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What is Light Pen? – Input Devices Light Pen, Track Ball : popular computer input device

Hello friends, today we are going to talk about LIGHT PEN, what is LIGHT PEN?, types of lightpen and how does it work and for what purpose it is used?

Light pen is a hardware that acts as an input device for the computer. Which is used to select the menu or image on the screen of the computer or to do any other work. Inside it is a photocell and an optical system placed in a tube. When the tip of this pen is placed on the screen of the computer.

Description and Working of Light Pen

light pen
light pen

So the button of this pen is pressed. Which emits photocell sensing from inside it, due to which a signal is sent from the place where the pen is touched on the screen, which goes to the CPU (central processing unit) of the computer.

We also call this pen electronic pen. It always looks like a pen in appearance. We can also use this pen in place of mouse.

What Is Light Pen?

This is an input device of the computer that works to give commands to the computer, it is also called electronic pen, it looks like a simple pen but it is not used for writing on paper, it is used for writing on the paper.

It is used in the same way that a wave of light emerges from the tip of this pen, this point is clicked by touching the icon made on the screen, this work is done in the same way that we click by moving the mouse pointer on the screen.

The tip of the light pen acts in a way like the Enter / Ok button, this pen has a thin tip on one end and a wire is attached on the other side, so that we connect that pen to the computer, but nowadays this pen is also wireless.

It is even more easy to use them, for this type of pen, we do not even need to install a separate driver or software!

Types Of Light Pen

There are four types of lightpen.

  1. Battery LightPen
  2. Corded LightPen
  3. Design LightPen
  4. LED LightPen

Uses of light pen

It is used in graphics design, it helps in making fine designs.
It pen is used for painting on computer.
It pen is mainly used to give commands to the computer.
Graphics designers use this pen a lot these days. Using a It helps the graphics designer to design closely.
We use this pen in the input device.
It is also used in panting.

Invented Light Pen

The light pen was invented in the year 1955. Was done at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But the prototype of the It was done by America in 1950.

Digitizers
Digitizers

Advantage

It is mainly used to select menu or image on the screen.
Apart from being very simple, this pen is also very light and small, which has proved to be portable in carrying it wherever.
It is very easy to do panting in the computer using this pen because with its use we can easily make small objects while panting.

Disadvantage :-

There is a problem in using it for a long time.
The use of this we work only on CRT Monitor.
It does not use LCD Monitor. more information click

Input Devices LightPen, Track Ball

In this article we learned what is LIGHT PEN? And how does this pen work and what is the use of this pen, keep visiting our blog for more information related to computer and technology.

What is a light pen in a computer?

A light pen is an input device for computers that was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. It is a handheld device that looks like a pen and has a light-sensitive tip. It was used to select and interact with items displayed on a CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor.

The light pen works by detecting the light emitted by the CRT monitor when the user touches the screen with the pen. The computer then determines the location of the pen on the screen based on the timing of the detected light, and uses this information to perform an action or execute a command.

The light pen was primarily used for drawing and graphic design applications, as well as for controlling some early computer games. However, it was eventually phased out in favor of other input devices such as the mouse and touchscreens, which offered greater accuracy and ease of use.

Advantages & disadvantages of the light pen

Advantages of the light pen:

  • High precision: Light pens can be very precise in selecting and pointing at specific areas on the screen, making them useful for applications that require precision, such as drawing and graphic design.
  • Easy to use: Light pens are simple to use, requiring only a quick tap on the screen to execute a command.
  • Affordable: Light pens are relatively inexpensive compared to other input devices.

Disadvantages of the light pen:

  • Limited applications: Light pens are not as versatile as other input devices, such as the mouse or touchpad, and are limited in their applications.
  • Requires a CRT monitor: Light pens can only be used with CRT monitors, which are becoming increasingly rare as newer technologies, such as LCD and OLED screens, become more popular.
  • Fatigue and discomfort: Holding and using a light pen for extended periods can cause fatigue and discomfort, making it less suitable for long-term use.

Overall, while light pens can be useful for certain applications, they have largely been replaced by other input devices that offer greater versatility and ease of use.

I am Jaydeep Gondaliya , a software engineer, the founder and the person running Pakainfo. I'm a full-stack developer, entrepreneur and owner of Pakainfo.com. I live in India and I love to write tutorials and tips that can help to other artisan, a Passionate Blogger, who love to share the informative content on PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, Laravel, CodeIgniter, VueJS, AngularJS and Bootstrap from the early stage.

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