How does a computer keyboard work?
A computer keyboard is a part of a much larger family of keyboards such as typewriter keyboards, mobile keyboards or musical keyboards and so on. All these keyboards are defined as input devices, by using which, we can let a machine follow our instructions.
There are different kinds of keyboards which work on different principals. There are standard keyboards, for example the keyboard of a personal computer, and there are non standard keyboards, and these include the ones we usually come across while using Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) where the keys are displayed on a screen instead of being engraved on a physical object.
Further, there are several subtypes of the above keyboards.
(a) The standard keyboard is again divided into: alphabetic keyboard, numeric keyboard, alphanumeric keyboard, thumb-sized keyboard etc.
(b) Non-standard keyboards include: touch-screen keyboards, laser keyboards, foldable keyboards etc.
Here we will concern ourselves with the standard PC keyboard.
The layout:
The term ‘layout’ signifies a mechanical, visual or functional arrangement that appears on the keyboard. There are different keyboard arrangements available, depending upon the language one speaks and one’s typing preferences.
Typing preferences:
The QWERTY arrangement for a keyboard is the most popular format for those whose languages are written in the Latin script. Others are Dvorak, Colemak, and Neo etc.
Language preferences:
Depending upon the language one speaks, different keyboard are available. Given below are the images that show how keyboards look like in Russia, the Middle East and in Japan
The Russian Keyboard:
The Arabic Keyboard:
The Japanese Keyboard:
Working:
The keyboard itself is a mini computer and beneath the keys lies a circuit. The circuit has a switch underneath each key. When a key on the keyboard is pressed, it acts like a miniature switch and lets a small current flow through it into a processor in the keyboard. This processor in the keyboard detects the current and sends a signal through a cable to the central processing unit of the computer, which then understands the command and operates accordingly.
What about the commands like Ctrl + V or upper case letters?
Keys like Ctrl, Shift, F1, F2 etc are called modifier keys, which means they affect the way how other keys operate. For example the command, Shift + a, will result in an A, whereas Shift alone wouldn’t do anything – it only affects the way the key ‘a’ is processed.
