Devices and Storage

Devices and Storage

1. Devices

   • Input Devices
     • What is an input device and why is it needed in a system?
       • An input device is a peripheral or piece of hardware which is needed to input/ process data and give signals in a computer system.
     • Examples of input devices used in computer systems.
       • Joystick
         • A joystick is a peripheral usually found on gaming devices which is used usually to move an avatar/sprite on a screen. It could also be used much like a mouse.
       • Keyboard
         • A keyboard is a peripheral used to input instructions to be sent to an output device. Keyboards are used to mainly input characters from character sets such as ASCII and Unicode.
       • Mouse
         • A mouse is a very commonly used input device used for selection. It can also be used for drawing, cropping and resizing objects. Mice are usually only used with laptops or GPAs.
   • Output Devices
     • What is an output device and why is it needed in a system?
       • An output device is a peripheral/ piece of hardware which is sent data from an input device to give an outcome, whether it be display or sound or other outputs.
     • Examples of output devices used in computer systems
       • Monitor
         • A monitor is a peripheral used to detect and output displays on systems such as laptops, consoles and smart devices.
       • Speaker
         • A speaker is a device used to output sounds on all types of devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and others.
       • Projector
         • A projector is used to output displays , usually on presentation screens. They are often used in classrooms.
   • Devices for users with specific needs
     • Aside from normal input and output devices, there are also particular devices which were made for users with specific needs.
       • An eye tracking device is made for users with visual impairments. The device tracks the movement of the users eyes and uses this to input and output data.
       • Sip and Puff devices are made to help users with little or no hand control to control a computer system.

2. Storage

   • Secondary Storage
     • What is secondary storage and why is it needed?
       • Secondary storage is a type of non volatile storage which is needed to keep permanent copies of program data such as boot up programs.
   • Common Storage Technologies
     • Magnetic Tape
       • They work a bit like videotapes and use serial access to find a data file. The search starts at the beginning of the tape and starts at the end, meaning it carefully looks for data which makes it very reliable.
     • Magnetic Hard Drive
       • A hard disk made of metal platters which has been coated in a special type of magnetic material used to access and store data on a disk. They are permanently fixed into the system therefore are very reliable and durable.
     • Optical Storage
       • Laser beam technology used to reed data stored on the disk. They can be used as CD ROM devices or CD RW devices. Data can be saved on the disk more than once meaning it is reliable and has a high capacity.
     • Solid State
       • Small, lightweight disks which can be removed and re written. Only made of a small circuit board coated in plastic, making it very durable.