8 Port KVM Switch for Crack Racks

[Kilowatt]

I ordered and received one of these 8 port KVM manual switches, that comes with 9 sets of cables.
Everything you need for hooking up 8 boards.

The price was right also, at $89 + shipping.

Go to http://www.oscaroscar.com/ and look at the 4th from the bottom.

Shipping took about a week for UPS ground from California to Iowa, but it was over the Christmas weekend, so I'm not complaining.

I just thought I'd pass this tidbit of info along, if anyone was interested.

PS. It is for PS2 keyboards and mice.

 

[JimMc]

I just suffered my first power blip, only a second but enough to reset the PC's. I gotta get a little UPS for my ExecuRack, Klinux is great, but I don't need anymore practice configuring the client. I may check into a small KVM, switching the video cable is a pain in the ...

 

[JimMc]

Kilowatt--how 'bout the 4 Way Switch for just monitors and keyboards? It's the one for $20 at the top. Any idea how much, if any, degradation in the video signal? I'm sharing the monitor from my second PC with the execurack and I don't want to end up with a crappy picture on tha PC.

 

[Kilowatt]

Well, since that one doesn't come with cables, it would depend on if you bought VGA, or SVGA cables for the video.

You'll want SVGA cable (should have the little ferrite (spelling?) before the plug) going to a full fledged Win/Linux box, because you're running a GUI with higher resolution & colors.

Crack Racks running Klinux (or anything else with just a text mode screen) would only need the cheap VGA (thin) cables for video.

That switch for $20 is OK I guess, but you'll have to spend another $20 or so for cables.
You'll need 4 Male/Male PS2 cables, and 4 Male/Male video cables to use all 4 ports.

 

[JimMc]

Thanks

 

[divide by zero]

Kilowatt, this is the bomb! This is just what I was looking for, at a great price too. The only 8-port KVM I could find were the electronic ones for several hundred dollars. And it includes cables! And smart cables too, to reduce the clutter! Yeah, baby!

 

[Lord Demios]

Do you know if this KVM is able to send the data for a wheel mouse? At this price I'm not to critical, but DANG, I was just about to hit pricewatch for one of these, and I saw your post. You got good timming.

LD

 

[Russ]

<< Any idea how much, if any, degradation in the video signal? >>



JimMc,

On only four ports, approximately zero. I didn't run in to any problems on my rack until I got out to the fifth switch in the chain. I'm using cheap $1.25 cables.

Kilowatt,

Damn, I wish I'd have seen this before I bought a couple 6 port digital switches! Oh well, maybe I'll order a couple anyway. This is too good a deal to pass up.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Kilowatt]

LD, I think I'd just use this KVM switch for &quot;Rack Boards&quot;, and chain it to a better quality switch for Win/Linux (GUI) boxes you use all the time.

The Smart cables that come with it are the small thin kind.
I doubt I'll be able to run my 19&quot; monitor at 1600 X 1200 resolution thru those cables.

I'm going to chain mine with a better switch for my &quot;Main boxes&quot;.

Sorry Russ, I just found it last week, and didn't want to say anything until I hade the switch in hand and seen what it was like.

The switch buttons are like the shifter buttons on my dad's old 64 Dodge, push one in and the other pops out.
/me had a ton of fun in that car.
It's the one I learned to drive in.
/me got my first &quot;nookie&quot; in the back seat of that car.

 

[JimMc]

Thanks guys

DASM, it's nice having free, 24/7 nationwide support!

 

[JonB]

Those of you who have looked at www.oscaroscar.com, did you get a NETBIOS attempt to connect from them immediately after accessing their website? I did

The firewall has blocked Internet access to your computer (NetBIOS Name) from www.oscaroscar.com (4.22.102.131) (NetBIOS Name).

Time: 12/29/2000 10:20:06


I sent a note to their webmaster asking them politely to stop. I'm curious if anyone else noticed it.

 

[Kilowatt]

I got a bunch of attempts to put cookies on my machine, but since I don't accept them from sites I don't want, I have to click No a bunch of times.

 

[Lord Demios]

My firewall black holed the packets. As far as they know, I don't exist.

LD