robust and can break easily if too
much force is used on them.

29 September 2024 5
 SCANNER

• Scanners can be used to convert

images or text on paper into a
digital format that can be used by
the computer. Used to enter
information from hard copy into
the computer.
• Used to scan in old/valuable
documents or books, thus
protecting the original.

29 September 2024 6
 SCANNER

• How do they work?

• A scanner works by shining a
beam of light onto the surface of
the object that you are scanning.
• This light is then reflected back
onto a sensor that detects the
colour of the light. This is then
used to build up the digital image.

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 SCANNER

• Items that are scanned are usually

stored in an image format.
However, special software -
Optical Character Recognition -
can be used to convert text on the
paper into text which can be edited
with a word processor.

29 September 2024 8
 SCANNER

There are three types of scanner:

1. Flatbed scanners
2. Handheld scanners
3. Sheet-fed Scanner
4. Specialist scanners

29 September 2024 9
 SCANNER
• The most popular type is the flatbed
scanner. They can scan larger images and
are more accurate than handheld
scanners.
• Handheld scanners are usually only a few
inches wide and are held in the hand
whilst they are rolled across the
document to be scanned.
• The images produced are generally not as
large or as high quality as those captured
with a flatbed scanner

29 September 2024 10
 Advantages of scanners

1. Flatbed scanners are very accurate

and can produce reasonably high
quality images.
2. Any image which is digitised by the
scanner can then be included on
electronic documents.
3. Images once digitised can be
enhanced with a graphics application.

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 Advantages of scanners

4. Specialist scanners can convert

old material such as 35mm
negatives into digital files.
5. Can accurately capture an image,
but the original source may be more
important than the scanned image.

29 September 2024 12
 Disadvantages of scanners
1. Images produced by the scanner
can take up a lot of memory space.
2. Images lose some quality in the
scanning and digitising process.
3. The quality of the final image is
dependent on the quality of the
original image.
4. The text doesn't always get
converted very well and you could
end up with a lot of mistakes.

29 September 2024 13
 VIDEO CAMERA

• A device that captures moving

images, or video.
• Like a digital camera, most
video cameras do not directly
input data into a computer – the
captured movies are stored on
videotape or memory cards
and later transferred to a
computer.

29 September 2024 14
 VIDEO CAMERA

However, there are some situations

where video cameras do feed video
data directly into a computer:
television production and
video-conferencing. In these
situations, the video data is
required in real-time.

29 September 2024 15
 WEBCAM
• Webcams are similar to digital
video cameras; however, they
are connected directly to the
computer (through a USB port)
and they do not have a memory.
The information that the webcam
picks up is transmitted directly to
the computer.
• Many computer systems now have
webcams built into the top of their
monitors as standard equipment.

29 September 2024 16
 WEBCAM

Uses
1. While chatting online, many
people use webcams as a more
personal way of having a
conversation.
2. They are used to enable
video conferencing to take
place.

29 September 2024 17
 WEBCAM

Advantages
1. Webcams can be left on
constantly, only being activated
as required.
2. They allow people to keep in
contact with each other without
the need to travel, so they are
particularly useful for elderly or
disabled people.

29 September 2024 18
 Disadvantages

1. Webcams have very limited

features and the picture is often of
poor quality.
2. They need to be connected to the
computer, although this is less of an
issue with laptop computers when
the webcam is built into the monitor
lid.

29 September 2024 19
 GRAPHICS TABLETS

• A graphics tablet is used with

a stylus to produce freehand
drawings for example. The
images produced can then be
stored in a file on a computer.

29 September 2024 20
 GRAPHICS TABLETS
Uses
1. Graphics tablets are used to
produce drawings, computer
graphics, etc.
2. In countries where characters
are complex (e.g. China, Japan),
they are used as a form of input
since it is faster than typing in the
characters using a keyboard.
3. They are used in computer
aided design (CAD) work.

29 September 2024 21
 GRAPHICS TABLETS

Advantages
1. It is possible to modify
drawings before they are
input.
2. They offer a very
accurate method of
drawing, which is better
than using a mouse or
tracker ball.

29 September 2024 22
 GRAPHICS TABLETS
Disadvantages
1. They are more expensive than other pointing devices, such
as a mouse.

29 September 2024 23
 LIGHT PENS
• Light pens contain
sensors that send signals
to a computer whenever
light changes are detected.
At the moment, the devices
only work with cathode
ray tube (CRT)Monitors.
• Systems to operate with
thin film transistor (TFT)
monitors are still at the
development stage.

29 September 2024 24
 Uses

1. Light pens are used for

selecting objects on CRT
screens.
2. They are also used for
drawing on screen (e.g. with
CAD packages).

29 September 2024 25
 Advantages

1. Light pens are more

accurate than touch screens.
2. They are small, so can be
used where space is an issue.

29 September 2024 26
 Disadvantages

1. There are problems with lag

when drawing on screen.

29 September 2024 27
 STYLUS
• A stylus is a pen shaped
instrument with a round rubber
piece that moves effortlessly
across touchscreen devices. It is an
instrument used to navigate on a
phone or tablet.
• Some stylus has internal electronic
components. Features include
memory, electronic erasers, and
pressure sensitivity that allows
lighter or heavier lines depending
upon how much pressure you apply.

29 September 2024 28