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Mac Forum / General / Hardware / January 2005Sharing Keyboard and Mouse between Mac and PC
Hey Folks, At work we're total Microsoft, but I'm total Mac at home :) I've been throwing around the idea of getting a Mini Mac for work, but I'd like to continue using my USB mouse and keyboard I use now on Windows with the Mini Mac. I already have dual monitors on the PC, so I'd just use one with Windows and one with OSX. So... I need some easy method to switch between Windows and OSX for the Keyboard and Mouse only. Granted I can get a KVM, but those are pricey, and I don't need the video part of it. Since both are USB do they make such a thing as USB switchboxes? I guess I could also run a cable to both the PC and Mac and just plug-in the appropriate cable as needed, but I'll be switching between both quite a bit, so a single button would be simpler. Suggestions?? Is there a cheap and easy solution for this? If I have to spend $50+ on a KVM I will, but I'd rather not if there's a cheaper method. Thanks, Ringo Two system KVM switches are NOT pricey on ebay. A search discovers that many sell for under $10. You will need a pair of cheap USB to PSU adapters for the Mac side. Since the KVM will come with the monitor switching ability anyway, you can keep your dual monitors on the PC and just occassionally switch one over to the Mac. Please do the standard "will a KVM work on my system" test...unplug the mouse and keyboard from each system, wait a minute or so and plug them back in. If the keyboard and mouse work like they were never disconnected, then you are KVM ready. "Jeffrey Alsip" <jeffreyalsip@hotmail.com> writes in article <1106095337.596123.204610@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> dated 18 Jan 2005 16:42:17 -0800: >Two system KVM switches are NOT pricey on ebay. A search discovers that >many sell for under $10. You will need a pair of cheap USB to PSU [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >keyboard and mouse work like they were never disconnected, then you are >KVM ready. PS2 adapter? Yuck! That decreases the available mouse bandwidth by a factor of 2. Anyway he said he's already using USB for both KB and mouse on his PC so he'd have to get 2 sets of adapters to make a cheapo KVM switch work. I tried a mechanical VGA switch once, had to take it back because it introduced so much video noise. Now I use a Belkin 4-port for my PC/Alpha setup. If I needed an Apple in the same room I'd spring for the USB version. Sorry I don't know whether there are USB switches that don't include video; the video is almost certainly what keeps the price high. -- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer. Mouse bandwidth? Let me read that again. No, it's true he said "mouse bandwidth". My Logitech Trackball came with a USB to PS2 adapter, and I can't tell any difference in the way the pointer moves around the screen. Will it be necessary do do a "double click" in slow motion because the "bandwidth" is so slow? I have to research this. Does CNET have a Mouse Bandwidth Meter? How many Kbytes per second should the average mouse run at? Maybe I need to beef up ALL my systems to get greater mouse speed! Damn, the speed of my mouse has been holding me back all these years. "Jeffrey Alsip" <jeffreyalsip@hotmail.com> writes in article <1106110487.635985.74730@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> dated 18 Jan 2005 20:54:47 -0800: >Mouse bandwidth? Let me read that again. No, it's true he said "mouse >bandwidth". My Logitech Trackball came with a USB to PS2 adapter, and I [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >greater mouse speed! Damn, the speed of my mouse has been holding me >back all these years. Oh, maybe I just made it up. The rest of the world is switching from PS2 mice to USB for no reason at all. You don't get more accurate mouse pointing with USB. Just because you can't notice a difference doesn't necessarily mean you're "slow" yourself... or does it? Sarcasm aside, the baud rate for a PS2 mouse is much lower than a USB mouse (9600 vs. 1.5M). That means that while it's moving, the tracking is more accurate for the USB mouse. The PS2 mouse should "catch up" within 32 bits (3 ms) of stopping, but for accurate dynamic motion the USB mouse rules. -- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer. |
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