In computer hardware, a peripheral device is any device attached to a computer in order to expand its functionality. Some of the more common peripheral devices are printers, scanners, disk drives, tape drives, microphones, speakers, and cameras. A device can also refer to a non-physical item, such as a pseudo-tty, a RAM drive, or a network adapter. Computer hardware is the physical part of a computer, including the digital circuitry, as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... In computing, a scanner is a device that analyzes an image (such as a photograph, printed text, or handwriting) or an object (such as an ornament) and converts it to a digital image. ... Disk Drive is the afternoon show on CBC Radio Two. ... DDS tape drive. ... A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or mic (both IPA pronunciation: ), is an acoustic to electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. ... Large format camera lens. ... A RAM disk or RAMdrive is a segment of active computer memory, RAM, which is being used as secondary storage, typically a role for a disk drive. ...

Before the advent of the personal computer, any connected device added to the three base components—the motherboard, CPU and working memory (RAM, ROM, or core)—was considered to be a peripheral device. A motherboard is the central or primary circuit board making up a complex electronic system, such as a modern computer. ... Random access memory (usually known by its acronym, RAM) is a type of data storage used in computers. ... Read-only memory (often referred to as its acronym ROM) is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. ...

The personal computer has expanded the sense of what devices are needed on a base system, and keyboards, monitors, and mice are no longer generally considered to be peripheral devices. A computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard. ... A computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor when the meaning is clear from the context, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ...

See also

• peripheral