KVM USB PS2 Mac PC Debian Sarge solution
 

My feedback on KVM switch drama that I resolved after many hours of research, trial and error

my objective: use monitor, keyb and mouse with pc and mac alternately i.e I’m using pc box but want to switch to ibook quickly via single button on KVM and use same keyb, mouse and monitor.

hardware: g4 ibook running OSX 10.3.9, generic pc box running debian sarge, belkin USB kvm switch, HP CRT monitor, logitech ps2 keyb/usb wireless mouse, mac vga digital to analog adaptor. USB support is enabled in bios of pc box.

initial problems: could not figure out logitech keyb/mouse bundle - this is a basic cheap combo that comes with a new pc - i do not have the make and model to hand but it works perfectly well for my needs. i did not want to buy a new mouse or keyb (or both) for financial and environmental reasons. After much testing I figured out that the wireless mouse is USB and the keyb is ps2 – if the keyb is not connected then the usb mouse will not work.
Cabling is also a bit confusing – the kvm connects to a usb socket and vga port on the ibook and on the pc box. The keyb and mouse connect to two usb ports on the KVM.
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main problem : ps2 keyb will not work with kvm usb switch (and as mouse is depended on keyb it will not work either) – tried a simple ps2 to usb connector to no avail – the kvm failed to see/detect keyb.

Solution: bought a decent ps2 to usb signal adaptor from an electronics store – plugged my keyb ps2 connection into it and then connected this into the usb socket on my KVM – (linux debian 2.6 picks this adaptor up as ‘Chesen’ or something like that?) – now switching works flawlessly by pressing button on kvm – no lag, good image quality,