A computer is a versatile machine that can work on various types of data. Some devices are needed to work with the data. Such devices are called the input and output devices for a computer.
These include the mouse, printer, speaker, keyboard, etc. that are used with the computer.
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Input and Output Devices for a Computer
A computer is a data processing machine that requires user instructions to complete a task. To give instructions to this machine, you require some input and output devices.
Input and Output Devices Definition
Input Devices
Input devices give instructions to the computer.
They allow us to input data into the computer.
Some examples include a keyboard, lightpen, mouse, etc.
Output Devices
They are used to display information on the computer.
Some commonly used output devices include the monitor and the printer.
These devices receive data output from other devices. You can check out the information on the monitor and print it by the printer.
Input/Output Devices
They receive input from the user and send the output to other devices.
Some examples include the USB flash drive and the CD-RW drive.
How Do Input and Output Devices Work?
Input and output devices allow communication between data processing systems.
The signals that the system receives is the input, and the data that it sends is the output.
Example
Surface Pen
The surface pen allows you to have a wonderful drawing and writing experience. It has an impressive sensitivity and responds to the touch perfectly.
Keyboard
A keyboard is an input device on which when the user presses a key, the chip called the keyboard controller record which key is pressed. It then places some code into the keyboard buffer (part of memory) and tells it that a key has been pressed. The code added is termed as the key’s scan code.
The keyboard then sends a message to the computer via signals. This message is called the interrupt request. This message is sent to the software of the system on receiving a keystroke.
The system software, one receiving the request, evaluates it to find the appropriate response. It then passes the scan code to the CPU.
Now take the example of an output device printer.
Printer
It is an output device that produces output on paper.
The information printed on the paper exists physically and is therefore termed as the hard copy. Some common types of printer are color laser printers, LED printers, 3D printers, etc.
Working of Inkjet Printers
It is a non-impact printer that can produce output in both black and white and colors.
The print head of this printer has tiny nozzles that stay in different color ink on the paper to form a graph or character.
Heat forces out the ink, and then it changes its shape when an electric current is applied.
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Why are input and output devices necessary for a computer system?
They are required for communication with the computer.
The input devices are used to input the data into the computer while the output devices bring the information output.
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Input and Output Device List
Input Devices
- Keyboard
- Microphone
- Barcode reader
- Mouse
- Camera
- Trackballs
- Gamepad
- Joystick
- Scanner
- OCR
- Magnetic tape drive
- Graphics tablet
Output Devices
- Printer
- Monitor
- Speaker
- Projector
- Film recorder
- Plotter
- Visual display unit
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Is a Touchscreen an Input or Output Device?
It is both an input and an output device.
The touchscreen is layered on an LED or an OLED display of an information processing system. A touchscreen computer monitor improves accuracy and increases efficiency.
It allows the user to control the system by some touch gestures. This way, the user can easily interact with what is displayed on the screen and need not use any keyboard or mouse.
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What Is an Input-Output Device Error?
Input-output device error or the I/O device error occurs when the windows are unable to do any input-output job like copying data or reading on accessing a drive.
The issue can occur to hardware or media.
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Top Reasons for the Error
- The PC is unable to detect the connected device because it might be plugged incorrectly.
- The issue could be due to a broken USB port or a damaged card reader.
- Any outdated storage device driver can cause the error too.
- If the external hard drive, USB, or the memory card that you are trying to access is damaged, then it will show an I/O error.
How to Fix I/O Device Error Issues?
- Make sure the storage device is connected and working properly. There are various computer cables and you need to make sure they are connected properly. For example, you might most often face the issue of no sound on your laptop. To fix it you need to check if the speakers are connected properly or not.
- Download the latest device driver and install it.
- The I/O functionality has issues if the wrong drive letter is used to detect the external drive. Thus change it to fix the issue.
Summary
Computer users interact with various parts of the computer on daily bases.
These are the input and output devices.
The data that the computer receives is the input, and the data that it sends is the output.
The input and output devices for a computer are also referred to as the peripherals.
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