Is there a way (a peripheral probably) to connect my Macintosh LC475 and Performa 6116 with one monitor(Macintosh color display M1212)? A Macintosh switch maybe?
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LC 475 & Performa 6116 connected with one monitor.
- Thread starter Dimitris1980
- Start date
A Mac specific KVM switch would be the proper way to do it.
Those are scarce as hens teeth, but an old PS/2 KVM is easily enough sourced at a reasonable cost. Using it with a VGA monitor is straightforward with adapters on the Mac cables on the inputs, but you'd need to adapt the VGA HD-15 output end back to Mac DE-15 with the proper sense line encoding if necessary.
Those are scarce as hens teeth, but an old PS/2 KVM is easily enough sourced at a reasonable cost. Using it with a VGA monitor is straightforward with adapters on the Mac cables on the inputs, but you'd need to adapt the VGA HD-15 output end back to Mac DE-15 with the proper sense line encoding if necessary.
If you set up an AppleTalk network connection between both Macs, you could use any adapted analogue Monitor switch without ADB capability and the software "Remote Mouse and Keys". The software makes a keyboard and mouse combo, which needs to be directly connected to only one of both Macs, available to one of both at a time on demand. To switch the keyboard and mouse from one Mac to the other one, you just leave the screen of the Mac currently in control of the ADB devices by "tunneling" the mouse pointer through an exit at the end of the menu bar, just to reappear in the screen of the other Mac. However, you would still need to manually switch the video source. Most useful this is if you have two Macs sitting next to each other and you want to use the input device connected to one of them to control both Macs (like a PowerBook and a desktop Mac). It may be a solution in your case,as well.
If you have access to a soldering iron, you could easily build a fully Mac compatible KVM switch from an old PS/2 KVM switch. To make an ADB switch, you only need a 4-pole changeover switch with as many positions as Macs you would like to share one set of ADB input devices and the appropriate number of mini 4-pole female connectors. If you switch ADB mice on a running Mac, it might be necessary to reset the ADB, or the mouse might slow down to an annoying low speed and acceleration rate. Just use a software like "ADB reset" to fix this (each time you switch the ADB).
If you have access to a soldering iron, you could easily build a fully Mac compatible KVM switch from an old PS/2 KVM switch. To make an ADB switch, you only need a 4-pole changeover switch with as many positions as Macs you would like to share one set of ADB input devices and the appropriate number of mini 4-pole female connectors. If you switch ADB mice on a running Mac, it might be necessary to reset the ADB, or the mouse might slow down to an annoying low speed and acceleration rate. Just use a software like "ADB reset" to fix this (each time you switch the ADB).
Cool, hadn't heard of "Remote Mouse and Keys" before! That ADB Reset advice you can take to the bank, you'll need it.
You can build a "full service" KMV Switch (w/a serial connection included) on any fully implemented DB-25 switchbox and even do all your adapter conversions at the ends of the cables attached to it.
You can build a "full service" KMV Switch (w/a serial connection included) on any fully implemented DB-25 switchbox and even do all your adapter conversions at the ends of the cables attached to it.
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I found that for old macs there is the Dr Bott Moniswitch ADB switch box. http://catalog.drbott.info/
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Macintosh-ADB-DB-15-KVM-/272862880838?hash=item3f87e52446:g:u3QAAOSwCCVZr6Xh
Here's an ADB KVM switch on ebay
Here's an ADB KVM switch on ebay
Yes i have already seen that. It seems nice but no cables.
