Unit 6Input Devices

An input device is a piece of equipment used for entering data or controlling a computer, for

example, a mouse, a keyboard, a scanner, and that sort of things.

A JOYSTICK is an input device that you can connect to a computer system.

This device is able to move in eight directions. Joysticks are mostly used in computer games to control the way a picture on the screen moves.

Sometimes two joysticks are connected to a computer so two people can play a game at the same

time.

Using a SCANNER, you can input printed drawings, photos or texts directly into a computer. This device

works like a photocopier-a light is shone on the material and the scanner detects the reflected light.

You can use a scanner with optical character recognition (OCR) software to input the scanned

text into a word processing package.

A TRACKERBALL works in exactly the same way as a mouse, except that the ball is on top. The user

rolls the ball around with her hand to operate it. If you use a trackerball, you don`t need any extra

space on your desk to move it around (like you do with a mouse). Trackerballs are often used on small

portable computers and on some video games machines

A MICROPHONE is an input device used for sound.

A DIGITAL CAMERA is an input device for taking pictures that has an electronic lens and uses electronics for storing the images rather than chemical film.

A TOUCHSCREEN is an input device that you can control through your fingers instead of using a keyboard or mouse.

A BARCODE READER is an optical input device that uses a reflection of a light beam to read barcodes labels

QUESTIONS!

Name 3 input devices.

What do you use a joystick for?

What do you use a scanner for?