Hot swap keyboards???

Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and plug in
another one in while the system is up and running without frying something?

Dallas

"Dallas" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and plug
in
another one in while the system is up and running without frying
something?

Dallas



You might get away with it a couple of times, but going by past experience
with some of my customers, the PS2 or AT connector on motherboard with
eventually stop working.

--



Snøøp¥ (Gid Auld Fife)

Cut ¬THE CR@P¬ To Reply

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by McAfee anti-virus system www.mcafee.com
Version: 7.03.6000 Scan Engine 4.3.20
Virus Database: 4382 - Release Date: 28/07/2004.

Dallas wrote:
Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and
plug in another one in while the system is up and running without
frying something?

I *think* it's fairly safe, given that most current motherboards apply power
to the PS2 ports even when the system has been powered off (though not
unplugged/turned off at the PSU). Given the number of people who wouldn't
turn off the power at the wall/PSU before changing keyboards and mice, I
think it's designed to be hotswapped. Either that or the motherboard
manufacturers make dumb design decisions Note that if you pull it at the
wrong time, you may confuse the controller and need a hard power off (at the
wall/psu) but I don't think any permanent damage is done.

In any case, it's probably better to actually completely turn it off before
changing things, and doesn't take that much longer to do

--
Michael Brown
www.emboss.co.nz : OOS/RSI software and more
Add michael@ to emboss.co.nz - My inbox is always open

"Michael Brown"
In any case, it's probably better to actually completely turn it off
before
changing things, and doesn't take that much longer to do

Thanks... but I have a special problem... ( no, I didn't ride the little bus
to school) :-)

My keyboard is routed through an old Thrustmaster WCS programmable throttle.
The programmable throttle cord plugs in to the PS2 keyboard socket on the
computer. (This throttle can send out keystrokes with button pushes.)

The BIOS, DOS and Win98 work fine with this set up. Win XP does not like it
and I get a dead keyboard on bootup.

The keyboard works fine if directly plugged into computer. I'm guessing XP
is sending out a different "good keyboard?" signal that the throttle can't
pass through to the keyboard.

I was thinking I could boot XP with just the keyboard then unplug the
keyboard and then put it all back together. Scary stuff.

Maybe someone knows how to stop XP from checking the keyboard?

Dallas

"Dallas" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and plug
in
another one in while the system is up and running without frying
something?

No.. not built to do this. You might get away with it for a while, but it
will eventually bite you in the ass.

PS/2 ports don't like being swapped while in use anyhow.

"Dallas" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and plug
in
another one in while the system is up and running without frying
something?

Dallas


I've done it lots of times, and never had a problem. I'm wondering about
those who claim that hotswapping killed their PS/2 ports.... you have to ask
whether they would've failed anyway and if the hotswapping had nothing to do
with it.

Remember, the plural of anecdote is not data. :-)

I also have to ask, if hotswapping is so bad, doesn't that imply that KVM
switches are, too?

Or do those work with some kind of magic that prevents them from doing
damage?

"Mercury" writes:
"Dallas" wrote in message
ink.net...
Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and plug
in
another one in while the system is up and running without frying
something?

I've done it lots of times, and never had a problem. I'm wondering about
those who claim that hotswapping killed their PS/2 ports.... you have to ask
whether they would've failed anyway and if the hotswapping had nothing to do
with it.

I have one system with an ECS K7S5A motherboard, not having a reputation
for being the best board in the world. Every now and then after a boot
the mouse, and even once the keyboard, are lifeless. I finally found I
can breathe life back into them if I unplug the dead frog for fifteen
seconds and then plug it back in. Has always worked and I've done this
lots of times. Never have found anything I can do to make this go away.
I presume this is some sort of timing issue during boot somewhere.

Mercury wrote:

"Dallas" wrote in message
nk.net...

Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and plug
in
another one in while the system is up and running without frying
something?

Dallas



I've done it lots of times, and never had a problem. I'm wondering about
those who claim that hotswapping killed their PS/2 ports.... you have to ask
whether they would've failed anyway and if the hotswapping had nothing to do
with it.

Remember, the plural of anecdote is not data. :-)

I also have to ask, if hotswapping is so bad, doesn't that imply that KVM
switches are, too?

Or do those work with some kind of magic that prevents them from doing
damage?



Well, KVM switches maintain a ground connection and supposedly switch the
remainder all together but it's indeterminate what will make/break
first/middle/last when plugging/unplugging connectors.

Don Taylor wrote:

"Mercury" writes:

"Dallas" wrote in message
link.net...

Hey, can you pull the AT or PS2 keyboard plug out of the socket and plug
in
another one in while the system is up and running without frying
something?


I've done it lots of times, and never had a problem. I'm wondering about
those who claim that hotswapping killed their PS/2 ports.... you have to ask
whether they would've failed anyway and if the hotswapping had nothing to do
with it.


I have one system with an ECS K7S5A motherboard, not having a reputation
for being the best board in the world. Every now and then after a boot
the mouse, and even once the keyboard, are lifeless. I finally found I
can breathe life back into them if I unplug the dead frog for fifteen
seconds and then plug it back in. Has always worked and I've done this
lots of times. Never have found anything I can do to make this go away.
I presume this is some sort of timing issue during boot somewhere.

Interesting. I've never had the mouse or keyboard come up dead but the
stupid sound does, and rather often.

David Maynard writes:
Don Taylor wrote:
I have one system with an ECS K7S5A motherboard, not having a reputation
for being the best board in the world. Every now and then after a boot
the mouse, and even once the keyboard, are lifeless. I finally found I
can breathe life back into them if I unplug the dead frog for fifteen
seconds and then plug it back in. Has always worked and I've done this
lots of times. Never have found anything I can do to make this go away.
I presume this is some sort of timing issue during boot somewhere.

Interesting. I've never had the mouse or keyboard come up dead but the
stupid sound does, and rather often.

I had the same problem you do. I finally gave up on the embedded sound,
disabled it in the bios, put in a sound card... and then found that the
collection of ECS drivers appeared to not have been tested with the
embedded sound disabled, and I just ignore the error that gives me now.

But, the board has been reliably running Mathematica jobs for more than
a year so I can't complain about that.