PERIPHERAL DEVICES

WHAT IT IS?
• A computer peripheral is a device that is connected to a computer but is not part
of the core computer architecture.
• The term peripheral refers to all hardware devices that are attached to the computer
and are controlled by the computer system.
• Peripheral devices are dependent on the computer system.
• Peripheral devices provide data to or accepts data from the computer (or both) and
it may store data for use at a later time.
• Peripheral devices can be classified into input devices and output devices.
• Some can be both an input device and an output device.
INPUT DEVICES
An input device is a piece of equipment that enables data to be entered into a computer. They convert incoming
data and instructions into a pattern of electrical signals in binary code that are comprehensible to a digital computer.
Input devices include:
❖ Mouse: It is used to control the cursor or pointer on the screen and to give commands to the computer. It allows
operations to be performed without having to remember complicated keyboard commands.
❖ Keyboard: The keyboard is made up of push-button switches which sends a signal to the central processing
unit (CPU) each time they are pressed.
❖ Microphone: It is used as an audio-input device. The function of a microphone is to enter/record sound into
computer.
❖ Joystick: It looks like a car’s stick shift and it controls objects on screen.
❖ Digital Camera: It allows us to capture images and transfer them to a computer in the form of an image file.
❖ Scanners: It is a light sensitive device that helps you copy or capture images, photos and artwork that exist on
paper and converts it into digital form that can be processed and stored by the computer.
OUTPUT DEVICES
• Output devices take information within your computer and present it to you in a form that you can
understand. They reverse the process, translating the digitized signals into a form intelligible to the user.
The main output devices include:
 Monitors: The monitor or visual display unit (VDU) is the most significant output device. Desktop
displays use a cathode ray tube (CRT).
 Printers: It is a device that accepts text and graphic output from a computer and transfers information to
standard size sheets of paper.
 Speakers: It is a device that produces computer output in form of sound.
 Projectors: A multimedia projector is a compact, high resolution, full- colour projector capable of
projecting text, images, video and audio content.
STORAGE DEVICES
• A storage device is any computing hardware that is used for storing, porting and extracting data files. It can hold
and store information both temporarily and permanently, and can be internal or external to a computer. There are
two types of storage devices:
❖ Primary storage devices: They are generally smaller in size, these are designed to hold data temporarily and are
internal to the computer. They have the fastest data access speed. These include:
➢ Random Access Memory (RAM): It is a form of computer data storage that stores data and machine code
currently being used.
➢ Cache Memory: It is a smaller, faster memory that stores copies of the frequently used data from main memory
locations.
❖ Secondary storage devices: These usually have large storage capacity and they store data permanently. They can
be either internal or external to the computer. These include:
➢ Hard Disk: It is a rigid, non-removable magnetic disk with a large data storage capacity.
➢ Optical Disk Drive: It is a type of computer disk drive that reads and writes data from optical disks through laser
beaming technology.
➢ Flash Drive: It is a small electronic device containing flash memory that is used for storing data or transferring it
to or from a computer.
MOUSE KEYBOARD MICROPHONE JOYSTICK DIGITAL CAMERA

SCANNER MONITER PRINTER SPEAKERS PROJECTOR

RAM CACHE MEMORY HARD DISK OPTICAL DISK DRIVE FLASH DRIVE