PERIPHERALS

A peripheral is a piece of computer hardware that is added to a host

computer, i.e. any hardware except the computer, in order to expand its
abilities. More specifically, the term is used to describe those devices
that are optional in nature, as opposed to hardware that is either
demanded or always required in principle.

 It constitutes all input and output devices and secondary storage

devices.
 All peripherals are online devices.

EX- monitors, printers, scanners, hard disk drives etc

INPUT DEVICES

An input device is a hardware mechanism that transforms information

in the external world for consumption by a computer. Often, input
devices are under direct control by a human user, who uses them to
communicate commands or other information to be processed by the
computer, which may then transmit feedback to the user through an
output device. Input and output devices together make up the hardware
interface between a computer and the user or external world.

Typical examples of input devices include keyboards and mice.

However, there are others which provide many more degrees of
freedom. In general, any sensor which monitors, scans for and accepts
information from the external world can be considered an input device,
whether or not the information is under the direct control of a user.

Keyboard

Physically, keyboards are an arrangement of rectangular buttons, or

keys. Keyboards typically have characters engraved or printed on the
keys; in most cases, each press of a key corresponds to a single written
symbol. However, to produce some symbols requires pressing and
holding several keys simultaneously or in sequence; other keys do not
produce any symbol, but instead affect the operation of the computer or
the keyboard itself.
Pointing devices

They work with the operating system’s Graphical User Interface (GUI),
and are better alternative for issuing commands, making choices, and
responding to prompts displayed on the screens.

a) ELECTRONIC MOUSE
b) TRACK BALL
c) POINTING STICK
d) TOUCH PAD
e) TOUCH SCREENS
Electronic mouse

In computing, a mouse (plural mice or mouses) functions as a pointing

device by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting
surface. Physically, a mouse consists of a small case, held under one of
the user's hands, with one or more buttons. It sometimes features other
elements, such as "wheels", which allow the user to perform various
system-dependent operations, or extra buttons or features can add more
control or dimensional input. The mouse's motion typically translates
into the motion of a pointer on a display.

Track ball

A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball housed in a socket

containing sensors to detect rotation of the ball about two axes—like an
upside-down mouse with an exposed protruding ball. The user rolls the
ball with the thumb, fingers, or the palm of the hand to move a cursor.

Pointing stick

It’s a button like device, centered usually one row above the spacebar of
the keyboard. The cursor moves in the direction of the pressure, which
is placed on the stick. It is also known as track point.
TOUCH PAD

It is a small rectangular touch-sensitive surface, the cursor moves in the

direction in which the finger moves on the pad.

TOUCH SCREENS

It allows us to use the computer by touching the surface of its video

display screen. The screen emits some kind a grid of infrared beams,
sound waves, or a slight electric current, which breaks when the screen
is touched and thus the computer responds accordingly.

PEN BASED COMPUTERS

Tablet style microcomputers that recognize handwriting and hand

drawing done by a pen-shaped device on their pressure-sensitive display
screens example is digitizer pens and graphics tablet, the digitizer pen is
a pointing device, used to draw or write on a pressure sensitive surface
of the graphics tablets

SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEMS

It analyzes, and classifies, speech and its sound patterns. The software
compares speech patters to a database of sound patterns and passes
recognized words to application software. It is direct conversion of
spoken data into electronic form suitable for entry into the computer
system.
Ex Dragon naturally speaking and Via Voice by IBM have up to 300000
word vocabularies.
This device is popular among non- typists, people with disabilities, etc

OPTICAL SCANNING DEVICES

It translates paper documents into digital input, input documents can be

text, graphics, or even hand written materials. Optical character
recognition (OCR) can read the characters and codes on merchandise
tags, product labels, credit card receipts, utility bills, insurance
premiums, airline tickets, and other documents.
OTHER INPUT TECHNOLOGIES

MAGNETIC STRIPE TECHNOLOGY

This technology is used in magnetic stripe cards; these are a plastic

wallet-size card with a stripe of magnetic tape on one surface, widely
used for credit and debit cards.

SMART CARDS

Smart cards have microprocessors embed that has several kilobytes of

memory into debit, credit and other cards. It enables to store a cash
balance on the card and electronically transfer some of it to others to
pay for small items and services.

DIGITAL CAMERAS

It enables us to shoot, store, and download still photos or full motion

video with audio into the PC. We can use image editing software to edit
images. And include them into newsletters, reports, multimedia
presentations and Web pages.

MAGNETIC INK CHARACTER RECOGNIZER (MICR)

This is used by the banking industry for faster processing of the large
volume of cheque. This technology also ensures accuracy of the data
entry, because most of the information is pre-printed on the cheque and
is directly fed to the computer.

OUTPUT TECHNOLOGY

It accepts data from the computer system and translates into a form,
which is suitable for use by the outside world (the users).
Ex- voice response systems, multimedia output.
VEDIO OUTPUT

Many desktop computers still use monitors that use a cathode ray tube
(CRT). These can produce a variety of graphics modes of increasing
quality. Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) with flat panel monitors have
become common.

PRINTERS

Printers are used for producing hard copy output. In order to produce
printed reports and correspondence, documents such as sales invoices,
payroll checks, banks statements, and printed versions of graphic
displays printers are used.

INKJET PRINTERS

It is a low cost printer for microcomputers systems. They spray ink onto
the pages and have become very popular world wide.

LASER PRINTERS

It uses electrostatic process and gets very high quality prints.

STORAGE TRADE OFFS

The storage device consists of the magnetic tape, optical disks, magnetic
disks, and semi conductor memory. The cost, speed , capacity trade offs
as one moves from semi conductor memories, to magnetic disks, to
optical disks, and to magnetic tape. High speed storage media cost more
per byte and provide lower capacities. Large capacity storage media
cost less per byte but are slower.

DIRECT AND SEQUENTIAL ACCESS

Direct access is a method of storage where each storage position has a

unique address and can be individually accessed in approximately the
same period of time without having to search through other storage
positions. DIRECT ACCESS STORAGE DEVICE (DASD) is a storage
device that can directly access data to be stored or retrieved, for
example a magnetic disk unit.
Sequential access is a sequential method of storing and retrieving data
from a file.

SEMI CONDUCTOR MEMORY

Microelectronic storage circuitry etched on tiny chips of silicon or other

semiconductor material. The primary storage of most modern
computers consists of microelectronic semiconductor storage chips for
RAM, which is a random access memory, it is volatile in nature and
ROM , which is a read only memory, it is non volatile memory.

MAGNETIC DISKS

It is a flat circular plate with a magnetic surface on which data can be

stored by selective magnetization of portions of the curved surface.
Types of magnetic disks are floppy disks and hard disks.

Floppy disk is a small plastic disk coated with iron oxide that resembles
a small phonograph record enclosed in a protective envelope. It is a
widely used form of magnetic disk media that provides a direct access
storage capability for microcomputer systems.

Hard disks combine magnetic disks, access arms, and read and write
heads into a sealed module. Capacities of hard drives range from
several hundred megabytes to hundreds of gigabytes.

RAID STORAGE

It is redundant array of independent disks. Magnetic disk units that

house many interconnected microcomputer hard drives, thus providing
large, fault tolerant storage capacities.

MAGNETIC TAPE

It is a plastic tape with a magnetic surface on which data can be stored

by selective magnetization of portions of the surface.
OPTICAL DISKS

It consists of a rotating disk, coated with a thin metal or some other

material, which is highly reflective. The Laser beam technology used for
recording/reading of data on disk.
CD ROM – In this we can load software.
CD RW – It is used for data backup or data transfer purposes.
CD RW/DVD- It is a combination drive which brings all the advantages
of CD-RW, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM in a single drive.