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Wireless keyboard/mouse/remote for cabinets
Brad Lee:
Ive got the one in this auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2730382627&category=4706
and it works great.. Ive got the receiver mounted above the monitor, behind the tinted bezel so its completely stealhed
Range is about 75', of course it IS line of sight(IR)
Im completely happy with it
Frostillicus:
OK so I got this thing in the mail - it's nice and slim. The mouse is rather small - almost like those laptop mice - but I got used to it. Oh yeah - its RF not IR. And it came with all batteries needed, which was nice.
My cab is in the living room - the reciever is about 2" long and plugs right into the USB port, where the computer is hidden inside the bottom of the cab. All doors closed.
It says it has a 30' range. I go into my bedroom where I can just glimpse my cab through the door - sit down on my bed - and start a game of pacman from over 30' away through walls and such. The mute button on the keyboard is especially handy. There is a volume control, mute, standard internet hot-keys, and music buttons (play, pause, etc). All work very nicely.
The remote isn't bad - it's very tiny. It's got 5 buttons, only 4 of which work. ESC on top doesn't do anything that I've found yet. Even in powerpoint, which it was designed for.
The bad thing - and it's a big bad thing - is that I can't seem to find any programming software for anything. I will find back from tech support hopefully tomorrow. Mostly to change the buttons on the remote - but it's looking unlikely. Worst case scenario is I'll have to change the controls for whatever MP3 software I'll end up using to match the remote.
The pluses for me are:
Black, sleek, small (easily hideable stuff). comes with a remote. Oh, and wireless :) Good range, small reciever, optical mouse, USB, no driver install.
Minus is: not programmable(that i've found so far).
I needed a USB keyboard and mouse in my cab because I can't run anymore wires out of the whole rotating part, and I can't use a ps2 wireless keyboard because I have an Ipac taking that slot. And all the ps2 wireless stuff I found were pretty much one reciever with 2 ps/2 connections (mouse and keyboard) coming off it. So this was the best USB I could find for the money (59 after rebate).
It's a good solution, and a good way to play Half-life from the coffeetable :)
mccall:
I can't use a ps2 wireless keyboard because I have an Ipac taking that slot
Doesn't the Ipac have a pass through? Couldn't you just connect the wireless receiver to the pass through or is the problem the cable length? If the problem is cable length you can purchase a ps2 Y splitter and connect both your Ipac and wireless combo to the splitter and have them share the port.
The Logitech Cordless Elite Duo (which I have) has both a ps2 and USB connector. It has an optical mouse and volume controls, but doesn't have a remote control. It sells for around $100 but you can find them on sale for about $50 or for that price after rebate.
Frostillicus:
--- Quote from: mccall on May 28, 2003, 08:09:00 pm ---I can't use a ps2 wireless keyboard because I have an Ipac taking that slot
Doesn't the Ipac have a pass through? Couldn't you just connect the wireless receiver to the pass through or is the problem the cable length? If the problem is cable length you can purchase a ps2 Y splitter and connect both your Ipac and wireless combo to the splitter and have them share the port.
The Logitech Cordless Elite Duo (which I have) has both a ps2 and USB connector. It has an optical mouse and volume controls, but doesn't have a remote control. It sells for around $100 but you can find them on sale for about $50 or for that price after rebate.
--- End quote ---
I thought about using the pass-through, but there are a number of problems there:
1- how much current is actually available for the reciever after the IPAC and OPTIPAC take their power? My understanding is that the PS/2 port isn't really strong in that department.
2 - cable length isn't really an issue - its any cable at all that's the issue. I only routed enough room out from the sides for my current cables, and don't have anyroom left over for another ps/2 cable. I have a setup's like 1UP, so it's not like just drilling a hole in the bottom of the CP and running a wire down there :P
Basically I wanted to avoid all the hassles and so USB is the best solution for me.
That logitech sounds like the same kind of thing I got - I can't get over how lazy this keyboard/mouse makes me :)
mccall:
I didn't even think of the power issue.
I don't know if that would be a problem. I've done POS (point of sale) installs where they have a mouse and a bar code scanner running off one ps2 port with no problems. I would imagine that a bar code scanner would draw as much if not more power than a wireless receiver.
I guess I'll find out soon enough. As we speak I'm installing the software on the computer that will power my soon-to-be-built cab. I was hoping to be done with the construction by now but it's been raining here for what seems like a week now, and since I have no garage the MDF has to be cut and painted outside. Rain = no construction.
I plan on having the wireless KB share the port with the Ipac. If they draw too much power I'll have to make other arrangements.