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Theinput devices They are those that fulfill the function of entering or providing data and control signals to the central processing unit of a system. In most cases we speak of input devices for devices that have a connection to the central unit of a computer, that is, the CPU.
As said, the central function of computers is data processing, so it can be said that the history of computing itself is the history of the refinement of processing methods:
Starting in 1970, in what is known as the fourth generation of computers, the most important innovation was the microprocessors (or chips), which generated a revolution in data processing matters: the processing speed goes up 770000 instructions per second. The computer could be made much smaller, accessible to households, and much less expensive.
Since 1985, innovation in computers has focused mainly on the input via sound waves with wireless systems, as well as through the emergence of robotics: cybernetics advances faster and faster and the interconnections between computers demand the introduction of increasingly efficient methods for data entry and processing.
The fundamental division between the devices, then, is made according to their function with respect to processing:
- Input devices: They provide information to the computer for processing.
- Output devices: They are important for the reproduction and presentation of information to users.
However there are some cases of mixed devices or hybrids, which at the same time send and receive signals to the different parts of the computer: the latest generation of devices such as the touch screen, the mouse or the scanner are examples of this.
Examples of input devices
| 1. Optical pencil: Pointing device applied on the screen. |
| 2. Mouse: Functional device for moving around the computer screen. |
| 3. Touch screen: Screen designed to recognize pressure on the surface. By touching the screen, the user can make a selection or move the cursor, equivalent to the mouse. |
| 4. Scanner: Device that, with a light beam, detects the patterns of light and darkness and thus allows converting a physical image into a digital signal that reproduces it as it is. |
| 5. Joystick: Pointing device that is used very often in computer games, although it is also common in industrial applications to handle devices. |
| 6. Code bar scanner: By means of the laser it is possible to read drawings formed by bars and parallel spaces, thus encoding information. |
| 7. Alphanumeric keyboard: The most frequent, with 62 keys including all the numbers and letters, as well as a series of commands. |
| 8. Function keyboard: Useful for computer systems, it has 13 configurable letters. |
| 9. Digital photo camera: Connects to the computer and transmits the images it captures. It can be from photos or video. |
| 10. Webcam: Like the camera but small, not showing the images it takes but simply transmitting them to the computer. |
It can serve you:
- Examples of Output Devices
