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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: eosph on Tue, 21 January 2014, 15:57:29

Title: Mini USB switcher
Post by: eosph on Tue, 21 January 2014, 15:57:29
Does such a thing exist? I want to use the same keyboard and switch between my pc and macbook air at my desk but don't want to have to keep putting strain on my ducky 3 usb port.
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 21 January 2014, 15:59:59
Does such a thing exist? I want to use the same keyboard and switch between my pc and macbook air at my desk but don't want to have to keep putting strain on my ducky 3 usb port.

Just get one of the custom cable makers to make you a short pigtail and then you can just detach at that connection.

Or just get any short cable with the proper connection for your keyboard on one end and female on the other.
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: rowdy on Tue, 21 January 2014, 16:10:11
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-2-Port-USB-2-0-Sharing-Switch-Box-Hub-For-PC-Computer-Manual-Scanner-Printer-/310669601298
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 21 January 2014, 16:13:33
Oh I think I misunderstood the request, what rowdy posted or maybe something like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZH2A-Sharing-Switch-2-Port-for-PC-Printer-Sharing-Device-Mini-USB-1-1-2-0-/111221247586
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: pexon on Tue, 21 January 2014, 16:15:45
I could make a short Mini male to female cable, save your port on the board
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: rowdy on Tue, 21 January 2014, 16:20:15
Or ... why not get a second keyboard? ;D
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Tue, 21 January 2014, 16:42:50
Perhaps a KVM? I don't need to do anything particularly intensive on one of my machines so I simply RDP into it. You could also try synergy (http://synergy-foss.org/).
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: rowdy on Tue, 21 January 2014, 17:05:14
Many modern KVMs include USB ports, but tend to be a fair bit more expensive than just a USB switcher.
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: IvanIvanovich on Wed, 22 January 2014, 13:28:55
It really depends... there are lot of cheap ones that only have 2x usb and dsub vga for around like $10-15. Those that have a DVI/DP/HDMI + audio and etc are expensive. But in the OP case where they are just use for input device and not display I guess it wouldn't make a difference and cheap one would do just fine.
Title: Re: Mini USB switcher
Post by: neun_sechs_zwei on Wed, 22 January 2014, 14:13:43
How about Synergy or something similar? http://synergy-foss.org

Been years since I needed something like this so I haven't tried Synergy myself. But I used to have my keyboard/mouse setup on a Linux box, then would control a laptop with x2vnc (running a vnc server on the laptop).

There was also always a keyboard hotkey for switching inbetween, and copy/paste worked, too, so you could that between machines very quickly.