BCA – I

BCA102 (Computer Fundamentals)

UNIT - II

Computer peripherals
A computer peripheral is a device that is connected to a computer but is not part of the core
computer architecture. The core elements of a computer are the central processing unit, power
supply, motherboard and the computer case that contains those three components. Technically
speaking, everything else is considered a peripheral device. However, this is a somewhat narrow
view, since various other elements are required for a computer to actually function, such as a hard
drive and random-access memory (or RAM).

Most people use the term peripheral more loosely to refer to a device external to the computer case.
You connect the device to the computer to expand the functionality of the system. For example,
consider a printer. Once the printer is connected to a computer, you can print out documents.
Another way to look at peripheral devices is that they are dependent on the computer system. For
example, most printers can't do much on their own, and they only become functional when
connected to a computer system.

Types of Peripheral Devices

There are many different peripheral devices, but they fall into three general categories:
 Input devices ( For raw data input. ) : such as a mouse and a keyboard.
 Output devices (To circulate data and information.) : such as a monitor and a printer.
 Storage devices(For data and information retention) : such as a hard drive or flash drive.

1. Input Devices

Components which are used to input raw data are categorized under input devices. They aid in
feeding data such as text, images, and audiovisual recordings. They even aid in file transfers
between computers.

Input Type Examples

Keyboard, mouse
Main Input Device
(Wired
Connection)

Keyboard, mouse, headset, gamepad.

Bluetooth
Peripheral(wireless
connectivity)
 Mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, multi-touch screen, pen input

Pointing Device

motion sensor, graphics tablet, interactive smartboard, and fingerprint scanner.

Joystick, gamepad, and steering wheel.

Game Controller

Audio Input Device

Microphone and midi keyboard.

Visual and Imaging

Device

Scanner, Webcam, digital camera, digital camcorder, TV capture card, biometric

 scanner, and Barcode/QR code reader.

MICR,OMR,OCR ,ICR
Ethernet hardware and Bluetooth/wireless hardware (WiFi adapter).

Network Device

The keyboard is probably the most commonly used input device. Below are just some other types of
input devices.
2. Output Devices

Hardware components that disseminate and display both data and information are classified under
the output category.

Output is the culmination of a cycle which starts with the input of raw data and processing.

These components are sub-categorized under softcopy and hardcopy output.

Softcopy output includes the intangible experience. The user derives visual satisfaction by reading a
message through display components or listens to audio files through speakers.

On the other hand, hardcopy output devices are tangible, like printouts of paper and 3D models.
Popular Soft-copy Devices
Visual display devices include:
 Monitor
 Projection display
 Interactive (electronic) smart-board
 Touchscreen
Sound devices include:
 Speakers
 Headphones and earphones
Network input/output includes:
 Ethernet cables
  Wireless and Bluetooth transmissions
USB input/output includes:
 Flash drives
 External drives
 Optical drives
Popular Hardcopy Devices
Impact printers include:
 Daisy wheel
 Dot matrix printer
 Drum or Line printer
Non-impact printers include:
 Inkjet printer
 Laserjet printer
 Thermal printer
Plotter
3. Memory/Storage Devices
Components that retain/store data are classified under memory/storage devices.
Storage is sub-divided under primary and secondary memory and is either volatile or nonvolatile.
Primary memory usually refers to random-access memory (RAM) but can also refer to all memory
that works in tandem with the processor. RAM is volatile, meaning that it retains data only when the
computer is powered up.
The central processing unit (CPU) or accelerated processing unit (APU) reads instructions stored in
this memory and executes them as required.
Secondary memory is labeled as such because data stored within secondary storage media (usually
disk drives) do not communicate directly with the microprocessor. Any data stored in such media is
first transferred to a RAM device for processing to take place.
This type of memory is also non-volatile since it permits long time storage as opposed to volatile
memory.
To give some examples of these devices, primary memory includes:
RAM (Random Access Memory)
 DRAM (Dynamic RAM)
 SRAM (Static RAM )
ROM (Read Only Memory)
 PROM( Programmable ROM )
 EPROM ( Erasable Programmable ROM )
 EEPROM ( Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM )

Secondary memory is subdivided into two categories:

 Internal devices are designed to be placed inside the computer at all times. Examples include
hard disk and solid state disk drives.
 External devices are plug and play media used to transfer files between computers.
Examples include optical disks, flash disks, and external disk drives.

Keyboard

A computer keyboard is one of the primary input devices used

with a computer. Similar to an electric typewriter, a keyboard is
composed of buttons that create letters, numbers, and symbols, as
well as perform other functions.
The following image shows a 104-key keyboard with arrows pointing to each section, including the
control keys, function keys, LED indicators, wrist pad, arrow keys, and keypad.
Control Keys – are a section of keys on your keyboard that enable additional control over a
document and the computer. Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause, Break, Insert, Home, Page Up,
Delete, End, and Page down are all examples of control keys.
Function keys or F keys are lined along the top of the keyboard and labeled F1 through F12. These
keys act as shortcuts, performing certain functions, like saving files, printing data, or refreshing a
page. For example, the F1 key is often used as the default help key in many programs. The F5 key
is used in an Internet browser to refresh or reload a web page. The function of these keys can differ
by operating system and by software program.
Keyboard ports and interfaces
Today, most desktop computer keyboards connect to the computer using either USB or Bluetooth
for wireless communication. Before USB, a computer may have used PS/2, serial port
Types of keyboards
Today, most keyboards are similar to each other, but may be missing one or more of the sections
mentioned earlier (e.g., the keypad). Where keyboards begin to differ the most is with their
constructions. Some keyboards are mechanical, while others use membrane keys. Some keyboards
are split down the middle and others even fold in half or roll up. While most keyboards use the
QWERTY layout
Multimedia keys
Multimedia keys are those keys which allow the user to control music on their computer keyboard.
These keys add functionality such as play, pause, stop, rewind, fast-forward, skip track, eject,
shuffle, and repeat.

Direct entry Card reader

A card reader is a device used in the sales process to read the
payment data stored in a credit or debit card magnetic stripe or
chip
a card reader is typically a handheld device that can be wireless
or connected by wire to a computer or sales terminal and is used
to gather the data of the buyer’s credit or debit card to complete
a sale.
This is not to be confused with a computer card reader, which is
a piece of hardware, often part of a computer or with a USB connector port
that allows a computer to read data from an SD card or other multimedia
card.
How card readers work
In sales, credit and debit cards contain information in both the magnetic
stripe and in a microchip embedded in the card. The information includes
the following details about the cardholder:
 Their name as it appears on their account statement
 Their account number
 The expiration date of their card
 The validation code (the 3-digit code on the back of the card)
Card readers can ‘read’ the card in three ways:
 By reading the magnetic stripe on the back of the card combined with the buyer’s signature
or confidential PIN code
 By reading the chip when inserted into the reader, accompanied by the PIN code
 By contactless payment, which often does not require a PIN code if it is under a certain
specified amount
Scanning Devices

OMR OMR stands for Optical Mark Recognition. This popular

recognition technology is used for collecting data from “fill-in-the-
bubble” forms such as educational tests, surveys, assessments,
evaluations, and many other multiple choice forms.
OMR has been widely used in education since the 1960s and is still
popular today. OMR age group fill-in example Optical Mark
Recognition enables the respondent to select an answer to a question by
filling in a “bubble” or “mark” associated with an answer
choice.
OMR is the process of gathering information from human
beings by recognizing marks on a document. OMR is
accomplished by using a hardware device (scanner) that
detects a reflection or limited light transmittance on or
through a piece of paper.
OMR allows for the processing of hundreds or thousands of
documents per hour. For example, students may recall taking
tests or surveys where they filled in bubbles on paper (shown
right) with a pencil or pen.

Character Reader
OCR
Stands for "Optical Character Recognition." OCR is a technology that recognizes text within a
digital image. It is commonly used to recognize text in scanned documents, but it serves many other
purposes as well.

OCR software processes a digital image by locating and recognizing characters, such as letters,
numbers, and symbols. Some OCR software will simply export the text, while other programs can
convert the characters to editable text directly in the image. Advanced OCR software can export the
size and formatting of the text as well as the layout of the text found on a page.

OCR technology can be used to convert a hard copy of a document into an electronic version (or
soft copy. For example, if you scan a multipage document into a digital image, such as a TIFF file,
you can load the document into an OCR program, which will recognize the text and convert the
document to an editable text file. Some OCR programs allow you to scan a document and convert it
to a word processing document in a single step.

While OCR technology was originally designed to recognize printed text, it can be used to
recognize and verify handwritten text as well. For example, postal services such as USPS use OCR
software to automatically process letters and packages based on the address. The algorithm checks
the scanned information against database of existing addresses to confirm the mailing address. The
Google Translate app includes OCR technology that works with your device's camera. It allows you
to capture the text from documents, magazines, signs, and other objects and translate it to another
language in real-time.
OCR systems are made up of a combination of hardware and software that is used to convert
physical documents into machine-readable text. Hardware, such as an optical scanner or specialized
circuit board is used to copy or read text while software typically handles the advanced processing.
Software can also take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) to implement more advanced
methods of intelligent character recognition (ICR), like identifying languages or styles of
handwriting.
The process of OCR is most commonly used to turn hard copy legal or historic documents into
PDFs. Once placed in this soft copy, users can edit, format and search the document as if it was
created with a word processor.

How optical character recognition works

The first step of OCR is using a scanner to process the physical form of a document. Once all pages
are copied, OCR software converts the document into a two-color, or black and white, version. The
scanned-in image or bitmap is analyzed for light and dark areas, where the dark areas are identified
as characters that need to be recognized and light areas are identified as background.

The dark areas are then processed further to find alphabetic letters or numeric digits. OCR programs
can vary in their techniques, but typically involve targeting one character, word or block of text at a
time. Characters are then identified using one of two algorithms:

Pattern recognition- OCR programs are fed examples of text in various fonts and formats which are
then used to compare, and recognize, characters in the scanned document.
Feature detection- OCR programs apply rules regarding the features of a specific letter or number to
recognize characters in the scanned document. Features could include the number of angled lines,
crossed lines or curves in a character for comparison. For example, the capital letter “A” may be
stored as two diagonal lines that meet with a horizontal line across the middle.

When a character is identified, it is converted into an ASCII code that can be used by computer
systems to handle further manipulations. Users should correct basic errors, proofread and make sure
complex layouts were handled properly before saving the document for future use.
Optical character recognition use cases
OCR can be used for a variety of applications, including:
 Scanning printed documents into versions that can be edited with word processors, like
Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
 Indexing print material for search engines.
 Automating data entry, extraction processing.
 Deciphering documents into text that can be read aloud to visually-impaired or blind users.
 Archiving historic information, such as newspapers, magazines or phonebooks, into
searchable formats.
 Electronically depositing checks without the need for a bank teller.
 Placing important, signed legal documents into an electronic database.
 Recognizing text, such as license plates, with a camera or software.
 Sorting letters for mail delivery.
 Translating words within an image into a specified language.
ICR
Intelligent character recognition (ICR) is an advanced optical character recognition (OCR) or —
rather more specific — handwriting recognition system that allows fonts and different styles of
handwriting to be learned by a computer during processing to improve accuracy and recognition
levels. Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) is the computer translation of hand printed and
written characters. Data is entered from hand-printed forms through a scanner, and the image of the
captured data is then analyzed and translated by sophisticated ICR software. ICR is similar to
optical character recognition (OCR)but is a more difficult process since OCR is from printed text,
as opposed to handwritten characters.
The biggest drawback of using ICR for data capture is the level of accuracy achieved, due to the
changeable quality of handwriting on the forms and documents being processed. It can be difficult
for ICR systems to accurately convert handwriting into text, particularly where names are being
interpreted.
Thumb Scanner

A thumb scanner typically works by first recording fingerprint scans of all

authorized individuals for a particular system or facility. These scans are saved
within a database. The user requiring access puts their finger on a hardware
scanner, which scans and copies the input from the individual and looks for any
similarity within the already-stored scans. If there is a positive match, the
individual is granted access. Fingerprint scanners most commonly use an
individual's thumbprint as identification.
MICR

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition is a character recognition

system that uses special ink and characters. When a document that
contains this ink needs to be read, it passes through a machine, which
magnetizes the ink and then translates the magnetic information into
characters.
MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) is a technology used to
verify the legitimacy or originality of paper documents, especially
checks. Special ink, which is sensitive to magnetic fields, is used in
the printing of certain characters on the original documents.
Information can be encoded in the magnetic characters.
The use of MICR can enhance security and minimize the losses
caused by some types of crime.
MICR technology is used by banks. Numbers and characters found
on the bottom of checks (usually containing the check number, sort
number, and account number) are printed using Magnetic Ink. To
print Magnetic Ink need, you need a laser printer that accepts MICR
toner.
MICR provides a secure, high-speed method of scanning and processing information.

Smart Card

A smart card is a physical card that has an embedded integrated chip that acts as a security token.
Smart cards are typically the same size as a driver's license or credit card and can be made out of
metal or plastic. They connect to a reader either by direct physical contact (also known as chip and
dip) or through a short-range wireless connectivity standard such as radio-frequency identification
(RFID) or near-field communication (NFC).
The chip on a smart card can be either a microcontroller or an embedded memory chip. Smart cards
are designed to be tamper-resistant and use encryption to provide protection for in-memory
information. Those cards with microcontroller chips can perform on-card processing functions and
can manipulate information in the chip's memory.

International standards and specifications cover smart card technology, with some focused on
industry-specific applications. In the United States, smart card technology conforms to international
standards (ISO/IEC 7816 and ISO/IEC 14443) championed by the Smartcard Alliance.
The first mass use of smart cards was the Télécarte, a telephone card for payment in French pay
phones which launched in 1983. Smart cards are now magnetic stripe card technology, which only
has a capacity of 300 bytes of non-rewriteable memory and no processing capability.
How smart cards work
Smart card microprocessors or memory chips exchange data with card readers and other systems
over a serial interface. The smart card itself is powered by an external source, usually the smart card
reader. A smart card communicates with readers either via direct physical contact or using a short-
range wireless connectivity standard such as RFID or NFC. The card reader then passes data from
the smart card to its intended destination, usually a payment or authentication system connected to
the smart card reader over a network connection.
Uses of smart cards
Smart cards are generally used in applications that must deliver fast, secure transactions and protect
personal information such as credit cards and other types of payment cards, corporate and
government identification cards and transit fare payment cards. Smart cards are also sometimes
used to function as documents such as electronic passports and visas.
Smart cards are often designed to be used with a PIN, for example, when they are used as debit or
ATM cards.
Types of smart cards
Smart cards can be categorized on different criteria including by how the card reads and writes data,
by the type of chip implanted in the card and by the capabilities of that chip. Some of the different
of types of smart cards include:
 Contact smart cards are the most common type of smart card. Contact smart cards are
inserted into a smart card reader that has a direct connection to a conductive contact plate on
the surface of the card. Commands, data and card status are transmitted over these physical
contact points.
 Contactless smart cards require only close proximity to a card reader to be read; no direct
contact is necessary for the card to function. The card and the reader are both equipped with
antennae and communicate using radio frequencies over the contactless link. A contactless
smart card functions by being put near the reader to be read.
 Dual-interface cards are equipped with both contactless and contact interfaces. This type of
card enables secure access to the smart card's chip with either the contactless or contact
smart card interfaces.
 Hybrid smart cards contain more than one smart card technology. For example, a hybrid
smart card might have one embedded processor chip that is accessed through a contact
reader as well as an RFID-enabled chip used for proximity connection.
 Memory smart cards contain memory chips only and can only store, read and write data to
the chip; the data on memory smart cards can be over-written or modified, but the card itself
is not programmable so data can't be processed or modified programmatically. Memory
smart cards can be read-only and used to store data such as a PIN, password or public key;
they can also be read-write and used to write or update user data.
 Microprocessor smart cards have a microprocessor embedded onto the chip in addition to
memory blocks. A microprocessor card may also incorporate specific sections of files where
each file is associated with a specific function. The data in the files and the memory
allocation are managed with a smart card operating system. This type of card can be used for
more than one function and is usually designed to enable adding, deleting and otherwise
manipulating data in memory.
Advantages of smart cards
Smart cards can provide a higher level of security than magnetic stripe cards as they can contain
microprocessors capable of processing data directly without remote connections; even memory-
only smart cards can be more secure because they can securely store more authentication and
account data than traditional mag stripe cards.
Smart credit cards became common as banks embraced the EMV standard
Another advantage of smart cards is that once information is stored on a smart card, it can't easily
be deleted, erased or altered. As such, smart cards are good for storing valuable data that can't be --
or shouldn't be -- easily reproduced.
Smart card technology is generally safe against electronic interference and magnetic fields, unlike
magnetic stripe cards.
Disadvantages of smart cards
While smart cards have many advantages, the cards themselves -- as well as the smart card readers
-- can be expensive.
Another disadvantage of smart cards is that not all smart card readers are compatible with all types
of smart cards. With multiple types of smart cards available, some use nonstandard protocols for
data storage and card interface; some smart cards and readers also use proprietary software that is
incompatible with other readers.
While smart cards can be more secure for many applications, they are still vulnerable to certain
types of attack. Attacks that can recover information from the chip are possible against smart card
technology.

Voice input devices

voice input device A device in which speech is used to input data or system commands directly into
a system. Such equipment involves the use of speech recognition processes, and can replace or
supplement other input devices.

Some voice input devices can recognize spoken words from a predefined vocabulary, some have to
be trained for a particular speaker. When the operator utters a vocabulary item, the matching data
input is displayed as characters on a screen and can then be verified by the operator. The speech
recognition process depends on the comparison of each utterance with words appearing in a stored
vocabulary table. The table is created or modified by using the voice input equipment together with
a keyboard. A data item or system command is typed and the related spoken word is uttered, several
times. The spoken word is then analyzed and converted into a particular bit pattern that is stored in
the vocabulary table.

It is a computer software program or hardware device with the ability to decode the human voice.
Voice recognition is commonly used to operate a device, perform commands, or write without
having to use a keyboard, mouse, or press any buttons. Today, this is done on a computer with ASR
(automatic speech recognition) software programs. Many ASR programs require the user to
"train" the ASR program to recognize their voice so that it can more accurately convert the speech
to text. For example, you could say "open Internet" and the computer would open the Internet
browser.

The first ASR device was used in 1952 and recognized single digits spoken by a user (it was not
computer driven). Today, ASR programs are used in many industries, including healthcare,
military , telecommunications, and personal computing (i.e. hands-free computing).

There are five steps in voice input.

1. When you speak you produce audio waves.
2. A microphone changes these waves into electrical waves. Inside the computer there's a speech
recognition board.
3. The speech recognition board processes the waves from the microphone to form a binary code
for each word you say. A binary code is a pattern of zeroes and ones, for example, 01001100.
Each word has its own code.
4. The computer compares the code with other codes in its memory to identify each word.
5. When it finds the correct word, it displays it on the monitor screen.

Examples of where you might have used voice recognition

As voice recognition improves, it is being implemented in more places and its very likely you have
already used it. Below are some examples of where you might encounter voice recognition.

Automated phone systems - Many companies today use phone systems that help direct the caller
to the correct department. If you have ever been asked something like "Say or press number 2 for
support" and you say "two," you used voice recognition.
Google Voice - Google voice is a service that allows you to search and ask questions on your
computer, tablet, and phone.
Digital assistant - Amazon Echo, Apple's Siri, and Google Assistant use voice recognition to
interact with digital assistants that helps answer questions.
Car Bluetooth - For cars with Bluetooth or Handsfree phone pairing, you can use voice recognition
to make commands, such as "call my wife" to make calls without taking your eyes off the road.

Types of voice recognition systems

Automatic speech recognition is one example of voice recognition. Below are other examples of
voice recognition systems.

Speaker dependent system - The voice recognition requires training before it can be used, which
requires you to read a series of words and phrases.
Speaker independent system - The voice recognition software recognizes most users' voices with
no training.
Discrete speech recognition - The user must pause between each word so that the speech
recognition can identify each separate word.
Continuous speech recognition - The voice recognition can understand a normal rate of speaking.
Natural language - The speech recognition not only can understand the voice, but can also return
answers to questions or other queries that are being asked.

Pointing Devices

A pointing device, or sometimes called a pointing tool, is a hardware input device that allows the
user to move the mouse cursor in a computer program or GUI operating system. Using a pointing
device, you can point at or manipulate any object or text on the screen. For example, using a
pointing device you could point at and select an icon from a list of icons.

Mouse
A computer mouse is a handheld hardware input device that controls a cursor in a GUI (graphical
user interface) and can move and select text, icons, files, and folders on your computer.

For desktop computers, the mouse is placed on a flat surface (e.g., mouse pad or desk) in front of
your computer. The picture is an example of a desktop computer mouse with two buttons and a
wheel.
The mouse was originally known as the X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System and was
invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1963 while working at Xerox PARC. But, due to Alto's lack of
success, the first widely used application of the mouse was with the Apple Lisa computer.
Uses of a mouse ?

Below is a list of computer mouse functions to give you an idea of all the things a mouse is capable
of doing.

Move the mouse cursor - The primary function is to move the mouse pointer on the screen.
Open or execute a program - Once you've moved the pointer to an icon, folder, or other object
clicking or double clicking that object opens the document or executes the program.
Select - A mouse also allows you to select text or a file or highlight and select multiple files at once.
Drag-and-drop - Once something is selected, it can also be moved using the drag-and-drop
method.
Hover - Moving the mouse cursor over objects with hover information can help discover the
function of each object on the screen. For example, when you hover your mouse over any of the
links on this page, they should change color, indicating that they can be clicked. You'll also notice
that this action shows additional information about the link.
Scroll - When working with a long document, or viewing a long web page, you may need to scroll
up or down. To scroll, use the mouse wheel, or click and drag the scroll bar.
Perform other functions - Many desktop mice also have buttons that can be programmed to
perform any function. For example, many mice have two side buttons on the thumb portion of the
mouse the button closest to the palm can be programmed to go back on web pages.
parts of a computer mouse?

Parts of a computer mouse

Buttons
Today, almost all computer mice have at least two buttons, a left button and right button for clicking
and manipulating objects and text. In the past, there have been mice with only one button. For
example, many of the early Apple computer mice only had one button.
Ball, laser, or LED
Bottom of optical-mechanical and optical computer mouse A desktop mouse uses a ball and rollers
if it's a mechanical mouse or a laser or LED if it's an optical mouse. These components track the
movement of the mouse on an x-axis and y-axis and move the mouse cursor on the screen.
Mouse wheel
Today's desktop computer mice also usually include a mouse wheel that allows you to scroll up and
down on a page.
Circuit board
To transmit (input) all mouse signal information, clicks, and other information the mouse must also
have a circuit board with integrated circuits.
Cable or wireless receiver
For a corded mouse, it also includes a cable with a plug that connects to the computer. Today, most
corded mice connect to the USB port. If your computer has a wireless mouse, it needs a USB
wireless receiver to receive the wireless signal and input it into the computer.

Light Pen
1. A light pen is a light-sensitive pointing input device commonly used to
select or otherwise modify text or data on a screen. Used with a CRT
monitor, these devices were an early form of manipulating and highlighting
data on the screen. In the picture, is an example of a woman using a light
pen to highlight text on the screen.
Light pens were originally developed around 1955 and in the 1960s, they became more commonly
used with graphics terminals, like the IBM 2250. In the 1980s, light pen usage expanded to home
computers, like the BBC Micro computer. Some graphics cards also included a connection for a
light pen.

Today, light pens are no longer used due to the invention of touch screens.

2. The term light pen may also refer to a pointing input device utilizing a light that is commonly
used during a presentation. The light pen can be a very focused flashlight-type of device or a laser
pointer. It may be used to direct viewers' attention to a specific area, such as a picture or text in a
presentation.

3. A light pen may also be used to describe the pen (stylus) used with a graphics tablet.

Touchscreen
A touch screen is a display device that allows the user to interact with a computer by using their
finger or stylus. They can be a useful alternative to a mouse or keyboard for navigating a GUI
(graphical user interface). Touch screens are used on a variety of devices, such as computer and
laptop displays, smartphones, tablets, cash registers, and information kiosks. Some touch screens
use a grid of infrared beams to sense the presence of a finger instead of utilizing touch-sensitive
input.

The idea of a touch screen was first described and published by E.A. Johnson in 1965. In the early
1970s, the first touch screen was developed by CERN engineers Frank Beck and Bent Stumpe. The
physical product was first created and utilized in 1973. The first resistive touch screen was
developed by George Samuel Hurst in 1975 but wasn't produced and used until 1982.

Touch screen technologies

Not all touch screens are the same. Different technologies can be utilized to allow a user to interact
with a screen. Some technologies may work with only your finger and other technologies may
allow other tools, like a stylus. Below is a brief description of each of these technologies.
Capacitive

A capacitive touch screen is coated with a special material that stores an electrical charge that is
monitored by circuits at each corner of the screen. When you touch a capacitive touch screen, a
small amount of the electrical charge is drawn from the point of contact to indicate where you
touched the screen.

To use a capacitive screen, you must use your bare finger or a specially designed capacitive stylus.
Most users experience this type of screen technology when attempting to use a smartphone touch
screen while wearing gloves and being unable to do anything.

Resistive
A resistive touch screen is coated with a metallic electrically conductive and resistive layer that
detects the pressure of your finger or another object. This technology is often a more affordable
solution when compared to capacities, but can be damaged by sharp objects touching the screen.
Surface acoustic wave

A SAW (surface acoustic wave) or surface wave touch screen sends ultrasonic waves and detects
when the screen is touched by registering changes in the waves. This technology is more advanced
than the other two, but does not work with hard materials that do not absorb the pulse and can be
affected by outside elements.
Infrared

Infrared touch screens utilize a matrix of infrared beams that are transmitted by LEDs with a
phototransistor receiving end. When a finger or other object is near the display, the infrared beam is
blocked. That interruption gives the device input to where your finger or another object is
positioned.

Where are touch screens used?

Today, the touch screen is one of the most popular types of input devices. Below are some places
and examples of where touch screens may be used.

 All-in-One computer
 ATM
 Car GPS, Stereo
 Camera
 Digital camcorder
 E-book
 Electronic whiteboard
 Factory machine
 Fitness machine
 Gas station
 Handheld game console
 In-flight entertainment screen
 Kiosk
 Laptop
 Large interactive screen
 Smartphone

Computer Outputs

An output device is any peripheral that receives data from a computer, usually for display,
projection, or physical reproduction. For example, an inkjet printer, an output device that can make
a hard copy of anything shown on the monitor. Monitors and printers are two of the most commonly
used output devices used with a computer. Output is a result which produced after input processing.

Hard copy

A hard copy is physical, such as a tax form, printed document, or textbook. Alternatively referred to
as a paper copy, a hard copy is any information that is printed on paper. Hard copies allow data to
be read without the need of a computer and are often required when someone needs to sign a
document.
A hard copy can be created using a printer (e.g., dot matrix printer, inkjet printer, laser printer, etc.)
and a typewriter.

Hard copy.
 It is printed on on paper.
 It can't be modified easily.
 It doesn't need an electronic media for display.
 It is tangible(touchable).
  It is physical version.
 It can transmitted physically.

Why need to make a hard copy

As more and more people move to digital and paperless solutions, there are not many reasons to
make a hard copy. However, hard copies still find some uses which we've listed below.
 They are useful when a paper needs to be signed.
 They are needed for someone who doesn't have access to a computer or digital device.
 They are needed for reports for school or medical test .
 They are needed when a print out for legal filing or taxes that requires a hard copy.
 They are needed for copies of receipts, proof of purchase, or completed service.
Printers
Printer is an output device, which is used to print information on paper.
There are two types of printers −
 Impact Printers
 Non-Impact Printers
Impact Printers
Impact printers print the characters by striking them on the ribbon, which is then pressed on the
paper.
Characteristics of Impact Printers are the following −
 Very low consumable costs
 Very noisy
 Useful for bulk printing due to low cost
 There is physical contact with the paper to produce an image
These printers are of two types −
 Character printers
 Line printers
Character Printers
Character printers are the printers which print one character at a time.
These are further divided into two types:
 Dot Matrix Printer(DMP)
 Daisy Wheel
Dot Matrix Printer
In the market, one of the most popular printers is Dot Matrix Printer.
These printers are popular because of their ease of printing and
economical price. Each character printed is in the form of pattern of dots
and head consists of a Matrix of Pins of size (5*7, 7*9, 9*7 or 9*9)
which come out to form a character which is why it is called Dot Matrix
Printer.
Advantages
 Inexpensive
 Widely Used
 Other language characters can be printed
Disadvantages
 Slow Speed
 Poor Quality
Daisy Wheel
Head is lying on a wheel and pins corresponding to characters are like petals of Daisy (flower)
which is why it is called Daisy Wheel Printer. These printers are generally used for word-processing
in offices that require a few letters to be sent here and there with very nice quality.
Advantages
 More reliable than DMP
 Better quality
 Fonts of character can be
easily changed
Disadvantages
 Slower than DMP
 Noisy
 More expensive than DMP
Line Printers
Line printers are the printers which print one line at a time.

These are of two types −

 Drum Printer
 Chain Printer
Drum Printer
This printer is like a drum in shape hence it is called drum printer. The
surface of the drum is divided into a number of tracks. Total tracks are
equal to the size of the paper, i.e. for a paper width of 132 characters,
drum will have 132 tracks. A character set is embossed on the track. Different character sets
available in the market are 48 character set, 64 and 96 characters set. One rotation of drum prints
one line. Drum printers are fast in speed and can print 300 to 2000 lines per minute.
Advantages
 Very high speed
Disadvantages
 Very expensive
 Characters fonts cannot be changed
Chain Printer
In this printer, a chain of character sets is used, hence it is called Chain Printer. A standard character
set may have 48, 64, or 96 characters.
Advantages
 Character fonts can easily be changed.
 Different languages can be used with the same printer.
Disadvantages
 Noisy
Non-impact Printers
Non-impact printers print the characters without using the ribbon. These printers print a complete
page at a time, thus they are also called as Page Printers.
These printers are of two types −
 Laser Printers
 Inkjet Printers
Characteristics of Non-impact Printers
 Faster than impact printers
 They are not noisy
 High quality
 Supports many fonts and different character size
Laser Printers
These are non-impact page printers. They use laser lights to produce the dots needed to form the
characters to be printed on a page.

Advantages
 Very high speed
 Very high quality output
 Good graphics quality
 Supports many fonts and different character size
Disadvantages
 Expensive
 Cannot be used to produce multiple copies of a document in a single printing
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are non-impact character printers based on a relatively new
technology. They print characters by spraying small drops of ink onto
paper. Inkjet printers produce high quality output with presentable
features.

They make less noise because no hammering is done and these have many
styles of printing modes available. Color printing is also possible. Some
models of Inkjet printers can produce multiple copies of printing also.
Advantages
 High quality printing
 More reliable
Disadvantages
 Expensive as the cost per page is high
 Ink cartridge charge high
 Slow as compared to laser printer
Thermal Printer

A thermal printer is a printer that makes use of heat in order to produce the
image on paper. Thermal printing (or direct thermal printing) is a digital printing
process which produces a printed image by selectively heating coated thermo
chromic paper, or thermal paper as it is commonly known, when the paper
passes over the thermal print head.
Due to quality of print, speed, and technological advances it has
becomeincreasingly popular and is mostly used in airline, banking,
entertainment, retail, market, and health care industries. Thermal printing does
not make use of ink or toner unlike many other printing forms but largely
depends on thermal papers for producing the images. They are also quiet
popular in creating labels owing to speed of printing.

Advantages of Thermal printers:

1. No involvement of cartridges or ribbons and thus organizations can save
investment by using thermal printers.
2. Easier to use as there are less buttons and use of software involved.
3. Popular in noise-free environments and are great for offices.
4. Largely inexpensive and come in various models and sizes.
5. More efficient and faster in printing monochromic ones compared to other forms of printing.
6. More durable compared to other printers.

Disadvantages of Thermal printers:

1. Unlike standard printers, thermal printers usually do not print out colors well.
2. If they become too heated to operate, the ink consumed would be more and the printing may not
be precise.
3. Print head could be harmed by the high heat used while printing, often resulting on cost to repair
when it break down.

Plotter
A plotter is a computer hardware device much like a
printer that is used for printing vector graphics. The
first plotter was invented in 1953 by Remington-
Rand. It was used in conjunction with the UNIVAC
computer to created technical drawings. Instead of
toner, plotters use a pen, pencil, marker, or another
writing tool to draw multiple, continuous lines onto
paper rather than a series of dots like a traditional
printer. Though once widely used for computer-aided design, these devices have more or less been
phased out by wide-format printers. Plotters are used to produce a hard copy of schematics and
other similar applications. A plotter is a graphics printer that literally uses ink pens to draw the
images. The pens move around on the surface of the paper like something out of The Sorcerer's
Apprentice. Plotters can only draw data in vector graphics format, graphics that are made of straight
lines (the curved forms are actually drawn with many tiny straight lines). There are flatbed plotters
where the pen moves across the page in the x and y axes.

There are two main types of plotters

1. Drum - Drum plotters (also called roller plotters) spin the paper back and forth on a cylindrical
drum while the ink pens move left and right.By combining these two directions, lines can be drawn
in any direction. A drum plotter is a type of printer typically used to produce graphics such as
architectural blueprints created with CAD applications. The drum plotter uses a drum to move the
paper left and right while one or more pens draw up and down, according to the Chron website.
Using more than one pen allows the plotter to draw in different colors. A drum plotter is a pen
plotter that wraps the paper around a drum with a pin feed attachment. The drum then rotates the
paper as pens move across it and draw the image. It was the first output device used to print
graphics and large engineering drawings. There are two types of drum plotters, external and
internal. With an external drum plotter, the paper is wrapped around its external surface, while the
internal drum plotter uses a sheet of paper wrapped around its internal surface.

2.Flatbed plotters. A flatbed plotter is a computerized plotter that works by using an arm that
moves a pen over paper rather than having paper move under the arm as with a drum plotter.

The paper is placed on the bed, a flat surface, of the flatbed plotter. The size of the paper that can be
used is dependent on the size of the bed. Larger flatbed plotters can print on paper up to 60-inches
in length.

Some flatbed plotters can print on material other than paper, including cardboard, plastic, or even
metal. Flatbed plotters can also generate perfect copies again and again, with no loss of quality in
the printed drawing. However, they can be quite large in size and very costly to purchase.

An example of an early flatbed plotter is the CalComp Model 738. Used in the 1970s, it had a large
bed, allowing it to create large drawings. The CalComp Model 738 was an offline flatbed plotter, so
a magnetic tape was used to input data into the device.
Advantages of plotters
 Plotters can work on very large sheets of paper while maintaining high resolution.
 They can print on a wide variety of flat materials including plywood, aluminum, sheet steel,
cardboard, and plastic.
 Plotters allow the same pattern to be drawn thousands of times without any image
degradation.

Disadvantages of plotters
 Plotters are quite large when compared to a traditional printer.
 Plotters are also much more expensive than a traditional printer.

Microfilm / Microfiche

Microform storage is a method used to save space by

shrinking down documents and storing them on
photographic film. There are two kinds of microform—
microfilm and microfiche. Microfilm is a roll of
images, much like a movie reel, while microfiche is a
flat sheet of microfilm.

Because the documents are usually reduced to about

1/25 their normal size, microform storage can easily
store thousands of documents without taking up much
space. In addition, microfilm images are very stable and Figure : Microfilm/Microfiche Scanner
have a shelf-life of about 500 years if stored correctly.

What is Microfilm?
Microfilm is a 35mm film on which printed materials are
photographed at greatly reduced size for ease of storage. The digital
lens on the microfilm reader enlarges the image, allowing you to read
the contents.
Microfilm is an analog storage medium using film reels which are
exposed and developed into photographic records using a
photographic process. It is typically used to store paper documents
such as periodicals, legal documents, books and engineering
drawings. It is compact in nature, is low cost to produce and store and requires far smaller storage
space than paper documents. Therefore, it is considered to be a good archival form.
Viewing microfilm requires microfilm readers, which are simple devices consisting of a light source
and magnification. Microfilm can be converted into an electronic format so as to be computer
accessible. There are different types of microfilm, such as silver gelatin film, vesicular film and
diazo film. Silver gelatin film is used for records which need to be kept permanently or for high-
quality images. Vesicular film and diazo film are highly sensitive to high humidity or temperature.
Microfilm is considered best for records which are accessed less frequently, but are still necessary
to retain.

There are many advantages associated with the use of microfilm. Compared to traditional film, it is
much stronger and more reliable. Less breakage is associated with microfilm. It is considered a
good standardized image storage medium and is used for long-term storage needs. Cost of
maintenance is lower than digital images, and microfilm meets recognized archival standards.
Microfilm Reel Microfilm is a kind of microform storage that uses a roll of photographic film to
store images of your documents. A typical roll of microfilm comes in sizes of 16mm or 35mm,
depending on the kinds of documents you have to store.
Larger documents like engineering drawings, for example, would be better suited to the 35mm film.
Letter-sized pages, on the other hand, would use the 16mm film.

Rolls of microfilm can store 2,400 letter-sized pages or 600 drawings on a single roll, making it
very space efficient.

What is Microfiche?
Microfiche is a card made of transparent film used to store printed information in miniaturized
form. To read the card, one places it under the lens of a microfiche reader machine, which magnifies
it.Microfiche is a flat sheet of microfilm, rather than a role. A standard microfiche is 4″x5″ and can
store about 98 letter-sized pages. Although it has a much smaller storage capacity, microfiche sheets
may be easier to organize because of their shape and form factor.
Microfiche is a thin photographic film, usually four by five inches, which is capable of storing
information in miniaturized form. This technique is used in preserving fragile materials such as
archival documents, journals, books, newspapers and magazines, as well as a method of saving
space in libraries and other archives.
Microfiche is easy to use and does not require specialized knowledge or software to use it. The
documents are photographed and stored in the small space of the microfiche card. The images are
too small to be read by the naked eye. In order to read the information on the microfiche, a special
device is used to greatly magnify the contents. Like microfilm, microfiche is available as positive
and negative images, although negative images are more common.

There are many advantages when microfiche is used, like easy storage. Many documents can be
stored in a small space, as a single sheet can store numerous images. It also provides an easy and
convenient way to access grouped documents. Updating is also easy, as a new sheet can be added to
the file at any point of time, and this helps in keeping the documents organized. This is one of the
biggest reasons for using it for archiving photos, newspapers, journals and other documents.
Microfiche is a flat film sheet and does not require the spinning of film onto reels, as in case of
microfilm. Microfiche also takes less space and has fewer storage requirements compared to
microfilm.

One of the major disadvantages of using microfiche is the portability factor. It requires special
devices for reading and duplicating the cards, and the special equipment is expensive. Microfiche is
also more expensive than microfilm to produce.

With the advent of digital storage options, microfiche is not as prominently used as in the past.

Soft copy output devices

Soft copy output devices give screen displayed output that is lost when the computer is shut off. ...
Soft copy is an electronic display of digital information, such as files viewed on the pc monitor. A
digital . JPG file, a digital Word document, an email attachment are all examples of soft copy.

Soft copy.
 it is an output copy of document stored in memory and can be seen on screen.
 It can modified easily.
 It need an electronic media for display.
 It is intangible (not touchable).
 It is a digital version.
 It can be transmitted electrically.
Comparison of Hard Copy and Softcopy Output devices
 Hard Copy Soft Copy
Cost More expensive Less expensive
Portability Portability issues No portability issues
Less chance of being preserved for a very long Can be preserved for a very long
Preserved
time time
Transmission Mail post, hand to hand. Electronic mail, digital, internet.
Nature Physical in nature Logical in nature
Editing Editing/Manipulating is harder Editing/Manipulating is easier
Easy to store ( Mostly memory
Storage Hard to store
form in Hard disk)
Weight Has lot of weights Has no weight

CRT

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

Definition: The CRT is a display screen which produces images

in the form of the video signal. It is a type of vacuum tube which
displays images when the electron beam through electron guns
are strikes on the phosphorescent surface. In other Words, the
CRT generates the beams, accelerates it at high velocity and
deflect it for creating the images on the phosphorous screen so
that the beam becomes visible.

Working of CRT

The working of CRT depends on the movement of electrons beams. The electron guns generate
sharply focused electrons which are accelerated at high voltage. This high-velocity electron beam
when strikes on the fluorescent screen creates luminous spot

After exiting from the electron gun, the beam passes through the pairs of electrostatic deflection
plate. These plates deflected the beams when the voltage applied across it. The one pair of plate
moves the beam upward and the second pair of plate moves the beam from one side to another. The
horizontal and vertical movement of the electron are independent of each other, and hence the
electron beam positioned anywhere on the screen.

The working parts of a CRT are enclosed in a vacuum glass envelope so that the emitted electron
can easily move freely from one end of the tube to the other.

Construction of CRT

The Electrons Gun Assembly, Deflection Plate Assembly, Fluorescent Screen, Glass Envelope,
Base are the important parts of the CRT. The electron gun emits the electron beam, and through
deflecting plates, it is strikes on the phosphorous screen. The detail explanation of their parts is
explained below.

Electrons Gun Assembly

The electron gun is the source of the electron beams. The electron gun has a heater, cathode, grid,
pre-accelerating anode, focusing anode and accelerating anode. The electrons are emitted from the
highly emitted cathode. The cathode is cylindrical in shape, and at the end of it, the layer of
strontium and barium oxide is deposited which emit the high emission of electrons at the end of the
tube.

The electron passes through the electron in the small grid. This control grid is made up of nickel
material with a centrally located hole which is coaxial with the CRT axis. The electron which is
emitted from the electron gun and passes through the control grid have high positive potential
which is applied across the pre-accelerating and accelerating anodes.

The beam is focused by focusing anode. The accelerating and focusing electrodes are cylindrical in
shape which has a small opening in the centre of each electrode. After exiting the focusing anode,
the beams passes through the vertical and horizontal deflecting plates.

The pre-accelerating and accelerating anode are connected to the positive high voltage of about
1500V and the focusing anode are connected to the lower voltage of about 500V.There are two
methods of focusing the electron beam. They are the Electrostatic Focussing Beam and the
Electromagnetic Focusing.

Electrostatic Deflection Plates

The deflection plate produces the uniform electrostatic field only in the one direction. The electron
beam entering into the deflection plates will accelerate only in the one direction, and hence
electrons will not move in the other directions.

Flat Screen Technology

Flat screen technology is a display technology which succeeds CRT as the new standard for desktop
computer displays. Unlike CRT monitors, flat-panel displays use LCD (liquid crystal display) or
LED (light-emitting diode) screens, making them lighter and
thinner.

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is a type of flat panel display
which uses liquid crystals in its primary form of operation.
LEDs have a large and varying set of use cases for consumers
and businesses, as they can be commonly found in
smartphones, televisions, computer monitors and instrument
panels.
LCDs were a big leap in terms of the technology they
replaced, which include light-emitting diode (LED) and
gas-plasma displays. LCDs allowed displays to be much
thinner than cathode ray tube (CRT) technology. LCDs
consume much less power than LED and gas-display
displays because they work on the principle of blocking
light rather than emitting it. Where an LED emits light,
the liquid crystals in an LCD produces an image using a
backlight.
LCDs are, by far, the most commercially important flat
panel technology because they are used in notebook
computers. In 1998, around 11 million notebooks were sold. Almost all (over 99 percent) of those
notebooks had an LCD in it.
How LCDs work
A display is made up of millions of pixels. The quality of a display commonly refers to the number
of pixels; for example, a 4K display is made up of 3840 x2160 or 4096x2160 pixels. A pixel is
made up of three subpixels; a red, blue and green—commonly called RGB. When the subpixels in a
pixel change color combinations, a different color can be produced. With all the pixels on a display
working together, the display can make millions of different colors. When the pixels are rapidly
switched on and off, a picture is created.
The way a pixel is controlled is different in each type of display; CRT, LED, LCD and newer types
of displays all control pixels differently. In short, LCDs are lit by a backlight, and pixels are
switched on and off electronically while using liquid crystals to rotate polarized light. A polarizing
glass filter is placed in front and behind all the pixels, the front filter is placed at 90 degrees. In
between both filters are the liquid crystals, which can be electronically switched on and off.

Types of LCDs include:

 Twisted Nematic (TN)- which are inexpensive while having high response times.
However, TN displays have low contrast ratios, viewing angles and color contrasts.
 In Panel Switching displays (IPS Panels)- which boast much better contrast ratios,
viewing angles and color contrast when compared to TN LCDs.
 Vertical Alignment Panels (VA Panels)- which are seen as a medium quality between TN
and IPS displays.
 Advanced Fringe Field Switching (AFFS)- which is a top performer compared IPS
displays in color reproduction range.
Advantages:
 very low power consumption
 low driving voltage (5-20 volts)
 very thin display (approaching .5cm without the backlight)
 lowest cost (TNs)
 high contrast ratio (STNs)
 full-color display capability
 fast writing speed
 readable in direct sunlight
 available from many commercial sources

Disadvantages:

 narrow viewing angle or cone (TNs and STNs)

 limited contrast (TNs)
 slow writing speed (STNs)
 nearly defect-free panels difficult to manufacture (especially TFTs)
 high capital equipment investment (especially TFTs)
 low transmissivity of color filters requires strong
backlight
 costly polarizer set required
 integrated circuits for controllers and drivers are
expensive
 Picture not clear if viewing in side
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
A LED display is a flat panel display that uses an array of
light-emitting diodes as pixels for a video display. Their brightness
Figure : Detail view of a LED
display with a matrix of red,
green and blue diodes
allows them to be used outdoors where they are visible in the sun for store signs and billboards. In
recent years, they have also become commonly used in destination signs on public transport
vehicles, as well as variable-message signs on highways. LED displays are capable of providing
general illumination in addition to visual display, as when used for stage lighting or other decorative
(as opposed to informational) purposes. LED is similar to LCD only the method of lighting is
different in led screen the light is from the back of the screen and the light source is light emitting
diode instead of fluorescent lamps

LED monitor advantages

 Often less expensive.

 Clear view in side viewing.
 Overall more reliable.
 They run at a lower temperature, and consume much less power, as few as 20 watts.
 Higher dynamic contrast ratio.
 Longer lifespan and less environmental impact.

Plasma Display Panels (PDPs)

The Flat Panel Display (FPD) technology is based on the glow discharge that
occurs when ionized gas undergoes recombination. Electrons are removed
from atoms to produce ions, later recombining with the ions to release
energy in the form of light.
What is Plasma?
Plasma is referred to be the main element of a fluorescent light. It is actually
a gas including ions and electrons. Under normal conditions, the gals has only uncharged particles.
That is, the number of positive charged particles [protons] will be equal to the number of negative
charged particles [electrons]. This gives the gas a balanced
position.
Suppose you apply a voltage onto the gas, the number of
electrons increases and causes an unbalance. These free
electrons hit the atoms, knocking loose other electrons.
Thus, with the missing electron, the component gets a
more positive charge and so becomes an ion.
In plasma, photons of energy are released, if an electrical
current is allowed to pass through it. Both the electrons
and ions get attracted to each other causing inter collision.
This collision causes the energy to be produced. Take a
look at the figure illustrated below.

Working of plasma

Plasma displays mostly make use of the Xenon and neon

atoms. When the energy is liberated during collision, light is produced by them. These light photons
are mostly ultraviolet in nature. Though they are not visible to us, they play a very important factor
in exciting the photons that are visible to us.
In an ordinary TV, high beams of electrons are shot from an electron gun. These electrons hit the
screen and cause the pixels to light up. The TV has three types of composite pixel colours which are
distributed throughout the screen in the same manner. They are red, green and blue. These colours
when mixed in different proportions can form the other colours. Thus the TV produces all the
colours needed.
A plasma display consists of fluorescent lights which causes the formation of an image on screen.
Like a CRT TV, each pixel has the three composite fluorescent colour lights. These fluorescent
lights are illuminated and the different colours are formed by combining the composite colours.
History of Plasma Display
The first ever plasma display was made in the year 1964 by the graduate student Robert Willson for
the PLATO Computer System, Donald Bitzer, and H. Gene Slottow from the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign. Larry F. Weber, a student from the same university was able to make an
energy recovery sustain circuit for the plasma TV, which has been included in plasma displays even
now.
This technology was then futher developed by many people and multi-national companies started to
economize it by the early 80’s.

In the year 1983, IBM began selling a 19 inch orange-on-black monochrome display. But they
stopped its production permanently as the product had a very tough competition with monochrome
LCD’s. The plasma displays in this period could not be usd as TV’s as they did not have TV tuners.
They were only used to display a standard video signal. Now all the plasma TV’s have their own
digital Tv tuners. The first colour plasma display was introduced in the year 1992 by the Fujitsu
company. The company later released a 42 inch plasma TV in the year 1997 which had a high
resolution of 852×480. This technology began to overrule the CRT revolution for the coming years.
Lately, after the invention of LCD TV, the demand for Plasma TV became lesser. As the same
configuration for a lesser price is available the sale of Plasma Tv became lesser.
Working of Plasma Display
Two plates of glass are taken between which millions of tiny cells containing gases like xenon and
neon are filled. Electrodes are also placed inside the glass plates in such a way that they are
positioned in front and behind each cell. The rear glass plate has with it the address electrodes in
such a position that they sit behind the cells. The front glass plate has with it the transparent display
electrodes, which are surrounded on all sides by a magnesium oxide layer and also a dielectric
material. They are kept in front of the
cell.
As told earlier when a voltage is
applied, the electrodes get charged and
cause the ionization of the gas resulting
in plasma. This also includes the
collision between the ions and electrons
resulting in the emission of photon
light.
The state of ionization varies in
accordance to colour plasma and
monochrome plasma. For the latter a
low voltage is applied between the
electrodes. To obtain colour plasma, the
back of each cell has to be coated with
phosphor. When the photon light is emitted they are ultraviolet in nature. These UV rays react with
phosphor to give a coloured light. Take a look at the diagram given .
The working of the pixels has been explained earlier. Each pixel has three composite coloured sub-
pixels. When they are mixed proportionally, the correct colour is obtained.
There are thousands of colours depending on the brightness and contrast of each. This brightness is
controlled with the pulse-width modulation technique. With this technique, it controls the pulse of
the current that flows through all the cells at a rate of thousands of times per seconds.
Characteristics of Plasma Display
1. Plasma displays can be made upto large sizes like 150 inches diognal.
2. Very low-luminance “dark-room” black level.
3. Very high contrast.
4. The plasma display panel has a thickness of about 2.5 inches, which makes the total
thickness not more than 4 inches.
5. For a 50 inch display, the power consumption increases from (50-400) watts in accordance
with images having darker colours.
6. All displays are sold out in shop mode which consumes more power than the above
described. It can be changed to home mode.
7. Has a life-time of almost 100,000 hours. After this period, the brightness of the TV reduces
to half.
Plasma TV Resolutions
The resolution of a plasma display varies from the early enhanced definition [ED], to the modern
high-definition displays. The most common ED resolutions were 840*480 and 853*480.
With the emergence of HDTV’s the resolution also became higher. The modern plasma TV’s have a
resolution of 1024*1024, 1024*768, 1280*768, 1366*768, 1280*1080, and also 1920*1080.
Advantages of Plasma Display
 The slimmest of all displays
 Very high contrast ratios [1:2,000,000]
 Weighs less and is less bulky than CTR’s.
 Higher viewing angles compared to other displays [178 degrees].
 Can be placed even on walls.
 High clarity and hence better colour reproduction. [68 billion/236 vs 16.7 million/224]
 Very little motion blur due to high refresh rates and response time.
 Has a life span of about 100,000 hours (long lifetime)
Disadvantages of Plasma Display
 Cost is much higher compared to other displays.
 Energy consumption is more.
 Produces glares due to reflection.
 These displays are not available in smaller sizes than 32 inches.
 Though the display doesn’t weigh much, when the glass screen, which is needed to protect
the display, is included, weighs more.
 Cannot be used in high altitudes. The pressure difference between the gas and the air may
cause a temporary damage or a buzzing noise.
 Area flickering is possible.
 high voltage driver requirements (150-200 volts)
Projector
A projector is an output device that projects an image onto a large
surface, such as a white screen or wall. It may be used an
alternative to a monitor or television when showing video or
images to a large group of people. The digital projector we know
today was created by Gene Dolgoff in 1984
Projectors come in many shapes and sizes though they are commonly about a foot long and wide
and a few inches tall. They can be mounted on ceilings or may be freestanding and portable.
Ceiling-mounted projectors are typically larger, especially ones that project a long distance (such as
30 feet or more). These projectors are commonly found in classrooms, conference rooms,
auditoriums, and places of worship.
Portable projectors can used wherever there is a bright surface (such as a white or light colored
wall). Most projectors have multiple input sources, such as HDMI ports for newer equipment and
VGA ports for older devices. Some projectors support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as well.
Use of Projector

 Project a PowerPoint presentation at a business meeting.

 Project a computer screen to teach a class in school.
 Project a TV or computer with a movie playing to a large screen.
 Demo a product or service at a convention center.
 Transform a wall, house, or another object to give it a different appearance.
Projector technology (DLP vs LCD vs LED)
There are three main technologies used for projection – DLP, LCD and LED. DLP (Digital Light
Processing) uses a chip made of tiny microscopic mirrors and a spinning colour wheel to create an
image. DLP projectors deliver sharp images, don't need any filters, have a better response time as
well as 3D capabilities. The effective lamp life of a DLP projector is only 2000-5000 hours and
some people see colour ghosting/banding in some scenes. On the other hand, LCD projectors use
liquid crystal displays, have no moving parts and thus are generally less expensive. If you are on a
budget a single chip LCD projector is ideal while 3-chip LCDs offer better colour saturation, lower
noise levels and work better for movies. However, LCDs require constant filter maintenance and
output less contrast. The LEDs in LED projectors have a lifespan of over 20,000 hours. They
deliver better colours, have lower power consumption and virtually zero maintenance costs. Also,
LED projectors are smaller and generate less heat. Do keep in mind that LED projectors have
limited brightness compared to LCD or DLP so they are not recommended if your room has a lot of
ambient light.
How Projector working
LCD Projector
This is a projection method using the LCD panel. Three pieces of
the LCD panel are used in a projector in general. Light emitted from
the light source lamp is divided into the three primary colors of R
(red), G (green), and B (blue) with the dichroic mirror. The divided
lights are respectively transmitted through three pieces of the LCD
panel handling each color individually. Then the light of these three
primary colors is synthesized with a prism and projected on a screen
through the lens.

DLP Projector
DLP stands for Digital Light Processing. This is a projection
method using the DLP chip. In case of the single chip configuration,
light emitted from the light source is divided into the three primary
colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) by the time axis with the
color wheel turning at high speed. These lights are reflected on the
DLP chip and projected on a screen through the lens. In the case of
the three-chip configuration, a focused beam emitted from the light
source is collimated (parallel beam) through the integrator and then
divided into the three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B
(blue). These lights are lighten to the DLP chip. Colors of the
modulated lights are synthesized with the color prism and then
enlarged with the projection lens.

LED projectors
LED projectors are similar to most other projectors. The only difference is the bulb. Rather than use
a traditional projector bulb, these projectors use a combination of red, green, and blue LED’s.
These LED’s use a low-heat, low-energy process of semi-conduction to generate energy, creating an
electric signal which gives off a particle of light. This light then gets reflected off of a DLP chip or
passed through an LCD chip. When these red, green, and blue LED’s are all combined, they can
create an almost exact color match of white light.
Advantage of LED projectors
The biggest advantage of LED projectors is their lamp life and low heat output. LEDs last at least
10 times longer than traditional projector lamps. Many LED projectors can run for 10,000 hours or
more. Since the lamp lasts the life of the projector, you don’t have to worry about buying new
lamps. Because LED’s are so small and only need to semi-conduct, they operate at much lower
temperatures. This means that they don’t need as much airflow, allowing them to be quieter and
more compact. Much faster start up and shut down times as no warm up or cool down is needed.
LED projectors are also much quieter than projectors that use traditional lamps.
Disadvantages of LED Projector
The biggest disadvantage of LED projectors is their brightness. Most LED projectors max out at
around 3,000 - 3,500 lumens. LED light bulbs are expensive.
Speaker
A computer speaker is an output hardware device that connects
to a computer to generate sound. The signal used to produce the
sound that comes from a computer speaker is created by the
computer's sound card. Speakers are made up of a cone, an iron
coil, a magnet, and housing (case). When the speaker receives
electrical input from a device, it sends the current through the
causing it to move back and forth. This motion then vibrates the
outer cone, generating sound waves picked up by our ears.
Speakers are transducers that convert electromagnetic waves into sound waves. The speakers
receive audio input from a device such as a computer or an audio receiver. This input may be either
in analog or digital form. Analog speakers simply amplify the analog electromagnetic waves into
sound waves. Since sound waves are produced in analog form, digital speakers must first convert
the digital input to an analog signal, then generate the sound waves.
The sound produced by speakers is defined by frequency and amplitude. The frequency determines
how high or low the pitch of the sound is. For example, a high-pitched singer's voice produces high
frequency sound waves, while a bass guitar or kick drum generates sounds in the low frequency
range. A speaker system's ability to accurately reproduce sound frequencies is a good indicator of
how clear the audio will be. Many speakers include multiple speaker cones for different frequency
ranges, which helps produce more accurate sounds for each range. Two-way speakers typically have
a tweeter and a mid-range speaker, while three-way speakers have a tweeter, mid-range speaker, and
sub-woofer. Speakers typically come in pairs, which allows them to produce stereo(two channel)
sound. This means the left and right speakers transmit audio on two completely separate channels.

Assignment Questions
Q1. Categorized the input hardware.
Q2. Explain about the direct entry card reader.
Q3. What is scanner? Explain all the scanning devices using in computer.
Q4. Explain the voice input devices.
Q5. What is point device ? Explain all types of pointing devices.
Q6. Explain the all hardcopy output devices.
Q7. Explain the all softcopy output devices.