Keyboard

A keyboard is a hardware device consisting of a number of mechanical buttons (keys) which the user presses to input characters to a computer.

Description
Keyboards vary in the keys they have, most have keys to generate the ASCII character set as well as various function keys and special purpose keys, e.g. control, power, or volume control keys.

History
Keyboards were originally part of s which were separate peripheral devices that performed both input and output by communicating with a via a serial line. Today, a keyboard is more likely to be connected more directly to a personal computer, allowing its hardware to scan it and detect which key or keys are being pressed. Pressing a key sends a low-level to the keyboard input driver routine which translates this to one or more characters or special actions.