Rant!: Belkin SOHO USB KVM Switch

[Swanny]

Ok, just need to vent a bit here.

I have 3 computers that I would like to control with the same console (USB), so I get this Belkin SOHO USB KVM switch. I have a logitech Internet navigator keyboard, and I really like to use the extra buttons. I get the switch from UPS today, plug it in, and find out that the thing doesn't support extra buttons on the keyboard. Now, this switch also has a 2 port USB hub that you can switch. So just out of curiousity I plug the KB into that. And boom, the extra buttons work just fine. Only problem is, the switch is making a loud beeping sound at me the whole time for not having a keyboard plugged into the console port. So I call Belkin to ask them what's up. They tell me that although the console plugs in USB on both sides (in and out), the switch for some reason converts it to PS/2 in the middle. Now this takes away the ability to do special keys. So I ask them why it worked on the 2 port hub part of the switch. They tell me that those ports are straight though USB. So I ask why the @()*$&__* do you convert to PS/2 if you can go straight through? The tech just mubbles something about not being an engineer. So I ask him what I should do about it. He says, well, go out and buy a cheap USB keyboard and plug it into the console port and then use your "fancy" keyboard on the hub part. Now that really pissed me off. Why do you think I bought this switch, I asked. To get rid of extra keyboards!!!

Anyway, I just needed to vent a little. Anyone got a cheap USB keyboard they want to sell me?




/rant
Swan

 

[Swanny]

LOL, I guess I don't really need a USB keyboard right away anymore. I faked out the console keyboard port with an old USB mouse. The funny thing is trying to figure out how to type with the thing. I haven't been able to make the same characters all the time yet. Perhaps I could make money at a freak show being able to type with a mouse

 

[AppleTalking]

Sorry to hear about the problem dude, but that's just about the funniest thing I've heard all day! How do you type with the mouse? Do you just do a different combination of clicks for each letter or something? Weird . . .

There's no logistical reason to convert to PS/2 and back again. It sounds like Belkin was feeling cheap and decided to retrofit one of their old PS/2 KVM switches with a couple of USB converters and sell it as a completely new product. And I always used to trust Belkin too . . .

Nick

 

[McCarthy]

I'm open it up and desolder the beeper, but then I'm not much into warrenties.

 

[Swanny]

Originally posted by: AppleTalking
Sorry to hear about the problem dude, but that's just about the funniest thing I've heard all day! How do you type with the mouse? Do you just do a different combination of clicks for each letter or something? Weird . . .

There's no logistical reason to convert to PS/2 and back again. It sounds like Belkin was feeling cheap and decided to retrofit one of their old PS/2 KVM switches with a couple of USB converters and sell it as a completely new product. And I always used to trust Belkin too . . .

Nick

Yeah, my thought was that they just refit the PS/2 model too. As I said, I haven't mastered typing with the mouse. Every sort of movement produces a character. And they are quite random from what I can tell. Here's a little line of what it produces:

ey'dABEKABEDBCB]32BOZ/,

Also in that sequence, it opened up a thing to save this webpage, opened the search bar, jumped up to the URL thing to enter an address, and brought up the run command from the start bar. Pretty impressive since I don't even know the shortcuts for those:Q


And as for desoldering the beeper, it's working well enough now that I really don't want to try.