Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Computer System:
A computer is an electronic machine that accepts data, stores and processes data into information. The
computer is able to work because there are instructions in its memory directing it, instructions that direct
the computer are called software or computer program. The physical parts of the computer that you can
see and touch, such as the keyboard, monitor and the mouse are called hardware. There are four major
categories of computer hardware:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Input devices: used to enter data into the computer

Processing devices: manipulate the data.
Storage devices: store data and program.
Output device: show results of the process.

Input devices:
U

An input device is any hardware component that allows you the user to enter data or instruction into the
computer. There are many manual/automatic input devices. Most widely used input devices are:
Keyboard
Pointing devices
o Trackerball mouse
o Laser mouse
2D/3D Scanners

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Keyboard:
The keyboard is one of the most popular ways of inputting information into a computer. The basic
mechanical keyboard relies on springed keys being pressed down to complete an electrical circuit. This
circuit then transmits a binary signal (commonly using ASCII) to the computer to represent the key
pressed.

Scanner
A scanner creates a digital photograph of a paper document. It scans the illuminated surface of the
document with a single row of hundreds of light sensors. Each sensor produces an analogue signal that
depends on the intensity of the light it receives. The scanners embedded computer repeatedly scans the
signals from the sensors as they move across the document. The embedded computer then digitizes,
processes them and sends them to the computer.

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Trackerball Mouse:
A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball held by a socket containing sensors to detect a rotation
of the ball about two axeslike an upside-down mouse with an exposed protruding ball. The user rolls the
ball with the thumb, fingers, or the palm of the hand to move a pointer. Compared with a mouse, a
trackball has no limits on effective travel; at times, a mouse can reach an edge of its working area while
the operator still wishes to move the screen pointer farther. With a trackball, the operator just continues
rolling, whereas a mouse would have to be lifted and re-positioned. Some trackballs, such as Logitech's
optical-pickoff types, have notably low friction, as well as being dense (glass), so they can be spun to
make them coast. The trackball's buttons may be situated to that of a mouse or to a unique style that
suits the user.
Optical (Laser) Mouse:
A mouse allows the user to point by moving the cursor in graphical user interface on a PCs screen. The
optical mouse actually uses a tiny camera to take 1,500 pictures every second. Able to work on almost
any surface, the mouse has a small, red light-emitting diode (LED) that bounces light off that surface onto
a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor.
The CMOS sensor sends each image to a digital signal processor (DSP) for analysis. The DSP, operating
at 18 MIPS (million instructions per second), is able to detect patterns in the images and see how those
patterns have moved since the previous image. Based on the change in patterns over a sequence of
images, the DSP determines how far the mouse has moved and sends the corresponding coordinates to
the computer. The computer moves the cursor on the screen based on the coordinates received from the
mouse. This happens hundreds of times each second, making the cursor appear to move very smoothly.
Sensor:
A sensor measures a specific property data and sends a signal to the computer. They can produce a
stream of input data automatically without any human intervention. Usually this is an analogue signal so
it needs to be converted into digital data for the computer to process. This is done using by an Analogueto-Digital Converter (ADC).
Sensors are used extensively in monitoring / measuring / data logging systems, and also in computer
control systems. Following is the list of commonly used sensors:
Temperature
Magnetic Field
Gas
Pressure
Moisture
Humidity
Ph/Acidity/Alkalinity
Motion/ Infra-Red
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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Advantages of using sensors to collect data are:
1. They can collect data far more frequently than a person.
2. They are more reliable than a person, who may forget to take readings.
3. They are more accurate than a person who may misread the signal.
4. They can collect data from places where it is not possible for a person to go such as inside a
chemical or nuclear reaction vessel.
The disadvantage of using sensors is that they may need a power supply to work and may need regular
calibration to check their accuracy.
Temperature Sensor:
A temperature sensor produces a signal that depends on the temperature of its surroundings. The
computer process the digitize signal to display a measurement or to control an appliance.
We can use temperature sensor in many appliance such:
Automatic washing machine
Digital thermometer
Controlling heating system in buildings, including greenhouses and chemical reaction vessels.
Pressure sensor:
A pressure sensor produces a signal that depends on the pressure to which it is exposed. Pressure sensor
can be used in many appliances such as automatic blood pressure monitor. Pressure sensor can also
control the pressure of gases or liquids in chemical reaction vessel.
Magnetic Field:
The Magnetic Field Sensor can be used to study the field around permanent magnets, coils, and electrical
devices. This sensor uses a Hall effect transducer, and measures a vector component of the magnetic
field near the sensor tip. It has two ranges, allowing for measurement of relatively strong magnetic fields
around permanent magnets and electromagnets, as well as measurement of weak fields such as the
Earths magnetic field. The articulated sensor tip allows you to measure both transverse and longitudinal
magnetic fields.
Gas:
A gas sensor produces a signal depending on the concentration of a particular gas or vapor. We can use
gas sensor for an inflammable gas to monitor the atmosphere and sound an alarm if there is a leakage.
We can use gas sensor in other applications such as:
Breathalyser, which measure the concentration of alcohol vapour in a sample of breath and
estimate the concentration of alcohol in blood.
Process control in chemical industry.
Environment monitoring of air pollution.
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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Moisture/ Humidity sensor
A moisture sensor produces a signal that depends on the concentration of water vapors in the
atmosphere. A moisture sensor can control an irrigation system more efficiently only allow water when
soil is dry. We can use moisture sensor in many other application including:
Controlling a heating system and air conditioning system.
Maintaining sufficient humidity in the air in a greenhouse.
Measuring humidity for meteorological record and forecasting in a weather station.
PH/acidity/alkalinity sensor:
PH Sensor measures the pH of aqueous solutions in industrial and municipal process applications. It is
designed to perform in the harshest of environments, including applications that poison conventional pH
sensors.
Typical activities using our pH sensor include:
Acid-base titrations
Studies of household acids and bases
Monitoring pH change during chemical reactions or in an aquarium as a result of photosynthesis
Investigations of acid rain and buffering
Analysis of water quality in streams and lakes
Infrared sensor:
An infra (IR) sensor produces a signal that depends on the level of invisible IR radiation falling on it.
All objects (unless they are extremely cold) emit significant IR radiation. Security camera equips with lens
and grid of IR sensors uses this IR radiation to form a detector for a person.

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Output devices
An output device is a piece of hardware that is used to display or output data which has been processed
or has been stored on the computer.
There are many different kind of output devices such as inkjet, laser and 3D printers; 2D and 3D cutters;
speakers and head phones; actuators; flat panel display screens including Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
and Light-Emitting Diodes (LED); LCD projectors and Digital Light Projectors (DLP)
Printer:
Printer is an output device that prints character and graphics on paper or other materials.
Laser Printer:
Laser printer uses a laser scanning a drum to print with powdered ink, known as toner. The printer places
an even, negative, static charge on a photoconductive drum. It scans a very narrow laser beam across the
surface of the rotating drum. The laser beam causes the negative charge to leak away wherever it shines
on the drum. The drum revolves past a supply of toner which is also charged negatively. The toner is
attracted onto those regions of the drums surface where no charge remains. Toner particles are repelled
by those regions that remain charged because they were not lit by the lasers beam. The printer rapidly
switches the beam on and off to draw the required pattern of output. A roller presses a sheet of paper
against the rotating drum and the toner particles transfer to the paper.

Another roller presses the paper against a heated fuser roller. The heated toner melts and bonds to the
paper, producing a printed copy. If there are four drums with four different colors of toner the printer can
print in color.

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Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Inkjet printer
An inkjet printer uses a print head to propel differently sized droplets of ink, measuring just picolitres, from
a number of fine nozzles onto a sheet of paper. The printhead scans from side to side on stabilizer bar
and rollers feed the paper forward.

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Speakers:
Speakers are one of the most common output devices used with computer systems. The purpose of
speakers is to produce audio output that can be heard by the listener.
Speakers are transducers that convert electromagnetic waves into sound waves. peakers use magnets to
convert electricity into sound waves. This is a basic principle of physics.
Sound is made when an object makes the particles around it vibrate. These vibrations travel through the
air, and reach your ears. Our brain interprets this motion as sound. High frequencies of sound are made
when the wavelength of the vibrations are close together. Low frequencies occur when they are farther
apart. The amplitude of the vibrations causes the level of volume you hear.

To make these vibrations, speakers have a set of magnets. One of them is called the permanent magnet. It
doesnt move or change polarity and is made of a magnetic metal like iron. The other magnet is an
electromagnet. It is a coil of metal wire like copper or aluminum. When an electric current is sent through
the electromagnet, it is either attracted to or repelled away from the permanent magnet. The polarity of
the coil can be reversed depending on the current. This back and forth movement causes the diaphragm
or cone to vibrate, because it is connected to the magnetic coil. This is the sound that you hear.

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Actuators:
An actuator is an output device but it does not always provide output directly to the user. It can change
some physical value in response to a signal from an automated system or control system.
Actuators naturally pair up with sensors, which can provide feedback to the control program about the
effects of its actuators.
Backing storage:
Backing storage (also called auxiliary storage) stores programs and data for future use. In order to store
data while the electricity is switched off or unavailable storage must be non-volatile. Access to backing
storage is slower than internal memory. Operating systems and program files are loaded into RAM form
backing storage when required for execution.
It is important to distinguish between a storage device and storage medium. The storage device is the
machine that stores data; the storage medium is the material on which the device stores data. There are
three different types of backing storage device:
1. Magnetic storage device
2. Optical storage device
3. Solid state storage device.
Magnetic Storage device:
Magnetic media stores data by assigning a magnetic charge to metal. This metal is then processed by a
read head, which converts the charges into ones and zeros. Historically, magnetic media has been very
popular for storing programs, data, and making backups. It looks set to continue in this role for some
time. However, solid state technology is starting to be used more and more, storing programs and data on
new devices such as mobile phones and cameras.
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Hard disk

Hard disks are usually found inside computers to store programs and data. They are increasingly cheap
and more and more companies are using them to back things up. Hard disks can vary in physical size with
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Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

some disks getting as small as your thumb. The capacity of a commercial disk is currently up to about 4
terabytes allowing users to read and write to them. They are constructed from several key components:
Platter - Metallic disks where One or both sides of the platter are magnetized, allowing data to be
stored. The platter spins thousands of times a second around the spindle. There may be several
platters, with data stored across them
Head - The head reads magnetic data from the platter. For a drive with several platters there may
two heads per platter allowing data to be read from top and bottom of each
Actuator Arm - used to move the read heads in and out of the disk, so that data can be read and
written to particular locations and you can access data in a Random fashion, you don't need to
read your way through the entire disk to fetch a particular bit of information, you can jump right
there. Seek time is very low.
Power connector - provides electricity to spin the platters, move the read head and run the
electronics
IDE connector - allows for data transfer from and to the platters
Jumper block - used to get the disk working in specific ways such as RAID
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For the exam you must be able to explain how a hard disk works:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The platters spin around the spindle

data is requested to be read from a particular area of a platter
the actuator arm moves the read head to that track
Once the data sector that is required has spun around and under the read head, data is read
Read data is sent from the IDE connector to main memory

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Writing data is very similar:

1.
2.
3.
4.

The platters spin around the spindle

data is sent to the hard disk using the IDE connector
the actuator arm moves the write head to the track that will be written to
Once the data sector that is required has spun around and under the write-head, data is written to
the platter

Optical disks
Optical media works by creating a disc with a pitted metallic surface. There are several different types of
disk out there ranging from 650 MB to 128 GB, with the pits and lands getting closer together for higher
volume disks. The principle behind how each of them works is the same.

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Optical media

Device

Type

CD-ROM

Read Only

CD-R

Write once then Read only

CD-RW

re-Writable

DVD-ROM

Read Only

DVD-R

Write once then Read only

DVD-RW

re-Writable

DVD-RAM

re-Writable

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Blu-ray (BD)
disc
HD DVD
(obsolete)

Size

Image

650 - 900 MB

4.7 - 9.4 GB

Re-Writable and Read Only versions available.

Uses a blue laser, that is able to recognise
smaller pits and lands, which allows for the

25 - 128 GB

pits and lands to be more closely packed, and

so store more data

CD-ROM

A CD-ROM is a metal disc embedded into a plastic protective housing. Each disc has to be 'mastered'; this
is the process of creating the CD and placing the data on it. CDs are WORM (Write Once, Read Many)
media; this refers to the fact that once they have been mastered, there is no way to change the data on
them.
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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Writing to a CD-ROM
1. A single track runs in a spiral pattern from the center of the disc to the outside, this track is made
of pits and lands to represent the ones and zeroes of binary data
2. A high-powered laser is shone onto the CD-ROM, burning pits into the metal
3. The disc spins and the laser follows the track, putting the binary data onto the CD in a spiral track
4. The data has been written
Reading from a CD-ROM
1. A single track runs in a spiral pattern from the center of the disc to the outside, this track is made
of pits and lands to represent the ones and zeroes of binary data
2. A low-powered laser is shone on the metallic surface and the reflection is captured in a photodiode
sensor, the lands reflect differently to the pits, meaning it can tell the difference between a 1 and a
0
3. The disc spins and the laser follows the track
4. The binary data (the 1s and 0s) are put together and the CD-ROM has been read
Solid State Storage Media:
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Solid-state memory

Device

USB flash drive

Memory card

Description
Up to 256 GB
Up to 256 GB

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Computer Science 9608 (Notes)

Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

USB (memory stick) Flash Drive

Internals of a typical USB flash drive

Solid state storage devices are electronic and made as integrated circuits or chip. The currently
predominant technology is flash memory, which like ROM holds data that are non-volatile but can be
erased and rewritten in large blocks. We often refer to this as non-volatile memory.
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1. Put the drive into USB socket.

2. USB driver loads, providing the computer with code on how to read and write from the USB.
3. The USB is read, giving information on the file and folder structure (File Allocation Table) to the
Computer.
4. [Reading] The user chooses to open a file, the Computer sends the address wanted to the USB
port.
5. [Reading] The USB returns the data at the location requested.
6. [Writing] The computer sends data to the USB port where it is place into empty space on the drive.
7. [Writing] The computer then requests a new version of the file and folder structure.
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Chapter: 1.3 Hardware

Topic: 1.3.1 Input, output and storage devices

Memory cards
Work in much the same way as a Flash drive and can often be converted into Flash Drives. They have
different connectors and are generally smaller than USB Flash drives allowing for them to be used in
cameras, mobile phones and game consoles.
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