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USB Syntax?

I want to switch a _USB_ mouse between multiple PC's.

Anyone know any tricks to fake out the unconnected PC's so they think the mouse is there, but not sending data.

(To avoid the new hardware pop-up.)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

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| 1962 | America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave

Reply to
Jim Thompson
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A new KVM with USB capabilities comes to mind. maybe something like this:

Some other USB KVM here:

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I\'ve got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

If you're getting the "new hardware found" wizard pop-up after the first time you plug the mouse in, you've got one cheap mouse -- they didn't bother sticking an electronic serial number in each mouse, so Windows has no means of "tracking" the mouse between insertions (and doesn't even try to do it heuristically).

Anyway, I agree with Michael's suggestion -- a KVM switch is probably the easiest way to "fake out" the PCs into thinking they still always have mice connected. Ive have a couple of these:

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... and they work well. Wal*Mart (at least around here) has them, so you could grab one in Phoenix and return it easily if it doesn't work for it.

---Joel

Reply to
Joel Kolstad

In message , Jim Thompson writes

If you connect the mouse to each PC and then subsequently use the same USB port does it still pop up the new hardware bubble? Not my experience with several machines here but I'm using a fairly generic MS Optical USB mouse so YMMV.

--
Clint Sharp
Reply to
Clint Sharp

I have the IOGear GCS124U, a 4-port device.

It works well with an old Logitech wireless mouse, but throws up on a new one :-(

IOGear "support" is not helpful, says it's an "emulation" issue.

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

What model is it? Not that I think this will help, really, I'm just curious. :-)

Reply to
Joel Kolstad

Old mouse is Logitech LX-7, I think, no markings, and going on the basis of pictures on the website.

New mouse V220

Both are USB wireless.

KVM is IOGear GCS124U

IOGear tells me that a GCS104U will work, since it does not utilize "emulation", but it also doesn't have hot-key switching, got to press the button.

I think IOGear is clueless about direct wire preventing hot-key control. I built a KV switch back in early DOS days for my son, who was managing a paging system at the time. I just captured keystrokes down a 74HC shift register chain, and did a broad-side match, and tossed those foreign to the PC before they got to it ;-)

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

I bought an LX-something (no markings either) at Costco a few months ago, seen it again later and they may still have some. In case you just want to replace it. Works like a champ BTW.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

USB is all mastered by the host. The host (or both, in this case) constantly interrogate the mouse to give it a chance to send back movement info. You could try just switching in the right sense resistors to claim the device is present, but when it stops responding things will probably go badly.

Have you considered something like this:

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--
Ben Jackson AD7GD

http://www.ben.com/
Reply to
Ben Jackson

I'm just about resigned to it, though I sure like these small "palmable" mice ;-)

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

Interesting, might be worth hacking a KVM to switch based on running off the screen edge with the mouse.

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

curious.

This LX-whatever I've got here is IMHO quite "palmable". Depends on your paw size but I guess they won't be smaller than mine ;-)

The cursor is a bit more nervous than on regular mice (but all my others are non-optical and wired). AFAIR it was under $20 at Costco. But a bear to get out of a humongous molded-together plastic package. Those packages must be an environmental nightmare.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

curious.

Checked in the doc files. The mouse from Costco is an LX-5.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Use separate mice and build yourself a multistorey mousehouse with different coloured mousepads on each level.

-- Joe

Reply to
J.A. Legris

Sno-o-o-ort!

I'm up to my ears in work right now, or I'd dissect how it all works, and fix it... I still have all the USB documentation from when I designed the physical interface for Intel years ago.

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

If you have two mice or more, they start to breed. I started with two, and have well over 100 at the moment. :(

There are serial, (The grandparents) PS/2, (The parents) USB (The rugrats) and even a few mutant wireless rodents hiding around here.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

It seems the server I'm using declared your original post to be spam. ;-)

How about a KVM switch?

--
  Keith
Reply to
krw

I just ordered a new one. My old IOGear GCS124U can't cope with modern USB mice.

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

The next step is to dispense with the KVM switch altogether and run one of the variants of VNC. I use TightVNC but don't remember why I chose it (Now where DID I put those old brain cells?).

You use one machine as the "master" and connect your mouse, keyboard and display to it and on the "slave" machines you run a VNC server. On the master you run a "viewer" session for each slave you want to control and then switch between them like any other Windows app. Be sure to use the DFMirage mirror driver on the slaves.

This is a very viable solution as long as your network is fast and there aren't too many screen updates happening on the slaves. Since you already have a KVM, you can leave it in place and only switch it when the bandwidth hit would be too high.

--
Tim Hubberstey, P.Eng. . . . . . Hardware/Software Consulting Engineer
Marmot Engineering . . . . . . .  VHDL, ASICs, FPGAs, embedded systems
Vancouver, BC, Canada  . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.marmot-eng.com
Reply to
Tim Hubberstey

Since I have a new laptop on the way, and with wireless available just about everywhere, I've been contemplating VNC to allow me to load a PSpice sim on my office machine while I'm off-site at a client's location.

Having never done it, I have lots of questions... number one being, Can I get through my router and access the four machines tied to it?

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC\'s and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
         America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave
Reply to
Jim Thompson

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