Computer peripherals

Even more so on the subject of computing, where so many different devices enter the scene. That is why it is so necessary that we know well the differences between the various elements that make up our computer, that is, to be able to easily tell if it is an input peripheral, an output peripheral, or a mixed peripheral, for example. This post is precisely about this topic, where we can find abundant material about this important topic.

What are computer peripherals?

In computing, the term peripheral is applied to any equipment or accessory that is connected to the CPU, that is, to the cabinet that contains the computer itself. For example: printers, monitors, scanners, CD and DVD readers and writers, memory card readers, mice, keyboards, speakers, headphones, and webcams are examples of peripherals.

From the first time we heard about calculators to the present day of our supercomputers, the development and refinement of accessories has evolved more and more. Just by looking at the development that the simple mouse has had to this day, we can easily see how all the technology related to computer peripherals is constantly evolving.

Following the example of the mouse, until a few years ago, the mouse, as it is also called, could only perform some functions, important yes, but few. In our days, a mouse can be equipped with several buttons that allow us to perform the most varied functions.

Now returning to the central topic of this post, each peripheral has its defined function and executes or sends tasks to the computer according to the function for which it was designed. In this sense, we could think of computer peripherals as the senses of a human being, that is, sight, voice, hearing, and so on.

Peripheral types

Among the existing peripherals we can mention the keyboard, which sends the information entered by the operator to the computer, the mouse or mouse, which allows the user to move around the screen to select or execute an action through its buttons and the printer , through which the computer will print on paper the result of its operations.

Other examples of peripherals are the speakers or headphones, which receive the information from the sound card and amplify it so that we can hear it and many other sensors and devices such as systems sensitive to touch, heat, light, modems, game controllers and many other devices that connect to the PC through the different ports it has. At this point it is necessary to emphasize that in recent times, the type of connector most used to connect a device with the computer is the USB interface, due to its simplicity and speed.

Input peripherals, output peripherals and mixed peripherals

Currently, there are three types of peripherals: input peripherals, which are responsible for sending information to the computer for processing. In this section we find the keyboard, mouse, microphone, stylus and MIDI controllers and joysticks, for example.

We also have output peripherals, which are those responsible for transmitting information from the computer to the user, among which are monitors, printers, speakers and headphones , virtual reality glasses and various sensors, for example. .

Finally, we have mixed peripherals, which are those devices that are capable of sending and receiving information to and from the computer. In this group of peripherals we can mention multifunction printers, CD and DVD readers, IP telephones, memory card readers and many others.

Mixed peripherals are really interesting, and if you want to know more about them, you can do so by clicking on this link, which will lead you to an article where there is a lot of information available.