Looking for a USB "splitter"---but NOT the kind you're thinking of!

[SiegeTank]

I'm looking for a cable or device which would allow a conventional USB signal to be sent to 2 or 3 computers---AT THE SAME TIME. So, NO, a standard "USB hub" or a splitter cable which allows more than one USB device to be connected to the SAME computer is expressedly NOT the solution. The latter is the OPPOSITE of what I'm looking for. The USB input hub which requires hitting a switch to move from one computer to another doesn't fit the bill either since the transmission isn't simultaneous.

Ideally I'd like to have a programmable USB keyboard, or an input device like the Razer Nostromo, to be able to send input to multiple computers all at the same time. I think any gamer can envision the potential benefit of such a setup.

I know the USB protocol is not designed this way and i've been advised that you could "fry" all the computers trying to do this by just rewiring some cables. So I'm thinking it wouldn't be a simple as "just" a cable... you'd need some kind of box maybe even with a dedicated microprocessor which would "repeat" the incoming USB signal and then send multiple copies of it to the computers attached at the outgoing ports.

Anyone seen or heard of anything like this? If not, I think there's a potential market here for someone capable of hardware design, which unfortunately ain't me.

On a vaguely related note, anyone here remember THE THUMPER? The company's long gone and I can't even find this item on eBay. THE THUMPER was a little black box (literally) that took a 9-volt battery and had one single switch on it. When you pressed the switch it would repeat an input key ("thump") on any computer you had attached it to---repeat endlessly until you shut off the switch---or the battery died! The earliest version came with a PS2 keyboard connection; before the company went belly-up they designed a USB version. They also had a flavor which "thumped" a mouse-click (so you had to hover your mouse cursor over the exact spot you wanted thumped) and another that was hard-coded to repeat the ~ (tilde) key. The latter design was superior since you could just assign any hot key you like to ~ and it would keep hitting that key and you didn't have to worry about moving your mouse cursor.

The damn things weren't cheap at the time, $80-90 apiece, IIRC. Probably why the company went out of business. But they were darn useful for tradeskills and anything else requiring endless clicking, at least back in the days before MQ. Also wouldn't violate EULA as long as you didn't do your thumping "unattended". Of course, we all know nobody here would walk away from the computer and leave the THUMPER unattended, right?

Ring a bell for anyone? Thump..... thump..... thump..... thump.....

 

[JimJohnson]

so you basically want a dongle input 1 female to 3+ male.

The thing is with InnerSpace and other applications you can do this. With just 1 keybord and repeat every keystroke to the other pcs sorta like EQBC server works only better.

 

[rob]

You would need some kind of KVM switch that was active on both computers at the same time. That sounds complicated. USB is a two way protocol iirc. this would cause problems if you just split the cable.

 

[Dealings]

Q

key press broadcasting is probably what you are looking for

and it isnt neccessarily a usb hub as much as it is a keyboard hub

its been a long time since I ran across one but I believe they had the capability of 1)controling any server via direct connection (security thing) or 2 like I said broadcast

for gaming purposes (EQ for example) u dont need to reinvent the wheel
EQBC and done , me personally not a fan of innerspace but im sure its an operator error more than anything (me sucking at it)

 

[dewey2461]

If you absolutely need a hardware solution try sending the folks at http://www.piengineering.com/ an email with your needs.

If you don't mind using software http://www.inputdirector.com/ is a good solution. I have used the mirrored input mode to control two computers sending the same keyboard/mouse inputs to both machines.

 

[SiegeTank]

I really appreciate the input.

Yes, my preference is a HARDWARE solution. One-time capital investment, no recurring sub costs and not rendered obsolete by patches. Hardware solutions make life so much simpler.

Pi Engineering makes the X-Keys line, which is nice hardware but nothing they make does what I want, unfortunately. Altho, indeed I could ask them but I doubt I'd want to pay for what it would cost for a custom development.

Some of the simpler broadcast programs just do NOT work with EQ. Something in EQ's software blocks those software attempts to send keypresses to other windows and/or computers.

 

[Morx]

While you say you don't want a sub cost... ISBoxer broadcasts to every window, and you can setup networking to broadcast to other computers as well, and it'll broadcast all at the same time.

If this is specifically for EQ, why not go the easy route and use what's already out there and works like a charm?

EQ already breaks with patches, as does MMO Bugs, where as ISBoxer, I've NEVER seen broken from a EQ patch in the couple years I've been using it. Quite the amazing program IMO.

 

[dewey2461]

Some of the simpler broadcast programs just do NOT work with EQ. Something in EQ's software blocks those software attempts to send keypresses to other windows and/or computers.

If your talking about running multiple EQ clients on a computer, then no HARDWARE solution is going to do the trick because only the top most window gets the keyboard keys.

The only solution for running multiple EQ clients on a single computer is some form of injected software doing the keyboard broadcast. This could be MQ or ISBoxer.

If you are content to run a single instance of EQ on each machine then Input Director will likely do what you want.

The path of least resistance though is using MQ2 + EQBCS and macros because you can do so much more than simple keyboard spamming.

 

[Mordred]

If you are just wanting the same keystrokes for each computer/instance of game them why could you just not do a wireless keyboard and have a receiver for each computer. I know the Logitech I use can be set up to use different ones and also up to six per unifying device. Not sure if that is the solution you are looking for but could work.

 

[SiegeTank]

If you are just wanting the same keystrokes for each computer/instance of game them why could you just not do a wireless keyboard and have a receiver for each computer. I know the Logitech I use can be set up to use different ones and also up to six per unifying device. Not sure if that is the solution you are looking for but could work.

Hmm, interesting idea. But I do think wireless keyboards must have a coded means of identifying the receiver they communicate with. I've used 2 of the same wireless keyboards in the same room, each on a different computer, and they do not interfere with each other. The question is can the multiple receivers all be configured to accept the same keyboard's transmissions.

The previous responder is right that hardware solution won't broadcast one keystroke to multiple windows. I don't really plan on using multiple windows, at least not as my primary goal. My goal is to control several independent computers on a network.

I'm not dead-set against software however hardware would be simpler and less prome to "issues." Even if an EQ patch doesn't "break" a program, programs can fail for the most difficult-to-diagnose reasons. I design software as part of my job and I know this to be true, as should anyone else working in software development!

Thanks for all the feedback. I am going to research options like InputDirector a little more...

 

[Mordred]

The way I am speaking about Logitech has a program it places on your computer that you can add and take away devices. I don't see why several receivers can not be used by the same keyboard at the same time. Though this is something I have never tried out myself. Look into it via Logitech, it is called a unifying device and the program itself on this laptop is Logitech Unifying Software.

 

[SiegeTank]

Simplify. Diversify. Unify.

The Logitech Unifying receiver is a tiny wireless receiver that can stay plugged into your notebook’s USB port and lets you easily connect up to six compatible wireless mice and keyboards to the same receiver. There’s no need to unplug it when you move around, so you won’t have to worry about losing it.

That's from Logitech's website. This is the OPPOSITE of what I want to do.

I just spoke with a guy who programs for Bluetooth as part of his job and he says Bluebooth is a "paired connection" system which means one keyboard can only be paired with one dongle. Evidently this Logitech software allows multiple keyboards to be paired with ONE dongle so, for example, you could use your laptop at home, work, vacation home, mistress's house, etc., but it would be the SAME laptop being used with various keyboards and mice.

Soooo... back to the drawing board.

 

[dewey2461]

At one point I had the goal to build a little micro computer based of something like arduino and have a network socket I could send keyboard/mouse inputs to and have the arduino send the output through a USB port to a computer as real USB keyboard/mouse events.

I was also going to take the DVI output and run that into a frame grabber and process the screen using image processing to make a bot that would be very difficult to detect looking at the PC side of things its just an extra monitor and keyboard/mouse.

In the end I lost interest in the project and came back to EQ where MQ just makes it so easy to write code that I dropped the project.

 

[Voltron1982]

as you have probably already worked out, this can not be done by just splitting the USB signal. its not like an analog signal where you could easily just split it. if you went from a USB port to say a PS2 connection, you could probably get somewhere. USB has a lot of back and forth communication where if paired to multiple devices simultaneously, would fall over in a heap. sorry!

 

[fauxshizle]

Simple , u get an old rack mount KVM switch , and on the input selectors(buttons) 1-6 for example, you just open the KVM switch, and solder all the outputs to system 1, then use a keboard with a simple inherent macro ability, like a G-19 with a USB to PS2 converter. and depress your dream keys...into keyblivion

If i have this "need" you have all backwards.....its ok, cause I smoked moon pawt with Buzz Aldrin...so fawk awf

 

[Blitzkrieg]

lol keyblivion... hahahahahahaha