Computing Hardware (H2)

Computing Hardware (H2)

1. For a system to work effectively, it must have input and output devices. They allow the computer to obtain data and to output data to the user.

   • EXAMPLES OF INPUT DEVICES: Keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner and camera.

2. INPUT DEVICES

   • TRACKBALL
     • This is used as an alternative to a mouse. The user rotates the ball to move the pointer on the screen. These are adapted for people with limited movement in their hands to use, so hat they can have a more increased precision over a mouse.
   • MICROPHONES
     • These are used to input sound into a software. This can be used for a word processing application to enter text.
   • CONCEPT KEYBOARD
     • These are mainly used in fast food restaurants; the keyboard normally has a picture or a piece of text on it to show different items/functions.

3. OUTPUT DEVICES

   • Braille printers
     • Braille printers allow blind people to read with the bumps in the paper. They grow up learning different letters, but that's not related to computing.
   • SCREEN READERS
     • Intended for the use of blind of otherwise visually imparted beings. This reads out what is on the screen, as well as translate braille. They also can have magnification software to help those with trouble of seeing.

4. SECONDARY STORAGE

   • It allows us to store data for a long period of time. This can include: music, videos, photos and other important files.
     • The data should also be expected to stay on the computer system when the computer is turned off/on
   • Despite the fact that RAM can store data, is it VOLATILE, meaning that it loses the data when without a power source. With secondary storage, it allows the data to stay on the computer system, even without a power source.
   • Secondary storage is NON-VOLATILE, meaning it is safe to retain data without a power source.