Thinkpads Forum

i used to have a kvm which wasnt compatible with my t41 or later on t60, it would either play silly buggers by not switching correctly, it would switch then switch back to my desktop instantly (if it was on) for no reason, or it would just flick back and forth until i switch the desktop off. it seems like it the desktop was "overpowering" the signal given off by the laptop, if that makes sense.

does anyone have any experiences with a usb kvm and the x201s ultrabase that they use and works? dvi would be preferable but not essential as my dell monitor has both dvi and vga.

skanky wrote:... usb kvm and the x201s ultrabase ...

The following works perfectly and reliably:
http://www.iogear.com/product/GCS24U/
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-2-Port-Swi ... 418&sr=8-2

[I did not see it on Amazon/UK or eBay/UK. Easy enough to ship from the U.S. -- send me a PM if you need help in that regard.]

EOMtp wrote:The following works perfectly and reliably:
http://www.iogear.com/product/GCS24U/
http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-2-Port-Swi ... 418&sr=8-2

[I did not see it on Amazon/UK or eBay/UK. Easy enough to ship from the U.S. -- send me a PM if you need help in that regard.]

thanks for the advice, found one on ebay uk as "iogear GCS22U" seemed to do the trick, more expensive than the amazon link and thats before taking pound/dollar conversion into account ..thats the uk for ya! :/

Depending on the monitor, the VGA display may appear not as "crisp" when adding the additional cable length of the KVM switch. If you encounter that situation, and if you have an "A/B" button on the monitor to switch between DVI and VGA inputs, you may wish to connect one computer via VGA and the X200 Ultrabase via DVI, then use the monitor's button to switch the video between the Computer #1's VGA and Computer #2's Ultrabase-to-DVI. If so, you will need the following adapter:
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=%28Len ... m270.l1313

EOMtp wrote:Depending on the monitor, the VGA display may appear not as "crisp" when adding the additional cable length of the KVM switch. If you encounter that situation, and if you have an "A/B" button on the monitor to switch between DVI and VGA inputs, you may wish to connect one computer via VGA and the X200 Ultrabase via DVI, then use the monitor's button to switch the video between the Computer #1's VGA and Computer #2's Ultrabase-to-DVI. If so, you will need the following adapter:
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=%28Len ... m270.l1313

i have one of those dell 2407WFP monitors which has vga and dvi connections.

so if i understand you right, i connect both desktop and laptop via the iogear switcher (vga and both usbs) but also at the same time i use that adapter to connect the ultrabase into the monitor's dvi port and when i want to use the laptop, i switch input on the iogear but also switch to dvi as well?

skanky wrote:so if i understand you right ...

Let me restate it:
If you connect both computers via VGA through the KVM switch, and the display from each machine shows clearly on the monitor, then the job is done.

However, if you find that the VGA signal being switched through the KVM device is not sufficiently crisp due to the extra cable lengths introduced by the KVM, then bypass the video-switching function of the KVM and connect the PCs directly to the monitor -- one via VGA and the other via DVI -- and use the "Select Input" button on the monitor to switch displays. In this scenario, the KVM switch becomes just a "KM" (keyboard-mouse) switch.

If you decide to use the KVM switch for KM-only, then you have two options of how to connect video from the PCs to the monitor:
(a) PC to monitor via DVI ..and.. Ultrabase to monitor via VGA,
or
(b) PC to monitor via VGA ..and.. Ultrabase to monitor via DVI.

If you choose (b), then you will need the cable adapter I mentioned earlier.

EOMtp wrote:In this scenario, the KVM switch becomes just a "KM" (keyboard-mouse) switch.

that clarifies a lot, thanks!
i think i may have to get that, tried plugging a vga cable from ultrabase to monitor and its not as clear as my desktop to same monitor via dvi.

i think i'd go with option "b" as the laptop is more my main machine than the desktop is these days.

thanks for the advice, much appreciated!