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Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

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Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#31

Post by R0b0t1 »

amelius wrote: post #20

> the app only switches monitors "one way" and relies on itself running on the other computers to switch it "the other way" as needed. Too bad, I often need a KVM switch exactly when I'm installing a new OS on an embedded system (and from that point on I don't need the switch because I can just use the network to log in and install software). So this solution doesn't work for me at precisely the moment I need it.

Most have an autosetup that can get you to a shell via ssh, worth looking into.

It also seems like you can switch from any computer currently connected. Have your normal computer switch to the other computer's input.

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#32

Post by R0b0t1 »

artemisbot wrote: post #9
mathfailure wrote: post #3

I've read the project's description and failed to figure what it does. What's a 'USB switch'? Where should this device be connected to? "press one button on your USB switch and all your monitors connect to a different input." - if the USB switch has buttons - why would I even disconnect/reconnect it? The project's description is shit.

If you actually sat and read it, you'd see that it's a piece of software that sits on each device connected to the USB switch and detects the USB disconnect/reconnect events which trigger when the USB switch is triggered and uses them to detect that the device should try to take control of the display devices.

Not being able to figure out what it does is reasonable if they have no idea what KVM or a USB switch is.

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#33

Post by stonewareslord »

firecall wrote: post #28
walrus01 wrote: post #15

from a purely software perspective and sort of the inverse of this, everyone should be aware of barrier, the fork/continuation of synergy https://github.com/debauchee/barrier the general concept is you could have 2, 3, 4 or more individual desktop PCs at one desk, each connected to their own displays, and one keyboard and one mouse. The keyboard and mouse are on the primary workstation, you can roll the mouse off the…

I can never get this to work! Installed on macOS 12.1 and Windows 10 or 11, and nothing happens! It sees the client and server just fine. But never moves over! Maybe I should the try the paid Synergy! The Logitech solution has the lag when you bang against the side of the screen, and thats no good! :-)

You have to configure the server by adding the clients screen to the left/right of yours. Also, I always use IP Address of the server on the client.

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#35

Post by nyanpasu64 »

walrus01 wrote: post #15

from a purely software perspective and sort of the inverse of this, everyone should be aware of barrier, the fork/continuation of synergy https://github.com/debauchee/barrier the general concept is you could have 2, 3, 4 or more individual desktop PCs at one desk, each connected to their own displays, and one keyboard and one mouse. The keyboard and mouse are on the primary workstation, you can roll the mouse off the…

I'm still waiting for https://github.com/debauchee/barrier/issues/567 to get fixed. Right now, Barrier (and possibly Synergy) creates zombie processes and leaks handles on Windows, causing the kernel to burn CPU trying to free up memory.

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#36

Post by lillecarl »

amelius wrote: post #20

> the app only switches monitors "one way" and relies on itself running on the other computers to switch it "the other way" as needed. Too bad, I often need a KVM switch exactly when I'm installing a new OS on an embedded system (and from that point on I don't need the switch because I can just use the network to log in and install software). So this solution doesn't work for me at precisely the moment I need it.

The protocol runs over the USB cable to your monitor, so whichever monitor has that cable plugged will be able to send the commands.

I'm using this command

sudo virsh start win10;sudo ddcutil -d 1 setvcp 0x60 0x03

To start Windows and change display input to DVI, which is the GPU for my Windows VM.

Changing back can be done either by powering the VM down or running the command

sudo ddcutil -d 1 setvcp 0x60 0x0F

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#37

Post by fiddyschmitt »

If you'd like to use a GUI, I wrote SimpleKVM:

https://github.com/fiddyschmitt/SimpleKVM

The GUI makes things (hopefully) a little easier to set up.

It was inspired by Haimgel's project.

It's nice to be able to run the monitor at native resolution and refresh rate, without paying hundreds for a KVM.

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#38

Post by thanatos519 »

walrus01 wrote: post #15

from a purely software perspective and sort of the inverse of this, everyone should be aware of barrier, the fork/continuation of synergy https://github.com/debauchee/barrier the general concept is you could have 2, 3, 4 or more individual desktop PCs at one desk, each connected to their own displays, and one keyboard and one mouse. The keyboard and mouse are on the primary workstation, you can roll the mouse off the…

I still use x2x. Last time I used Synergy it was laggy and overcomplicated, but I might give barrier a try.

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#39

Post by lardo »

I control my monitor from a pi zero hooked up to a cheap vga/usb switch. If your monitor supports ddc/ci, ddcutil makes communicating over hdmi dead simple. The button from the usb switch, as well as a wire from the switch's chopped off vga cable is fed into gpio, as is a 4x4 input pad I use to control it from. Pressing D on the pad toggles displays and triggers the USB switch, A50# sets the volume to 50%, B50# brightness to 50%.

The big downside is that switching inputs on my monitor takes ~5 seconds where a proper kvm would be instant.

Re: Display-switch: Turn a $30 USB switch into a full-featured multi-monitor KVM

#40

Post by lightbendover »

shadeless wrote: post #2

This looks fantastic, I was recently disappointed to learn that there don't seem to be any good KVMs under ~$200, that support anything higher than 4k@60Hz. Apparently Thunderbolt/DisplayPort are not really a thing yet for some reason, so I ended up getting a USB (KM) switch instead. With this project, it looks like I'll be able to have my cake and eat it too.

I found the same problem roughly a couple years ago. I ended up building a very specific solution (switch input mode based on specific USB changes) that is more or less a subset of of the functionality here. I am now having near daily issues with the KM (a ~$30 one that was the only one I could find that really meet my needs) box. There is tons of room on the market for a good prosumer solution to this problem.
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