Wireless ErgoDox ??? (DT-repost)

[des_illacom]

Repost from DeskThority, wireless ErgoDox... is it possible?  I'm one of many waiting for MassDrop to ship out my kit, In the mean time I've been kinda kicking around the idea of hacking a wireless connection together for ED... Been looking at Arduino / ExBee / Wifi ... Reading up on arduino forums, thought i'd share some links , and see if anyone can shed some light on if/how this can be accomplished...

WHY: I am hoping to relocate my PC tower to the closet and get rid of as many wires as possible. The 'master' plan is to have Wacom / ErgoDox / 24" Monitors all "detached" from the tower... But I figure I should start by trying to get ED working first...

HOW: (see attached diagram)
method A (usb over IP(wifi))... ED (teensy) would need connect to an Arduino UNO via USB host shield and send user inputs, from there the signal would need to be passed over to the  Wifi shield for broadcasting... The signal would need to be picked up by Router and routed to PC ,  then "somehow" interpreted as a keystroke(s)

method B (usb over XBEE)...ED (teensy) would need connect to an Arduino UNO via USB host shield and send user inputs, from there the signal would need to be passed over to the XBee Shield for broadcasting... The signal would need to be picked up by another XBEE module that would be connected to the PC through XBee Explorer USB , then it would also "somehow" would be interpreted as a keystroke(s)...

In both methods, ErgoDox would need to be powered through the Arduino...

I'm going to keep researching this idea, so If anyone has suggestions or links to existing solutions that would be great...

[plainbriny]

How about a Raspberry Pi + synergy?
This should be simpler and you can also make your mouse/pointing device wireless.

[des_illacom]

Very clever approach  , So let me get this straight... The solution should go something like this?:

1.Desktop Computer > running 'Synergy - Server' (any OS)
connected by LAN cable to Network Router(BEST DAMN ROUTER EVER MADE )

2.Raspberry Pi > running  'Synergy - Client' (Linux OS)
drawing power from USB power supply
connected by USB Wifi Module to the network

3.ErgoDox & Wacom Intous 5 & Whatever else HID device > connected to the Raspberry Pi through a USB HUB

I guess then the question would be, what are the limitations of Synergy:
Is there noticeable lag for HID input, making connection of a Wacom Tablet  useless?
Does the Raspberry Pi need to be connected to a monitor to be compatible with Synergy?
Is there a light enough easily implementable battery power solution that would juice the Pi & ErgoDox & Wacom & USB HUB (possibly external monitor)?

But I really like this type of setup, making a cool enclosure for the Raspberry Pi components would be half the fun, something that maybe could attach to the Wacom/Touchpad...

Thanks for suggesting this plainbriny, I've been so hung up on making my spare arduino work for this setup, i stopped looking at the big picture...

If anyone else has any input on this , would really appreciate it...
If this sounds like a viable theory to you guys, I'm going to order up the parts and post a complete breakdown on implementing this setup at home...

This is what the diagram looks like so far(see attached):

[plainbriny]

You need to install synergy server on the machine with input devices attached. In this case it would be the raspberry pi.

I have tried this yesterday and it works. Since synergy only transfer keyboard and mouse input data, I didn't notice any delay.

But there are issues to be considered:
1. Raspberry pi needs a monitor. However, you can setup synergy so that the keyboard and mouse will become dedicated to the client. Such as:

Code: [Select]

section: screens
  pi:
  tower:
end

section: links
  pi:
    left = tower
    right = tower
    up = tower
    down = tower
endAssuming pi is raspberry pi and tower is your main pc. This way, the input focus will not leave your PC once it enters your screen.
Of course, a monitor for raspberry pi also offers some possibility, thus this might turn up to be a good idea.

2. I noticed that you want to use wacom tablet. Synergy supports keyboard and mouse, but I am not sure about the tablet, it might not work as expected.

There are other ways to solve your problem, such as network KVM, or KVM over IP.
http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/kvm-over-ip/spider.html

You can also use some kit to make your keyboard/mouse bluetooth capable, such as
http://www.aten.com/products/KVM-Switches/Wireless-Switches/Tap-(USB-to-Bluetooth-KM-Switch)-Tap-your-desktop-keyboard-into-an-iPhone%C2%AE-or-iPad%C2%AE!~CS533.html#.UvlYYHCSylg

However, the support for Wacom tablet may not be optimal. Maybe you can consider handling your Intuos separately, such as using a wireless version or the wireless accessory kit:
https://store.wacom.com/us/en/product/ACK40401

[des_illacom]

Thanks for those tips on synergy. Very helpful since when I get R Pi ready to go I'll be looking into automating setup and discovery to have everything start in correct configuration... I'm really impressed with synergy, did a quick test between mac and pc last night...

As far as Monitor for R Pi is concerned, I think it would be cool to get a little monitor for it, opens up alot of possibilities... Going to look into either re-using my old laptop monitor or just find something smaller, touch screen maybe?... Lots of options as far as monitor goes. But that will add weight(not too concerned) and power consumption(need to come up with a solution for that)...

Those links you sent are great, I've looked into KVM over IP it's such a cool thing, but i'm always 'let-down' by the prices... It makes sense to charge $300 a pop (minimum) to companies, but I can't justify spending this much for personal use... Aten is very nice too, I'm going to look into that a little more... The wacom Bluetooth is very cool,(now they come pre-installed into certain editions of Intuos 5 tablets but I ordered mine before that module was available) and the price is right, if synergy can't handle the wacom inputs I'm definitely going to use that module but it would be perfect to have R Pi and Synergy handle everything, this way range would be better and everything would be powered by one switch.

I guess the next step is to order up the R Pi and parts listed, get this puppy going... Will put my order in by the end of the week hopefully it will get to me when ErgoDox arrives, this drop has been plagued by delays...

If anyone would like to 'chime' in , all suggestions and tips are welcome...

Plainbriny, thanks again. very GH of you...

[plainbriny]

glad this is useful to you.

One More Thing, compiling synergy on raspberry pi is a bit tedious, you may refer to the great tutorial on adafruit:
http://learn.adafruit.com/synergy-on-raspberry-pi/compiling-synergy-for-raspbian

[clickclack123]

I'd be very surprised if Synergy supported nkro. I have no idea if this is important to you, but that would be a dealbreaker for me.

I may be able to test if you'd like, I use Synergy to control my ubuntu server at home.

Anyone know of a program like Aqua Keytest but for ubuntu? xev would show it but it'd be very hard to see how many keys it could register with just a bunch of text flying by.

Also, how do you intend to make your monitor wireless?

Sounds like a lot of work to me with little gain and a large amount of hassle. You'll still need power cables to everything anyway. I think you will also be disappointed by the performance in some way. Either complexity or actual performance. I'd say that you'd be happier with long cables well hidden in the long run. A cable "just works", is trivial to set up, is cheap, and doesn't have weird compatibility and software problems.

But go ahead, prove me wrong.

[dorkvader]

Anyone know of a program like Aqua Keytest but for ubuntu? xev would show it but it'd be very hard to see how many keys it could register with just a bunch of text flying by.

I use the microsoft ghosting demo.
http://www.microsoft.com/appliedsciences/content/projects/KeyboardGhostingDemo.aspx

[clickclack123]

Wow! I'm suprised! Just tried it and Synergy does support nkro.

Also vncviewer/server worked as well. I guess if the computer can see the keys being pressed, the computer can pass those messages on. I'm still surprised though.

[des_illacom]

One of the first thing I tried was nkro on synergy, I'm very surprised at how versatile that software is, made a donation right away, talent has to be rewarded ...

I'm not sure how practical this setup may be and what problems/costs will arise along the way, but i think it will be worth exploring no matter what the results, journey/destination type thing...

I've been looking at some small monitors for RPi and there is a decent amount of those available, i won't need it to be wireless, something compact enough to not clutter the setup, 3.5/5" , ideally i would love to just pull apart one of my old droid smartphones  but from what i read it's kind of a pain in the ass to find the documentation on pinout etc... another option is to use one of those 'rear-view' car monitors this way the s-video is utilized and you don't sacrifice a usb port and maybe use it for a touchscreen overlay... or vnc into 'droid'... So there are many options for RPi monitor...
As far as the 'Main' monitor being 'wireless' (aside from powercord), I've been looking into these kits or similar. They seem to be pretty quick. Need to find someone who has one to get a better understanding of limitations...

One thing you have touched on that is the next thing i will be researching is the 'power' side of this setup... While i don't mind a straight, extension cord , I think there has to be an elegant solution to power the 'RPi,USB HUB, 3.5/5" MONITOR' probably too much for solar  but a good battery system should handle the load.

As far as running cables for everything... trust me i don't mind the clutter and rolls of wire  but i think i need to explore this first, tired of nagging   

[clickclack123]

$250 for those monitor senders! 

The raspberry pi sounds like a good solution for you. Somehow I missed that in this thread before my first message.

I wonder how the wacom would go through synergy though. Doesn't it need special drivers for the pressure sensitivity, tilt, etc? It might only work as a basic mouse through Synergy. I'm curious as to how you go with it.

I wouldn't be able to deal with having only a single monitor anymore though. I need at least two. Three is even better.