1 keyboard 2 computers help

[dryden_burton]

Would I be able to hook a cordless mouse and keyboard (recever uses one USB plug) to two computers? I came up with the idea that if I splice a female USB plug to two male USB plugs and plug the receiver into the female USB plug and the two male plugs one into each computer would that work? Thanks...

 

[MrMikey83]

I would use diodes to isolate both the power and the signal lines. Also, just splicing the cord into a Y-cable would mean that whatever you did on one computer would happen on the other.
1) You want to be able to do the same exact thing on both computers at the same time. Which would require you to fine tune the sensitivity on both computers so they dont get off track.
or
2) You want to be able to switch back and forth and control only one computer at a time. With the Y-cable, while doing one thing on one computer, you would be clicking random stuff on the other.

What I would suggest is you use switches. If you can find an 8-10 pole double throw switch, you could just switch back and forth, just as if you were unplugging it from one computer and plugging into the other computer.
~Mike

 

[dryden_burton]

I want to be able to do the same exact thing on both computers at the same time. how and what would you hook up the diodes to, which wires???

 

[Someone Electro]

First thing is the power lines these are red and black cables.On the back the didode is leting curent to the computer and the red from the computer.

As for the 2 signal lines i dont know

 

[drrogla]

I don`t know about usb, but if one is data to the computer and one is clock from the computer you could probably just use diodes... but i doubt it

 

[Someone Electro]

well i dont know hows it whith usb data lines.

 

[upand_at_them]

They sell devices that do this, you know. Some of my coworkers use them.

Mike

 

[LiNx]

I opened up a USB cable a while ago...

It had a black, red, green, and white wire.

 

[mindctrl]

One problem with that is that USB establishes serial connections with a device before it can start communicating on the bus. It's not just using interrupts anymore, it's a little more complicated then just that.

USB is a serial protocol.... It uses red and black wires for power and ground respectively. Green and white for data. If you look at https://www.usb.org/developers/docs/ you should find all the whitepapers and specs you may need! Hope this helps.

--mindctrl