COS 101 – COMPUTER

HARDWARE
PROF. A.A. ADEBIYI
 Introduction
The Basic Operations of Computing
• The following are basic operations of computers:
(1) Input Operation: in the input operation, data is entered
electronically into the computer for processing, in other
words, it is the medium in which data and information are fed
into the computer.
(2) Processing Operation: In the processing operation, the
data is manipulated to process or transform it into information
(such as summaries or totals). For example, numbers may be
added or subtracted.
 Introduction Cont.
(3) Output Operation: In the output operation, the
information obtained from the data is produced in a form
usable by people. Examples of output are printed text called
hardcopy and charts and graphs displayed on a computer
screen referred to as softcopy.
(4) Storage Operation: In the storage operation, data,
information, and programs are permanently stored in
computer process-able form. Flash drive, Compact disc (CD)
are examples of materials used for storage.
 Hardware
• Hardware consists of all the machinery and equipment in a
computer system. The hardware includes, among others devices,
the keyboard, the screen, the printer, the processing device.

• External devices that are connected to the main computer are

referred to as peripheral devices. A peripheral device is any piece
of hardware that is connected to a computer. Examples are
keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer.
 Input Hardware
A. Input Hardware
• Input hardware consists of devices that translate data into a
form the computer can process. For example, input may be
by means of a keyboard, mouse, microphone or scanner. The
mouse is a pointing device attached to many
microcomputers.
• Input hardware devices are categorized as three types
namely:
Keyboard
Pointing devices
Source data-entry devices
 Input Hardware Cont.
Keyboards
• A keyboard is a device that converts letters, numbers, and
other characters into electrical signals that are machine-
readable by the computer processor.
Pointing Devices
• Pointing devices control the position of the cursor or pointer
on the screen. Pointing devices include:
Mice, trackballs, pointing sticks, and touchpads
Light pens
Pen-based systems
 Input Hardware Cont.
Mouse
• A mouse is a device that is rolled about on a desktop and
directs a pointer on the computer’s display screen. The
mouse pointer is the symbol that indicates the position of
the mouse on the display screen. It may be an arrow, a
rectangle that shows where text may be entered.
• On the bottom side of the mouse is a ball that translate the
mouse movement into digital signals. On the top are one to
four buttons. The first button is used for common functions,
such as clicking and dragging. The function of second to
fourth buttons are determined by the software in use.
 Input Hardware Cont.
Trackball
• The trackball is a moveable ball, on top of a stationary
device, that is rotated with fingers or palm of the hand. In
fact, trackball looks like the mouse turned upside down.
Trackball are especially suited to portable computers.
Pointing Stick
• A pointing stick is a pointing device that looks like a pencil
eraser protruding from the keyboard between the G,H, and B
keys. You move the pointing stick with your forefinger while
using your thumb to press button located in front of the
space bar. A forerunner of the pointing stick is the joystick.
 Input Hardware Cont.
Touchpad
• The touchpad is a small, flat surface over which you slide your finger, using the
same movements as you would with a mouse. As you move your finger, the
cursor follows the movement. You ‘click’ by tapping your finger on the pad’s
surface. Touchpad are now common on portable computer.
Light Pen
• The light pen is a light-sensitive stylus, or pen-like device, connected by a wire
to computer terminal. The user brings the pen to a desired point on the
display screen and presses the pen button, which identifies that screen
location to the computer. Light pens are used by engineers, graphic designer.
Pen-Based Systems
• Pen-based computer systems use a pen-like stylus to allow people to enter
handwriting and marks onto a computer screen rather than typing on a
keyboard
 Input Hardware Cont.
Source Data-Entry Devices
• Source data-entry devices refer to many forms of data-entry devices
that are not keyboards or pointing devices. Source data-entry devices
create machine-readable data on magnetic media or paper or feed it
directly into the computer’s processor. This is also known as source-
data automation. Source data-entry devices include the following:
Scanning devices
Sensors
Audio-input devices
Voice-recognition systems
Video-input devices
Electronic cameras
 Input Hardware Cont.
Scanning Devices: Bar-Code Reader
• Scanners use laser beams and reflected light to translate
images of text, drawings, photos, and the like into digital
form. The images can then be processed by a computer,
display on the monitor and store in storage device.
• Scanning devices include reader for bar-code. Bar codes are
read by bar-code reader, photoelectric scanners that
translate the bar-code symbols into digital code.
 Input Hardware Cont.
Scanning Devices: Mark-Recognition & Character-Recognition
Devices
• There are three types of scanning devices that sense marks
or characters. They are usually referred to by their
abbreviations MICR, OMR, and OCR.
• Magnetic-ink character recognition: Magnetic-ink character
recognition (MICR) reads the strange-looking numbers
printed at the bottom of checks.
• MICR characters, which are printed with magnetized ink, are
read by MICR equipment, producing a digitized signal. This
signal is used by a bank’s reader/sorter machine to sort
 Input Hardware Cont.
• Optical mark recognition: Optical mark recognition (OMR)
uses a device that reads pencil marks and converts them into
computer-usable form. The most well known example of
OMR used to read objective sheet examination or aptitude
test.
• Optical character recognition: Optical character recognition
(OCR) uses a device that reads preprinted characters in a
particular font and converts them to digital code.
 Input Hardware Cont.
Scanning Devices: Fax Machine
• A fax machine or facsimile transmission machine – scan an
image and send it as electronic signals over telephone lines
to a receiving fax machine, which re-create the image on
paper

Audio-Input Devices
• An audio-input device records analog sound and translates it
for digital storage and processing. Example of audio device is
cassette player.
 Input Hardware Cont.
Sensors
• A sensor is a type of input device that collects specific kinds
of data directly from the environment and transmits it into a
computer.
• Sensors can be used for detecting all kinds of things:
movement, weight, pressure, temperature, wind, light,
smoke and so on.
 Output Hardware
B. Output Hardware
• Output hardware consists of devices that translate
information processed by the computer into a form that
users can understand. The main kinds of output are softcopy
and hardcopy.
• Softcopy: softcopy refers to data that is shown on a display
screen or is in audio or voice form.
• Hardcopy: hardcopy refers to printed output. The principal
examples are printouts, whether text or graphics, from
printers. Film, including microfilm and microfiche.
 Output Hardware Cont.
Softcopy Output: Display Screens
• Display screens also called monitors shows information
processed by the computers. The display screens can be in
monochrome or colour.
Hardcopy Output: Printers, plotters, Microfilm and Microfiche
devices
• A printer is an output device that prints characters, symbols,
and perhaps graphics on paper or another hardcopy medium.
• Printers are categorized according to whether or not the image
produced is formed by physical contact. Impact printers do have
contact, nonimpact printers do not.
 Output Hardware Cont.
Impact printers
• An impact printer forms characters or images by striking a
mechanism such as a printer hammer or wheel against an inked
ribbon, leaving an image on paper.
• Example is dot-matrix printers. A dot-matrix printer contains a print
head of small pins, which strike an inked ribbon against paper,
forming characters or images. The advantages of dot-matrix printers
are that they are inexpensive, they print graphics as well as text.
• The disadvantages are they are noisy, slow and the reproduction
quality of graphics is poor. Another type of impact printer is line
printers which prints a whole line of characters at once rather than
single character at a time. Types of line printers are chain printers
and band printers.
 Output Hardware Cont.
Nonimpact Printers
• Nonimpact printers form characters and images without making
direct physical contact between mechanism and paper. They are
faster and quiet than impact printers because they have few moving
parts. Two types of nonimpact printers are laser printers and ink-jet
printers.
• Laser Printer: similar to a photocopy machine operation, a laser
printer uses ink-like toner powder. The advantages are quiet, excellent
quality of text and graphics and it operate at high speed. The
disadvantage is high cost.
• Ink-jet Printer: like laser and dot matrix printers, ink-jet printers also
form images with little dots. The advantages of ink-jet printers are
quiet, prints colour, text and graphics and fast.
 Output Hardware Cont.
Plotters
• A plotter is a specialized output device designed to produce high
quality graphics in a variety of colours. Plotters are especially useful
for creating maps and architectural drawings. There are two types of
plotters flatbed and drum.
Computer Output Microfilm and Microfiche
• Computer output microfilm is computer output produced as tiny
images on rolls of microfilm; microfiche uses sheets instead of rolls.
The images are up to 48 times smaller than those produced on a
printer. The advantages they can be recorded faster and cheaper the
same thing on paper-printed output.
• The disadvantage is that a microfilm or microfiche reader is needed
 Storage Hardware
C. Storage Hardware
• Main memory or primary storage is temporary storage.
Secondary storage or permanent storage consists of devices
that store data and programs permanently on disk or tape.
Units of Measurement for Storage
• Kilobyte: A kilobyte (abbreviated K or KB) is equivalent to 1024
bytes.
• Megabyte: A megabyte (abbreviated M or MB) is about I
million bytes.
• Gigabyte: A gigabyte (G or GB) is about I billion bytes.
• Terabyte: A terabyte (T or TB) is about trillion bytes.
 Storage Hardware Cont.
Data Access Methods
• The two main types of data access are sequential and direct.
• Sequential Storage: Sequential storage means that data is stored in
sequence, such as alphabetically. Tape storage falls in the category of
sequential storage. This data access method is less expensive than
other methods because it uses magnetic tape, which is cheaper than
disks. The disadvantage of sequential file organization is that
searching for data is low.
• Direct Access Storage: Direct access storage means that the computer
can go directly to the information you want through a unique data
identifier called a key field. Direct file access is much faster than
sequential access for finding specific data. It is more expensive to use.
 Storage Hardware Cont.
• The following are types of secondary-storage devices:
Flash drive: A flash drive is a removable object inserted in a
USB drive of a computer system. It very common and cheap
to access.
 Hard disks: Hard disks are thin but rigid metal platters
covered with a substance that allows data to be held in the
form of magnetized spots. Hard disk is non-removable in the
computer
 Storage Hardware Cont.
• Optical disk: An optical disk is a removable disk on which
data is written and read through the use of laser beams.
There are four types of optical disks, namely:
CD-ROM disk: CD-ROM which stands for compact disk-read-
only memory, is an optical-disk format that is used to hold
prerecorded text, graphics, and sound. Like music CDs, a CD-
ROM is a read-only disk.
CD-R Disk: CD-R. Which stands for compack disk-recordable,
is a CD format that allows users to use a peripheral CD
recorder to write data (only once) onto a specially
manufactured disk that can be read by any compatible CD-
ROM drive.
 Storage Hardware Cont.
Erasable Optical Disk: An erasable optical disk, or rewritable
optical disk (CD-RW), allows users to record and erase data
so that the disk can be used over and over again.
DVD (Digital Convergence Disk): DVD represents a new
generation of high-density CD-ROM disks, which are read by
laser and which have both write-once and rewritable
capabilities.
• Magnetic tape: Magnetic tape is thin plastic tape that has
been coated with a substance that can be magnetized.
 CPU Hardware
D. Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Main Memory: the CPU,
is the ‘brain’ of the computer, follows the instructions of the
software to manipulate data into information. The CPU
consists of two parts: the control unit and the arithmetic/logic
unit.
• The Control Unit: The control unit tells the rest of the
computer system how to carry out a program’s instructions.
It also direct the movement of electronic signals between
main memory and arithmetic/logic unit and also between
main memory and the input and output devices.
 CPU Hardware Cont.
• The Arithmetic/Logic Unit (ALU): ALU performs arithmetic
operations and logical operations and controls the speed of
those operations.
• The arithmetic operations are the fundamental mathematics
operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
The logical operations are comparisons i.e the ALU compares
two pieces of data to see whether one is equal to (=), greater
than (>) or less than (<) the other.
 CPU Hardware Cont.
• Main Memory: Main memory – variously known as memory,
primary storage, internal memory, or RAM( for random
access memory) – is a working storage.
• It has three tasks.
(1) it holds data for processing.
(2) it holds instructions (programs) for processing the data.
(3) it holds processed data (information) waiting to be sent to
an output or secondary-storage device.
 CPU Hardware Cont.
• There are two important facts to know about main memory:
Its contents are temporary: Once the power to the
computer is turned off, all the data and programs within the
main memory simply vanish. Thus, the main memory said to
be volatile.
Its capacity varies in different computers: The size of main
memory is important. It determines how much data can be
processed at once and how big and complex the programs
are that can be used to process it.