2.

Input and Output Devices

Input devices and their uses
Keyboards

Uses of keyboards

1. Input of data into applications software

2. Typing in commands to the computer

Advantages of keyboards Disadvantages of keyboards

Fast entry of new text into a document. Can be difficult to use if the user has
limited arm/wrist use.
Well-known method that’s Easy to use
for most people. Slow method when compared to direct
data entry
Easier to do verification checks as data
is entered Fairly large device that uses up
valuable desk space.

Numeric keypads
Uses of numeric keypads

1. Automatic teller machines (ATMs), where the customer can key in their PIN, amount of
money, etc.

2. Mobile phones to allow phone numbers, etc. to be keyed in.

3. Point of sale terminals (POS) in case the barcode reader fails to read the barcode – the
number has to be keyed in manually by the operator.

4. Chip and PIN devices when paying by credit/debit cards (key in PIN, amount of money,
etc.).

5. Fast entry of numeric data into a spreadsheet.

Advantages of numeric keypads Disadvantages of numeric keypads

2. Input and Output Devices 1

 Faster than standard keyboards when Sometimes have small keys which can
entering numeric data. make input more difficult.

they are very easy to carry around Sometimes the order of the numbers on
because they are small the keypad is not intuitive.

mouse

Uses of a mouse

1. opening, closing and minimizing software

2. grouping, moving and deleting files

3. image editing, for example, controlling the size and position of a drawing pasted into a
document

4. controlling the position of a pointer on the screen to allow selection from a menu or
selecting an icon, and for scrolling up and down/left and right.

Advantages of a mouse Disadvantages of a mouse

Faster method for choosing an option more difficult to use for people with
rather than using a keyboard. restricted hand/wrist movement

Very quick way of navigating through Easy to damage

applications and the internet.
Difficult to use if no flat surface readily
Does not need a large desk area when available
compared to a keyboard.

Touchpad

Advantages of a touchpad Disadvantages of a touchpad

Same as the mouse (faster than a People with limited hand/wrist

keyboard for choosing options, used to movement find the device difficult to
navigate applications and the internet, use.
etc.).
Can be more difficult to control the
Because the touchpad is integrated into pointer when compared to a normal
the laptop computer there is no need for mouse.
a separate mouse – this aids the
More difficult to use when doing
portability and is a big advantage if
certain operations such as drag and
there are no flat surfaces available.
drop.

2. Input and Output Devices 2

 Trackerball

Uses of a trackerball

1. Can be a good alternative to a mouse for people with conditions such as RSI.

2. Used in an industrial control room environment where it is faster than a mouse to

navigate through process screens.

3. Used in some luxury cars to select functions such as radio, telephone, music, satnav and
so on.

Advantages of a trackerball Disadvantages of a trackerball

Easier to use than a mouse if the Not supplied with the computer as
operator has problems with their wrist standard, therefore more costly.
or hand.
User may need training because it is
More accurate positioning of the not standard equipment.
pointer on screen than a mouse.

Needs less desk space than a mouse or

keyboard.

Remote control

Uses of a remote control

1. Televisions, satellite systems, DVD/Blu-ray players and Hi-Fi systems all use remote
controls to alter functions such as sound volume, on/off, change channels, open the disc
drawer, and so on.

2. Used to control multimedia systems.

3. Used in industrial applications to remotely control processes, stop and start machinery,
etc.

Advantages of a remote control Disadvantages of a remote control

Can be operated from any reasonable Difficult to use if the operator has
distance limited hand/wrist movement.

allows you to operate the device or It is easier to block the signal if, eg. the
machine without interfering with cables walls in the are very thick.

Joysticks

2. Input and Output Devices 3

 Uses of a joystick

1. Used in video/computer games.

2. Used in simulators (for example, flight simulators) to mimic actual controls.

Advantages of a joystick Disadvantages of a joystick

Easier than a keyboard to navigate the More difficult to control the on-screen
screen. pointer than with other devices, such as
a mouse.
Control is more realistic for some
applications than, for example, using a
mouse.

Driving wheel
Uses of a driving wheel

1. Used in video/computer games (for example, car racing games).

2. Used in simulators (for example, car-driving simulators) to mimic actual vehicle

controls.

Advantages of a driving wheel Disadvantages of a driving wheel

Easier than a keyboard or joystick to It can be a rather expensive input

control steering movements; it is more device compared to mouse or joystick.
natural.
Movements in the steering can be too
The ‘driving experience’ is nearer to sensitive, giving an unrealistic ‘feel’.
how an actual steering wheel and other
controls operate in real life.

Touch screens (as an input device)

Uses of touch screens

1. Self-service tills, for example, petrol stations, where the user just touches the screen to
select the fuel grade and payment method.

2. Automatic teller machines (ATMs) to choose from on-screen options.

3. Point of sale terminals such as in restaurants.

4. Mobile phones, tablets and satellite navigation systems.

5. Interactive white boards in education.

2. Input and Output Devices 4

 6. Computer-based training (CBT) where answers are selected during on-screen testing.

Advantages of touch screens Disadvantages of touch screens

Faster entry of options than using Limited number of input options

keyboard or mouse. available.

Very easy method for choosing options. Can lead to problems if used frequently
(straining of arm muscles, RSI, etc. are
User-friendly method – no training
all possible).
necessary in its use.
can get very dirty with constant
Option to expand the size of the display
touching (giving a risk of spreading
if necessary.
infections, and reduce its
responsiveness which makes it more
difficult to read in strong sunlight).

Scanners
Uses of scanners

1. Scan in documents and convert into a format for use in various software packages.

2. Scan in old/valuable documents/books, thus protecting the originals, as well as

producing records in case the paper copies are lost/destroyed (this is also known as
archiving).

3. Scan in photographs (not all cameras are digital and therefore photographs are still
printed on paper, requiring conversion to computer format for storage).

4. Scan in barcodes at POS terminals.

Advantages of scanners Disadvantages of scanners

Images can be stored for editing at a Quality can be limited depending on

later date. how good a resolution the scanner is
capable of (most scanners have a range
When used with OCR, much faster and
of resolutions you can choose from).
more accurate (no typing errors) than
typing in documents again. They can be fairly slow at scanning,
especially if the color scanning mode is
It is possible to recover damaged
chosen or if the chosen scanning
documents and photographs by
resolution is high.
scanning in and then using appropriate
software to produce an acceptable copy.

2. Input and Output Devices 5

 Digital cameras
Uses of digital cameras

1. Taking photographs; they still take better photgraphs than smartphones or tablets due to
the use of expensive lenses and dedicated software.

2. Used as a data-capture device; for example, as a reversing aid in a car where small
cameras (in the bumpers) help the driver to see their immediate surroundings.

3. Dentists use digital cameras to take photos of a patient’s teeth to help them diagnose any
problems; they are also used to improve colour matching when doing dental fillings.

4. The creation of virtual reality tours around houses, historical buildings, industrial plants,
and so on.

Advantages of digital cameras

Easier to produce better-quality photographs than with a traditional camera.

Easier and faster to upload photographs to a computer rather than having to scan in hard
copies when using traditional methods.

No need to develop film and print out photographs anymore – this saves money and is
also environmentally more acceptable (saves paper and reduces the use of the chemicals
used in developing traditional film).

Memory cards can store many thousands of photographs.

Microphone
how it works:

1. When sound is created, it causes the air to vibrate.

2. When a diaphragm in the microphone picks up the air vibrations, the diaphragm also
begins to vibrate.

3. A copper coil is surrounded by a permanent magnet and the coil is connected to the
diaphragm using a cone. As the diaphragm vibrates, the cone moves in and out causing
the copper coil to move backwards and forwards relative to the magnet.

4. This forwards and backwards motion cuts through the magnetic field around the
permanent magnet, inducing an electric current.

5. The electric current is then either amplified or sent to a recording device. The electric
current is analogue in nature.

Uses of microphones

2. Input and Output Devices 6

 1. To input speech/sounds to be used in various applications, for example, in presentations,
sampling (in films, music, etc.) and special effects (films).

2. Input in voice-recognition software:

– the software converts the speech into text that can be used in, for example, a word
processor or to input commands into a computer
– to recognise commands; for example, some cars now have voice-activated systems to
switch on the lights, turn up the radio volume

3. Microphones can also be used as a sensor to pick up sound (for example, in an intruder
alarm system).

4. Used in video-conferencing or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications.

Advantages of microphones Disadvantages of microphones

Faster to read in text than to type it in Sound files can use up a lot of
computer memory.
If used in a voice activation system, it
has the advantage of improving safety Voice-recognition software is not as
accurate as typing in manually

Sensors

Sensors measure real-world quantities, which are then converted into an electrical signal
using ADC’s. Actuators take an electrical signal and convert it into a physical form.

Uses of sensors

Advantages Disadvantages

More accurate readings taken when Faulty sensors can give spurious results
compared to human operators.
Most sensors are analogue, therefore
Readings are continuous – no break in they require conversion using an ADC.
the monitoring.

2. Input and Output Devices 7

 Systems can be automatic, removing
the need for human intervention

Light Pens

Uses of light pens

1. Selecting objects on CRT screens.

2. Drawing on screen (for example, with CAD packages)

Advantages of light pens Disadvantages of light pens

Greater accuracy than touch screens. Problems with lag when drawing on
screen.
Small (can be used where space is an
issue). Only works with CRT monitors (at the
moment)
Easy-to-use technology.
Not that accurate when drawing.

Direct data entry (DDE) devices

Direct data entry (DDE) devices are devices to input data into a computer without the need
for very much, if any, human interaction

Card readers
Magnetic stripe readers

Magnetic stripe readers are used to read information on the magnetic stripe found on,

The stripe contains useful information, such as: account number, sort code, expiry date and
start date.
Uses of magnetic stripe readers

1. On credit/debit cards for use at ATMs or EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of
sale) terminals.

2. Security devices to allow entry to buildings, hotel rooms, etc.

Advantages of magnetic stripe readers Disadvantages of magnetic stripe readers

Fast data entry, Error-free (because no If the magnetic stripe gets damaged the
typing is involved). data is lost.

Does not work at a distance

2. Input and Output Devices 8

 Secure (information not in human the information is not human readable
readable form so it removes the risk of
somebody observing your key strokes).

physically very robust

Chip and PIN readers

Chip and PIN readers have a microchip contains details about the user's card and account –
like their name, account number and card expiry date

differences between chip and pin readers and contactless card readers

1. The customer has to key in their PIN to make a transaction.

2. These cards do not make use of radio frequency technology.

Uses of chip and PIN readers

1. Where payments are made using cards (restaurants, supermarkets, travel agents, etc.).

Advantages of chip and PIN readers Disadvantages of chip and PIN readers

More secure system (PIN typed in must Fraud – need to be careful to ensure
match up with PIN stored on chip). PIN is not read by somebody else while
typing it in.
More robust system than magnetic
stripe cards.

Contactless cards
A contactless credit card uses RFID technology to enable you to hover or tap a card over a
card terminal as a means of conducting a transaction.

The steps taken are:

1. Customers look out for the contactless symbol on the payment terminal.

2. The shop assistant enters the amount for payment.

3. The card reader informs the customer to present their contactless card.

4. The customer holds their card close to the front of the card reader.

5. The terminal display will indicate that the card has been read successfully.

Advantages of using contactless cards Disadvantages of using contactless cards:

Faster transactions

2. Input and Output Devices 9

 The contactless card system uses 128- They are more expensive than normal
bit encryption systems to protect the credit/debit cards.
data.
A thief with a reader could monitor
Customers do not have to worry about your transaction while standing with or
typing errors behind you

Retailers don’t have access to the Can take money twice if the customer
customer’s credit/debit card uses it as a chip and PIN card (one is
information. contactless and the other is chip and
PIN).

Transactions are usually limited to a

small maximum value

radio frequency identification (RFID)

Radio frequency identification (RFID) readers use radio waves to read and capture
information stored on a tag.

1. Uses of RFID

2. Livestock tracking

3. Retail (details such as price can be stored on the tag and then automatically read at a
checkout ).

4. Admission passes (for example, in theme parks)

5. Libraries (books can be tracked in and out automatically by readers at the library
entrance)

Advantages of RFID Disadvantages of RFID

No line-of-sight contact is necessary; Tag collision (this is when the signals

the tags can be read from a distance. from two or more tags overlap,
interfering with each other).
It is a very robust and reliable
technology. Because RFID uses radio waves, they
are relatively easy to jam or interrupt.
Very fast read-rate (typically less than
100 milliseconds to respond). It is relatively easy to hack into the
data/signal transmitted by the tag.
it allows read and write operations to
take place. RFID is more expensive than a
comparable barcode system.

2. Input and Output Devices 10

 Bulk detection is possible (it can detect
several RFID tags at the same time)

Optical mark recognition/reader (OMR)

Optical Mark Recognition collects data from people by identifying markings on a paper
Uses of OMR devices

Used to read questionnaires, multiple-choice examination papers, voting papers and

many other types of form where responses are registered in the
form of lines or shaded areas.

Advantages of OMR devices Disadvantages of OMR devices

Very fast way of inputting the results of The forms need to be carefully
a survey, etc designed to make sure the
marks/shading are correctly positioned
Because there is no typing, they are
to gather accurate information.
more accurate than keying in the data.
sometimes they have to be manually
checked before being read, which is
both time consuming and expensive.

Optical character recognition/reader (OCR)

Optical character recognition (OCR) is a device that converts the text on hard copy
documents into an electronic form

Uses of OCR

1. One of the most recent uses is the processing of passports and identity cards.

2. Converting hard copy documents into electronic form which can be stored on a
computer.

3. Used in automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems in car parks.

4. Digitising historic newspapers and rare books so they can be archived and used by
researchers, preventing damage to the originals.

Advantages of OCR Disadvantages of OCR

It is a much faster data entry system The system still has difficulty reading
than manually keying in data. some handwriting.

Still not a very accurate technique.

2. Input and Output Devices 11

 the number of errors is reduced
Because there is no manual data entry

Differences between OMR and OCR

Barcode readers

Barcode readers are used to read information in the form of a bar code

Uses of barcode systems

1. Used in supermarkets and other shops where the goods are marked with a barcode; the
barcodes are used to give information about the product

2. Used in libraries to keep track of books on loan.

3. Used as a safety function in many companies to ensure that electrical equipment is

checked on a regular basis

Advantages of barcode systems Disadvantages of barcode systems

Much faster than keying in data Relatively expensive system to

manually and less mistakes will be administer.
made.
Not fool-proof (barcodes can be
can help improve safety If used to swapped around on items).
record safety testing of components
Can be more easily damaged than
They allow automatic stock control. RFID tags or magnetic stripes.

They are a tried and trusted technology.

Quick response (QR) code scanners (readers)

A quick response (QR) code is a type of barcode that can be read easily by a digital device
and stores information as a series of pixels in a square-shaped grid.

2. Input and Output Devices 12

 uses of QR codes

1. advertising products

2. giving automatic access to a website or contact telephone number

3. storing boarding passes electronically at airports and train stations

4. menus at restaurants

Advantages of QR codes Disadvantages of QR codes

They can hold much more information More than one QR format is available.
than normal barcode.
QR codes can be used to transmit
There will be fewer errors than with malicious codes; known as attagging.
barcodes; the higher data capacity of
the QR code allows the use of built-in
error-checking systems

Output devices and their uses

these are devices that usually show the result of computer processing in a format that can be
understood by a human
Monitors (screens)

there are two types of monitor:

» the cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor
» LCD (or TFT) screen (TFT means ‘thin film technology’; a general term for modern thin
screens).

CRT monitors

Cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors are display devices that works on the principle of a
cathode ray tube (a type of electron accelerator) with a screen

The picture is made up of tiny dots which are colored red, green or blue – the intensity of
each colored dot makes up the vast range of colors interpreted by the eye.

Uses of CRT monitors

1. They are only used in specialist areas, such as computer-aided design (CAD)

2. They are used with light pens to allow designs to be created on screen.

Advantages of CRT monitors Disadvantages of CRT monitors

2. Input and Output Devices 13

 The screen can be clearly seen at a They tend to be rather heavy and take
wider range of viewing angles up desk space

They allow the use of light pens in They consume considerably more
CAD/CAM applications. power than LCD monitors.

LED screens

An LED screen is made up of tiny light emitting diodes (LEDs) that either red, green or blue
in color. By varying the electric current sent to each LED, its brightness can be controlled,
producing a vast range of colors.

1. Roof-top & Roadside advertising.

2. TV Studios & Broadcast.

3. scoreboards for stadiums and sports halls.

Advantages of LED screens Disadvantages of LED screens

1. Flicker-Free Images. 1. more expensive than conventional

lighting technologies.
2. Lower Power Consumption.
2. can shift color due to age and
3. Brighter and sharper Images.
temperature.

3. lot thinner than the LCD or Plasma.

LCD screens
LCD screens are made up of tiny liquid crystals that make up an array of pixels which are
affected by changes in applied electric fields
Uses of LCD screens

1. Used as the main output device for most modern computers.

2. Many LCD screens offer touch-screen input.

3. Mobile phones, tablets, laptops and portable video games all use LCD screens.

Advantages of LCD screens Disadvantages of LCD screens

Very efficient, low power consumption. Color and contrast from various
viewing angles can be inconsistent.
Lightweight devices.
Motion blur is a common issue.
do not suffer from screen image burn-in

2. Input and Output Devices 14

 Screens can be made in large variation Lower contrast than CRT monitors
of sizes.
LCDs can have weak or stuck pixels,
Do not suffer from a flickering image, which are permanently on or off
unlike CRT monitors.
uneven intensity and shading over the
allow a vast range of colors screen because it may not be uniformly
illuminated by the back light

Touch screen (as an output device)

Uses of touch screens (acting as both input and output)

1. Smartphones and tablets (allowing interaction with apps).

2. ATMs at banks

3. Ticket collection machines at theatres, cinemas and railway stations

4. Information kiosks at museums or art galleries.

Advantages of touch screens Disadvantages of touch screens

Faster entry of options Limited number of options available.

easy method for choosing options. can get dirty with constant touching
giving a risk of spreading infections, as
User-friendly method – no training
well as reducing its responsiveness
necessary in its use.
Easier for a third party to track a user’s
Option to expand the size of the display
interactions, which is a security risk
if necessary.

Multimedia projectors
Multimedia projectors receive signals that can be either analogue or digital and The image
from the source is magnified and projected onto a large screen.
Uses of multimedia projectors

1. Training presentations

2. Advertising presentations (large images showing product features

3. Home cinema systems (projecting the images from a DVD or television).

Advantages of multimedia projectors Disadvantages of multimedia projectors

2. Input and Output Devices 15

 Enables many people to see a Images can sometimes be fuzzy.
presentation rather than crowding
Expensive to buy.
around a small computer screen.
Setting up can be a little difficult.
Avoids the need for several networked
computers

Printers

types of printer:

laser printer

inkjet printer

dot matrix printer

Graph plotters

3D

Laser printers
how a page is printed:

1. printing drum is given a positive charge; as this drum rotates, a laser beam is scanned
across it removing the positive charge in certain areas; this leaves negatively charged
areas which exactly match the text/images of the page to be printed.

2. The drum is then coated with positively-charged toner (powdered ink) which only sticks
to the negatively charged parts of the drum.

3. A negatively-charged sheet of paper is then rolled over the drum.

4. The toner on the drum now sticks to the paper to produce an exact copy of the page sent
to the printer.

5. To prevent the paper sticking to the drum, the electric charge on the paper is removed
after one rotation of the drum.

6. The paper finally goes through a fuser, which is a set of heated rollers; the heat melts the
ink so that it fixes permanently to the paper.

7. At the end, a discharge lamp removes all the electric charge from the drum, making it
ready to print the next page.

Uses of laser printers

1. They are used where low noise is required.

2. Input and Output Devices 16

 2. If fast, high-quality, high-volume printing is required

Advantages of laser printers Disadvantages of laser printers

Printing a lot of pages is fast Color laser printers tend to be

expensive to run
The quality is consistently high.
They produce ozone which cause
Toner cartridges last for a long time
health hazards in the office

can't handle a variety of paper or

printing materials like inkjets.

Inkjet printer

they are made up of:

1. a print head, which consists of nozzles which spray droplets of ink on to the paper to
form characters

2. an ink cartridge or cartridges; either one cartridge for each color and a black cartridge, or
one single cartridge containing all three colors plus black

3. a stepper motor and belt, which moves the print head assembly across the page from side
to side

4. a paper feed which automatically feeds the printer with pages as they are required.

The ink droplets are produced using two different technologies:

1. Thermal bubble – tiny resistors create 1. Piezoelectric – a crystal is located at

localized heat which makes the ink the back of the ink reservoir for each
vaporize. This causes the ink to form a nozzle. The crystal is given a tiny
tiny bubble; as the bubble expands, electric charge which makes it vibrate.
some of the ink is ejected from the This vibration forces ink to be ejected
print head onto the paper. When the onto the paper; at the same time more
bubble collapses, a small vacuum is ink is drawn in for further printing.
created which allows fresh ink to be
drawn into the print head. This
continues until the printing cycle is
completed.

Uses of inkjet printers

2. Input and Output Devices 17

 1. Used where low-output volumes are required (high-volume jobs are difficult to because
the ink cartridges tend to be used up very quickly).

2. If high-quality printing is required for single pages (or only a small print job) then these
printers are ideal, they are very good at producing photo-quality printouts.

3. 3D inkjet printers are now being used in industry to produce prototypes.

Advantages of inkjet printers Disadvantages of inkjet printers

High-quality output. Slow output if several copies are

needed; little buffer capacity
Cheaper to buy than laser printers.
Cannot do large print jobs (ink
Very lightweight and have a small
cartridges run out too quickly).
physical footprint.
Printing can ‘smudge’ if the user is not
Do not produce ozone and volatile
careful.
organic compounds
Can be expensive if used a lot ( ink
cartridges are expensive to buy)

Dot matrix printers

Dot matrix printers are a type of impact printer where a print head made up of a matrix of
pins presses against an inked ribbon
Uses of dot matrix printers

1. They can be used in noisy or dirty environments and in applications where print quality
is not that important.

2. They are used in applications where multi-part stationery or the fact that they are an
impact printer is of value (for example, when producing physical ‘carbon copies’ such as
when producing wage slips).

Advantages of dot matrix printers Disadvantages of dot matrix printers

They can be used in environments Very noisy – not good in an office

which would be a problem for laser or environment.
inkjet printers (for example, dusty/dirty
High initial cost
or moist atmospheres).
Very slow, poor-quality printing.
Carbon copies or multi-part outputs can
be produced.

Very cheap to run and maintain.

2. Input and Output Devices 18

 Easy to use if continuous stationery is
required (for example, long print jobs
such as wages slips).

Graph plotters
A plotter is a printer that interprets commands from a computer to make line drawings on
paper with one or more automated pen

Uses of plotters

1. Producing architectural drawings.

2. Producing engineering drawings.

3. Drawing animation characters (cartoon characters).

Advantages of plotters Disadvantages of plotters

Very high-quality output. Very slow at printing.

produces large, monochrome and color Expensive equipment (and software) to

drawings to a high accuracy. purchase initially

Able to print on a variety of materials Have a very large physical footprint

(for example, aluminum, cardboard, compared to a printer.
plastic, steel and wood) as well as
paper.

3D printers

a printer that print solid objects using materials such as powdered resin, powdered metal,
paper or ceramic.

features of 3D printing:

1. Various types of 3D printers exist; they range from the size of a microwave oven up to
the size of a small car.

2. 3D printers use additive manufacturing (i.e. the object is built up layer by layer); this is
in sharp contrast to the more traditional method of subtractive manufacturing (i.e.
removal of material to make the object). CNC (computer-controlled machine – a type
of lathe) removes metal to form an object; 3D printing would produce the same item by
building up the object from layers of powdered metal.

2. Input and Output Devices 19

 3. Direct 3D printing uses inkjet technology; where a print head can move left to right as
in a normal printer. However, the print head can also move up and down to build up the
layers of an object

4. Binder 3D printing is similar to direct 3D printing, but this method uses two passes for
each of the layers; the first pass sprays dry powder, then, on the
second pass, a binder (a type of glue) is sprayed to form a solid layer.

5. the diversity of products which can be made increases further because Newer
technologies are using lasers and UV light to harden liquid polymers

Uses of 3D printers

1. Prosthetic limbs can be made to fit exactly on the injured body part.

2. Making items more precise in their design to allow precision reconstructive surgery

3. making lightweight, precision parts like wings and other airplane parts

4. Fashion and art – 3D printing allows new creative ideas to be developed.

5. Making parts for items no longer in production like parts for a vintage car.

Advantages of 3D printers Disadvantages of 3D printers

it allows rapid prototyping easy to make counterfeit items

cheaper when compared to labor costs can be used in manufacturing

dangerous products
cost of manufacturing is the same for
both small-scale and mass production potential for job losses

Speakers

Speakers are output devices that produce sound.

When connected to a computer system, digitized sound stored on a file needs to be converted
into sound as follows:

1. The digital data is first passed through a digital to analogue converter (DAC) where it is
changed into an electric current.

2. This is then passed through an amplifier to create a current large enough to drive a
loudspeaker.

3. This electric current is then fed to a loudspeaker where it is converted into sound.

2. Input and Output Devices 20

 How loudspeakers work:

1. When an electric current flows through

the coil of wire that is wrapped around
an iron core, the core becomes a
temporary electromagnet; a permanent
magnet is also positioned very close to
this electromagnet.

2. As the electric current through the coil

of wire varies, the induced magnetic
field in the iron core also varies. This
causes the iron core to be attracted or
towards or repelled from the permanent
magnet and as the current varies this
will cause the iron core to vibrate.

3. Because the iron core is attached to a

cone it causes the cone to vibrate,
producing sound waves.

Uses of speakers

1. Used in all phones and built in to most computers.

2. Outputs sound from multimedia presentations.

3. Helps visually impaired people (together with speech generation software) through
reading aloud text on the screen.

4. Plays downloaded sound files.

Advantages of speakers Disadvantages of speakers

Sound amplified through speakers can Speaker output can be disturbing to

be louder than the original sound others in, for example, an office
environment.

2. Input and Output Devices 21

 Everyone in a conference, for example, To get high-quality sound, the required
can hear the output from a computer. speakers can be quite expensive.

It can create a good atmosphere when Speakers can take up a lot of desk
making a presentation. space.

Actuators

An actuator is a component of a machine that is responsible for moving and controlling a

mechanism or system
Uses of actuators

1. They are used to control motors, pumps, switches, buzzers and so on.

2. They allow a computer to control physical devices that normally require analogue inputs.

Advantages of actuators Disadvantages of actuators

They allow remote operation of many They are an additional device in the
devices (for example, pumps in a system that could go wrong.
nuclear reactor where remote operation
Because they are usually analogue
is a big safety factor).
devices, computer signals need to
They are relatively inexpensive converted using a DAC to enable
devices. computer control.

2. Input and Output Devices 22