SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICES

INPUT DEVICESKEYBOARDMost common input device for a computer.

MouseA hand held pointing device that moves a pointer on the screen.

JoystickA stick that translates movement to the screen. Commonly used in video games and flight simulators.

TrackballA moveable ball that moves the pointer around the screen

Touch PadFlat surface that is sensitive to pressure and motion. It tracks your finger and the mouse cursor corresponds to the movement.

Light PenA pen that detects input via light on a screen. It allows a user to write information on a screen.

Touch Screen/ TerminalTouch screen that user interacts with to get information.

Digitising TabletUsed to enter drawings and sketches onto a screen and store them in digital form.

Voice RecognitionThe devices accepts voice commands and carries them out.

Sound Capture DevicesSound Cards that capture voice and turn it into digital form.

WebcamUsed for video chatting and video conferencing.

SensorsUsed to capture data and monitor changes in states. Used in weather and security systems.

Remote ControlsEmits a wireless Signal to the device it controls.

BiometricA reader that checks the distinctive characteristics of a human to identify them. Typically used in fingerprint readers.

Digital CameraThey contain a processor that converts the real image to a digital image.

Barcode ReaderReads the code of lines that make up a barcode. Typically used in supermarkets.

OMROptical Mark Reader. Reads small marks on special forms. Eg. Surveys and questionares and exam papers

OCROptical character recognition devices. Can read handwritten and printed characters and convert them to an electronic form to be edited. Eg. Scanners

MICRMagnetic ink character recognition reader. Reads text printed with magnetic ink. Eg. Used at banks in processing cheques.

POSPoint of Sale. Consists of a main computer and a device to scan the barcode.