We explain what peripherals are and what the characteristics of input, output, mixed and storage peripherals are.
What are peripherals?
Peripherals or devices are, in computing, those pieces of hardware that do not make up the core of the computer system (i.e. those parts without which the computer would not function), but connect and interact in an auxiliary way with the system to allow the transmission of information to and from the outside.
These are physical and electronic elements, independent and non-essential which can be of different types and perform various tasks, and which can be classified according to the role they play, in four different categories:
- Input peripherals. Those that allow the entry of information into the system.
- Output peripherals. Those that allow information to be extracted from the system.
- Input and output peripherals. Those that allow both input and output functions to be performed, and are therefore known as mixed peripherals.
- Storage peripherals. Those that allow information to be stored or saved to be retrieved on later occasions.
See also: Peripheral devices
Input peripherals
Peripherals or input devices incorporate information into the system whether it comes from the user directly, from other computer systems or from the capture and measurement of reality. This information enters the CPU and there can be processed for different purposes, it can even be sent to other systems through output devices.
Examples of input peripherals are:
- Both physical and virtual keyboards which allow the user to enter information using keys associated with a specific sign or function.
- The mice (mouse) and touchpads which allow the user to manipulate the cursor through the movements of their hand or fingers, and thus access the computerized graphic interface.
- digital cameras which allow us to capture images of reality and enter them into the system, as happens when we take a digital photograph.
- Audio recorders which allow us to capture sounds from reality, such as music or the human voice, as happens when we give verbal instructions to a voice recognition system (such as Siri or Alexa).
- code readers which allow reading barcodes or QR codes with specific information for handling by the system.
- The scanners which allow text and image to be digitized and reproduced in a digital file.
- The game levers or joysticks which allow the user to give quick instructions to the system and are specially designed for gaming.
Output peripherals
Output peripherals extract information from the system that has been previously stored or even that is being received through input devices. This information is provided outside the system in different ways, depending on the device used and the recipient.
Examples of output peripherals are:
- Screens and monitors which visually or graphically represent the information, so that the user can perceive it through sight.
- The printers which reproduce the information on a physical medium, that is, they write or draw it through different ink injection mechanisms on paper.
- 3D printers which are guided by digital information to build a physical object, using ductile materials (plastics) that harden when cooled.
- The videobeams or video projectors which project information through a beam of light onto a favorable background, such as a wall or a curtain, so that it can be perceived visually by users.
- The speakers or loudspeakers which through an electrical circuit transform digital information into sound waves, thus reproducing music, voices or other sounds.
- The headphones which fulfill the same function as speakers, but on a smaller scale, as they are attached directly to the user's ears, thus providing privacy.
- Vibration controls typical of some joystickswhich produce rhythmic vibrations according to digital information, for example, at certain moments in a video game.
Mixed or input and output peripherals
Input and output peripherals, abbreviated is or also i/o (from English input/output), are those who comply with both the entry of information into the system and its extraction. This can occur simultaneously or in turns.
Examples of mixed peripherals are:
- touch screens which allow you to simultaneously display the system information visually and interact with it through your fingers or other optical instruments such as digital pens.
- Multifunctional printers which fulfill the functions of a scanner and a printer, that is, they allow the user to both digitize documents and print them.
- Virtual reality equipment typically helmets and gloves that directly project digital information into the user's eyes and ears, and allow them to feed back the system with their body movements.
- Network cards or bluetooth which allow the sending and receiving of information from other computerized systems, through the coding and decoding of optical signals, radio waves or electrical impulses through wiring.
Storage peripherals
Storage peripherals are those that allow you to “save” digital information for recovery at another time either in a stable and continuous manner within the computerized system, or in some type of removable and portable physical support.
Examples of storage peripherals are:
- hard drives located within the computer's CPU, which constitute the main destination of all the information that the system memorizes or stores, from the user's documents to the operating system necessary for the system to perform its functions.
- Removable and portable storage units which allow the user to save their information on a portable medium, whether it is a drive flash (like a pendrive) to an external hard drive that connects to the system via a USB port.
- Disks and floppy disks today mostly obsolete, which allowed the system to insert or extract information on a removable and portable physical medium, such as compact discs (CDs and DVDs) or old plastic floppy disks.
References
- “Peripheral (computing)” on Wikipedia.
- “Input/output peripheral” on Wikipedia.
- “Peripherals for the computer” in GCF Learn Free.
- “Peripherals” in Junta de Andalucía (Spain).