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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Clueless in Seattle on Mon, 03 February 2014, 10:56:21

Title: IBM Space Saver KB goes haywire on Belkin KVM Switch
Post by: Clueless in Seattle on Mon, 03 February 2014, 10:56:21

Hi!

I'm trying to get an IBM model M space saving (84-key) keyboard to work with a Belkin 4 port Model F1D5104T KVM switch.

The problem I'm having is that many of the keys are either dead or cause strange cursor behavior when I connect the keyboard to my computers via the KVM switch.  But, the same keyboard works fine when connected to a couple of the same computers via a MINIVIEW GCS12 2 port KVM switch.

Here are the keys that type normally via the Belkin switch:

abcdefgh     n pqrst vwxyz

The gaps indicate keys that are either dead or cause strange cursor behavior.  For example the "u" key acts sort of like a backspace key causing the cursor to move backward on the line.

I'd be grateful for some advice on where to start in troubleshooting this problem.  I've had to resort to a "squishy" key Keytronic  full width keyboard that hogs way too much space on my tiny computer table.

Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"

Title: Re: IBM Space Saver KB goes haywire on Belkin KVM Switch
Post by: Parak on Tue, 04 February 2014, 11:35:51

Most likely it's a lack of power. Model Ms are infamous for being ps/2 power hungry, which leads to issues when it's not being supplied enough, and KVMs can be entirely random about how much power they supply via ps/2. I'd suggest trying one of the recommended usb adapters (if a review mentions a Model M working with it then it's good) and using usb ports instead.