How to share Keyboard/Mouse between retro computers (and modern PCs)? \ VOGONS

How to share Keyboard/Mouse between retro computers (and modern PCs)?

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First post, by appiah4

Posted on 2018-03-30, 13:46

appiah4 Offline

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Having multiple keyboards and mice on an already small work area that I have to use for gaming, work and retro computers is becoming a huge pain in the ass. I really need a method to use the same wireless keyboard/mouse I have with multiple PCs.

I know that PS/2 KM switches are an easy fix and pretty much my only option if I also want to cover MS-DOS PCs, but I would rather find a wireless Keyboard/Mouse that can work with multiple receivers for Windows 98 onwards. I suppose a Bluetooth Keyboard/Mouse is the easiest way to do this, as long as I can find a Bluetooth dongle that will work with Windows 98SE. Regardless, I don't know many if any BT K/M sets.

Does anyone know of Keyboard/Mouse sets that come with multiple receivers? Maybe a toggle switch somewhere that tells the hardware which receiver to sync to?

Or are there any USB KM switches?

How do you guys deal with the input proliferation issue?

Reply 1 of 4, by tayyare

Posted on 2018-03-30, 14:27

tayyare Offline

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Of course there are USB KVM switchs. There are even PS/2 and USB (at the same time) KVM switches. I suggest you go to "Aten" site:

http://www.aten.com/global/en/products/kvm/de … p-kvm-switches/

I don't know what is their current range of products, but the one I use can connect both PS2 and USB rigs. It also helps you share speaker, microphone, and even USB devices.

http://www.aten.com/global/en/products/kvm/de … b/#.Wr5HYORrzIU

Please note that, mine came only with USB cables, so I bought additional PS2 cables for my non USB rigs.

I'm sure there are other brands too, this is just given as a reference.

GA-6VTXE PIII 1.4+512MB
Geforce4 Ti 4200 64MB
Diamond Monster 3D 12MB SLI
SB AWE64 PNP+32MB
120GB IDE Samsung/80GB IDE Seagate/146GB SCSI Compaq/73GB SCSI IBM
Adaptec AHA29160
3com 3C905B-TX
Gotek+CF Reader
MSDOS 6.22+Win 3.11/95 OSR2.1/98SE/ME/2000

Reply 2 of 4, by chinny22

Posted on 2018-04-03, 13:24

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Only the other day I set up a Belkin F1DA108Z with some PC's using PS2 and others USB.
Where everyone gets stuck is older PC's with serial mice. Very few KVMs support this.
I've only got 1 PC that doesn't have any PS2 ports so use something like this

Reply 3 of 4, by torindkflt

Posted on 2018-04-03, 16:51

torindkflt Offline

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Be careful when using PS/2 to USB adapters with KVMs, past experience has taught me that some don't work well together. It's primarily trial-end-error to find a working combination of adapters and switches.

Reply 4 of 4, by NamelessPlayer

Posted on 2018-04-03, 19:50

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I simply don't deal with it and just set up different workspaces for each computer.

Why? Try switching from PS/2 or USB to ADB on old Macintoshes, for starters. If that wasn't bad enough, the Amiga 500 I just got has no external keyboard port (it's built in, after all!) and those DE-9 mouse/joystick ports, so that's yet another incompatible set of interfaces to throw into the mix. (And from what I've read, the high-end, big-box workstation Amigas don't even have consistent keyboard ports and pinouts, either!)

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