1/19/23, 11:56 AM IGCSE ICT - Direct Input Devices

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Section 2.2:
Direct Input Devices
In section 2.1 we looked at manual input devices and talked about how
these require a large amount of human interaction in order to get data Key Concepts of this section:
into a computer.
# Know the purpose of and be able to identify differ
In this section we will focus on direct input devices. Direct input devices direct input devices.
require less human interaction in order to get data into a computer. # Understand the uses of each direct input device.
# Be able to discuss advantages and disadvantag
each direct input device.

Direct Input Devices Key Words:

Magnetic Stripe Reader, Chip and Pin Reader, Ba
(no/little human interaction needed) Reader, Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MI
Optical Mark Recognition (OMR),
Optical Character Reader (OCR)

Examples of Direct Input Devices:

# The table below shows you some examples of direct input devices. Click each device to move to more information:

Magnetic Stripe Chip and PIN Barcode

Reader Reader Reader REMEMBER!
Direct input devices do
require much human
interaction to get their d
into a computer system

For example:
All a human has to do to
use a Barcode Reader is
point the reader at the
barcode and pull the
trigger. The reader will
the rest.
Optical Mark Reader Optical Character Magnetic Ink Character
(OMR) Reader (OCR) Recognition (MICR)
NOTE:
Click the images to the l
to move to more informa
about each one.

Breakdown of each direct input device:

# The following sections will help summarise each of the direct input devices. For each one you will see:

Information about the device

Uses of the device
Advantages of the device
Disadvantages of the device

Magnetic Stripe Reader

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Information:
Examples:
# Reads information from magnetic stripes found on Bank Cards, Membership Cards
and Hotel Door Cards etc.

# The strip on the cards holds information such as:

Bank account number

Name of card holder
Expiry date of membership
etc

# Data contained on the card's stripe is read by pulling the card through the magnetic stripe
reader.

This is known as 'swiping'. Information held on a card's 'magnetic stripe' is

swiping the card through a strip reader.

# The magnetic stripe reader then sends data from the card into the computer for
processing.

Uses of a Magnetic Stripe Reader:

# ATM's use these readers to process the information on bank cards.

# EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer Point of Sale) use the readers to transfer customer's
money from their bank accounts when they purchase goods in stores.

# Hotel rooms sometimes use magnetic stripe readers in place of door keys.
Details about bank accounts are stored on
magnetic stripe .
People who want to enter a room would swipe their card through the reader in order to
open the door.

Advantages/Disadvantages of using a Magnetic Stripe Reader:

Advantages Disadvantages

Entering data is very fast. You just swipe The magnetic stripe on cards can only hold
the card through the machine. a small amount of data.

No possibly of data entry errors as there The cards need to be in contact with the
is no typing involved. reader in order to be used.

(cannot be used over the internet for

example)

The stripes on cards are not affected by If the stripe does get damaged then the
water and so quite robust (not easily data is lost (unreadable).
damaged). Hotel room cards contain data on the stripe th
unlock the door once inserted into the read
Data held on the card cannot be read by Magnetic stripes on cards are easily
eye so bank details etc are safe. duplicated (known as card cloning).

(if this happens you are prone to theft of

funds in your bank)

Chip and Pin Reader

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Information:
Examples:
# These allow people to pay for goods and services electronically at EFTPOS terminals
(electronic funds transfer point of sale).

# The chip and pin reader works by inserting a bank/credit card into a slot and then entering
a PIN (personal identification number).

The PIN ensures that the person with the bank card is the genuine owner. Only the
owner of the card should know the PIN and money can only be transferred with the
correct number.

Chip and PIN Readers require the correct

# If the correct PIN is entered, the cost of goods/services will be taken from the card identification number to be entered.
holder's bank and transferred to the companies (restaurant, store etc)

Uses of Chip and Pin Readers:

# Used to make secure payments for goods/services in places such as:

Supermarkets
Restaurants
Cafes
Buying petrol
etc

Information on a card's chip is more secure t

on a magnetic stripe .
Advantages/Disadvantages of using Chip and PIN Readers:

Advantages Disadvantages

More secure than magnetic stripe readers It is possible to forget your PIN which
as the user needs to know the correct PIN. means you cannot make payments with
your card .

Information contained on the chip is harder People can look over your shoulder as
to clone (copy) than it is to copy magnetic you enter your PIN. This makes it possible
stripes . to access your money if they ever stole your
card.
Many goods and services can be purchased u
Chip and PIN Readers .
Chips can hold more data than magnetic
stripes can.

Chip and PIN Readers are portable so

they can be brought to you (waiter in a
restaurant for example)

Barcode Scanner/Reader

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Information:
Examples:
# Used to read information that is stored on product's barcodes.

# The barcode scanner reads the information stored on the barcode using a visible red
light which is reflected and translated into digital information.

# The barcode is present on products and holds information about each product including:

Product Id number
Manufacturer
Country of origin

Barcodes contain information about products a

The barcode does not store the price of the product. This information is held in a be read with scanners.
computer database and accessed using the product id.

Note: By storing the price in a database instead of on individual bar codes, it is easier to
change (if you had a sale for example). All you would do is change the price in the
database instead of having to replace the barcodes on each of the items.

# Once a barcode has been scanned, a computer can read the information stored on the
barcode and access details about the product that are stored in a database.

# Barcode scanners are usually built into POS (point of sale) terminals in supermarkets.

# Handheld scanners are also commonly used to read bar codes (usually if items are too
large and heavy to move to the scanner). A barcode on a package being scanned.

Uses of Barcode Scanners/Readers:

# Used in supermarkets, stores and warehouses where goods are marked with a
barcode.

Remember: Barcodes hold information about the product which is linked to a

computer database. This enables automatic very fast itemised billing to
take place.

# They are used in libraries to scan in library cards and read ISBN numbers on books Barcodes are found on items that we buy in s
to find out which ones are on loan.

# They are used in keeping track of packages that are being delivered to different
locations.

# Also used in organising luggage in airports (helps ensure that luggage is loaded onto
the correct plane).

Advantages/Disadvantages of Barcode Scanners/Readers:

Advantages Disadvantages
POS terminals in supermarkets have built-
Quick and easy to change product Quite an expensive way to gather barcode scanners.
prices. information. Each item needs a barcode
and the scanners / computer technology /
Only the price data in the database needs database needed is also expensive.
to updated. There is no need to change
individual prices on each of the item's bar
codes.

Quick and easy way of getting information Bar codes can be swapped on items
into a system. which means people may pay less for more
expensive items.
(all you do is scan the item's bar code)
Hand held barcode scanners are used to read b
Very accurate as there is no manual Rely on undamaged bar codes in order to on large items.
typing involved. function.

(if a bar code is damaged, item numbers

Enables automatic stock control. have to be typed into the system by hand)

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Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

Information:
Examples:
# System which automatically reads marks made in pen or pencil.

# Typically used to read multiple choice examinations where students shade in (mark)
answers that they think are correct.

# The OMR reader shines a light onto the form and less light is reflected where a pencil
mark has been made.

# This allows the reader to tell which options have been chosen and sends the results
Optical Mark Reader automatically inputting
back to a computer.
answers given on a multiple choice form

Once the data is on a computer it can be quickly analysed.

For example: the computer will work out the grade of a multiple choice test.

# Optimal Mark Readers can input the data held on forms (such as multiple choice exams)
very fast.

Up to 4000 sheets per hour can be processed this way.

Imagine how long it would take to mark 4000 multiple choice tests by eye!! OMR devices can read the shaded areas o
multiple choice tests.

Uses of OMR's:
# Used to read the shaded areas on documents such as:

Multiple choice examinations

Multiple choice questionnaires
Lottery tickets

But are typically used on any document that has multiple choice responses that are They can also read shaded areas on lotto tic
shaded in.

Advantages/Disadvantages of OMR's:

Advantages Disadvantages

Extremely fast way of inputting information into a computer. Forms need to be accurately designed to make sure that th
marks/shading are in correct position to be read by the devic
(around 4000 forms can be read per hour)

Very accurate as document's data is fed into the computer If forms have been incorrectly filled in they cannot be rea
automatically with no manual typing. properly.

(accuracy relies on the forms being filled in correctly) (In this case documents would have to be read manually, by
which would take a long time)

Can save money as there is no need to employ workers to Can only read shaded areas (Cannot input or read text).
enter form information into a computer.

Forms can jam in the machine as they are fed through.

Optical Character Reader (OCR)

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Information:
Examples:
# Optical character readers consist of a scanner along with special software.

# OCR's allow us to scan text on paper (hardcopy) into a computer.

# Once into the computer, OCR software converts the scanned text into a digital format.

The digital version of the text can be edited and formatted.

# Once converted to digital, the text can be be used in programs such as word-processors,
presentations, web sites etc. See diagram below:

Diagram shows how OCR works:

Printed text on a document being scanned as p
1. Hard copy scanned into computer the 'digitizing' process.

2. OCR software used to convert

scanned text into digital (digitizes)

3. Digital text can be used in digital

devices and applications

Regular scanners can also be used for inputti

scanned text into a computer ready for digiti
Uses of OCR's:
# Used in the processing of Passports and Identity Cards.

# OCR is also used in the process of digitizing books.

Note: book digitizing is where hard copy printed books are converted into digital
format for use on E-book readers such as Amazon's Kindle.

Advantages/Disadvantages of OCR's:
Image of text being converted to digital.
(click image to zoom)
Advantages Disadvantages

Very fast way of entering hard-copy text The system can have difficulty reading
into a computer. handwriting (especially if it is messy).

Cheaper than paying an employee to Not 100% accurate.

manually re-type printed text into a
computer. (relies on being able to read the original
text)

Avoids typing errors as the process is As it is not 100% accurate, information

automatic (no typing involved) needs to be manually checked for errors.
It is also possible to digitize handwriting
This is time consuming.

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

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Information:
Examples:
# MICR is a system which can read information printed in a special ink
(the ink contains iron particles).

# This special ink is used to write customer account numbers on the bottom of cheques.

# The MICR device reads the account numbers then converts it to a form the computer can
understand.

# The converted information is then sent to the computer so the cheque can be
processed.

Uses of MICR:
# MICR devices are mainly used to process cheques. Below there is a summary of the
process: A MICR device reading the magnetic ink on a c

1. Every day millions of cheques. are sent to banks for processing. To process the
information on these cheques. would take far too long if it were done by hand.

2. MICR automatically (and quickly) processes the information on these cheques. with
100% accuracy (They can handle 300 per minute).

3. MICR can be used to read the following information:

Customer account number

Bank sort-code/branch number
Cheque number. Magnetic ink is used to write various account n
on cheques. (click image to zoom)

# Some countries also use MICR devices to read the passport number on passports.

Advantages/Disadvantages of MICR:

Advantages Disadvantages

Cheques. can be processed very quickly (up to 300 per Only a very limited number of different characters can be r
minute.)

Greater security than OCR because the special ink characters Both the MICR device Magnetic Ink are more expensive tha
cannot be changed. other methods of direct data entry.

No manual input… therefore less errors.

(user just swipes information through the reader)

Information can still be read even if someone writes over the

magnetic ink characters.

For example: if someone tries to manually alter an account

number by hand the device will still read only the original data.

Previous - Manual Input Devices Next - Sensors

Links to Theory Units:

Section 1: Types and Components of Computer Systems Section 2: Input and Output Devices Section 3: Storage Devices and
Section 4: Computer Networks Section 5: Data Types Section 6: The Effects of Using
Section 7: The Ways in which ICT is used Section 7: Part 2 Section 8: Systems Analysis and

Links to Practical Units:

Section 9: Communication Section 10: Document Production Section 11: Data Manipulation

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Section 12: Integration Section 13: Output Data Section 14: Data Analysis
Section 15: Web site Authoring Section 16: Presentation Authoring

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