For use cases like attaching to an SBC or really any other computer, I'm sure this is great, but there are also USB crash cart consoles that can be gotten pretty cheaply like the NanoKVM-USB[0] or Cytrence's KIWI[1]. This gets you both video, keyboard and mouse.
Is there anywhere I can buy a NanoKVM-USB? The page you linked has a 'preorder' page linked, but I'm not sure how long I'd have to wait and whether it's an actual product that people have successfully used.
Is there a VGA "story" for these devices? Most of the Dell and HP servers I'm physically proximate to don't have HDMI video. VGA connectors abound on the gear I work with.
Those both look very nice, but I am disappointed that neither lists support for DP alt-mode as an input despite having a type-c port on the input side. If I were to buy such a device, I'd want it be future-proof while also supporting legacy video input like HDMI, but these are legacy-only. Good for my old raspberry pis and my ancient sandybridge NAS, but these days I only buy computers capable of single-cable operation (with exceptions for power cables for power-hungry devices like desktops).
I did that just last week to install Linux on a micro-PC I have. Its only display output is HDMI and I didn’t want to unplug it and move it over to my TV just for the short time necessary to install a base system + SSH.
Worked great!
I’ve used the app for other things too. It’s a great solution if you already have an iPad.
> digging up an HDMI monitor, finding somewhere to put it, and connecting it to the device is an annoying process. Furthermore, if I’m on the go I almost certainly don’t have easy access to an external monitor.
This has annoyed me many times as well with the headless computers I run... until recently, when I bought a USB-powered 7-inch HDMI monitor for an embedded project that didn't go anywhere. But now I have a spare little monitor that I can easily use in these situations and even carry it around if necessary.
I use it for projection - then I can run the projector as a second monitor through this thing (or similar) and not have to use binoculars to see what's on the screen from the back of the room.
Larger ones can be used as portable second monitors, too.
Exactly. I do quite a bit of dev on larger SBCs and it's much easier and more reliable to plug in a small HDMI monitor (powered through the USB) than it is to faff around with HDMI capture dongles, let alone networked KVM. The one I bought (on eBay, nothing special) has a wrap-around vinyl case which works rather like an iPad case in that it can function as a stand or as a screen cover, so you can just chuck it in a bag. Admittedly, it cost more than a capture card (I think it was around $70 USD in eBay), but that's still sufficiently cheap that if it and when it breaks I will not be devastated.
USB capture devices introduce latency, get surprisingly hot, can have frame rate issues, and streaming video from them seems much more CPU-intensive than, for example, playing an equivalent-sized h.264 video (I don't know why but presume it's because they encode using something basic like MJPEG). A portable display has none of these problems.
I was stuck in a very remote location trying to update vehicle software. I needed both a monitor and keyboard (long story, serial wasn't outputting, no ssh, partition table was hosed) and I had neither a keyboard nor a monitor.
I now carry a little HDMI screen and not one but two portable keyboards with me for all work travel. One of the keyboards is a larger but rolls up, the other is tiny but also has a mouse built into a touchpad.
These devices have saved my bacon more than a few times. Highly recommend.
I have been looking at things like this and wondered if there is scope for an open source project to design boards that provide power and data access to a variety of common old laptop panels (and keyboard+touchpads) along with a holder for a compute module. Then let people lay out the location of their USB ports etc. in the shape of the motherboard of their old laptop and get one run off by JLCPCB or PCBWay
I have several old laptops that still have good screens and keyboards, It would be nice to repurpose some of them. They are certainly large enough to house a compute module with plenty of extras.
I'd definitely be interested in a project like that, but I think customizing a PCB layout and sending it off for manufacturing would be too much for many people that would otherwise be interested in it. I think a project like that would gain more traction if it focused on designing high quality boards for a few popular laptop models (MacBooks or ThinkPads IMO) and making those available via on demand manufacturing and/or crowdsourcing a bulk run.
This would have been super helpful like 20 years ago when I was on the data center floor trying to debug rack-mount (headless) Linux servers. The center had like one KVM "crash cart" that needed to be plugged into a spare outlet in the rack that wasn't always easy to come by.
I'm sure we could have improved on that setup but we were an inexperienced skeleton crew on a shoestring budget and not the best management.
I always thought it would be great to have a "laptop without a motherboard" to manage these, and this is close enough given the price of the redundant hardware now.
> I always thought it would be great to have a "laptop without a motherboard"
That's basically what a rack console is. At 1U it was skinnier than laptops from prior decades. They're not exactly a laptop form factor, but to get them smaller you would have had to accept a much lower screen resolution, which would risk some systems not being able to display (e.g. your server may have booted-up to 1280x1024 while your laptop could only do 800x600), or would have needed to be quite expensive to add an ultra-high DPI screen.
Still, at various times there were briefly devices like that available for purchase at closeout prices... like the failed "Motorola ATRIX lapdock":
I'd say the USB-HDMI capture card is a better solution all-around. I even prefer it to USB "crash carts" because you aren't dependent on the manufacturer keeping their proprietary software software updated for each subsequent Windows/Linux/Mac release.
We actually HAD literally that - I don't recall which model it was, but someone found a laptop that internally had PS/2 and VGA I believe, and had rewired it to have cables hanging out of it.
Advantage - battery still somewhat worked so you could get a few minutes (often all you needed) with just that.
Note most (all?) video players introduce quite some playback latency by default due to buffering - which is _really_ annoying using them as a 'monitor'.
I've used a few of these KVM products. Some quick thoughts:
ipkvm, I really like my 2 JetKVMs. It works very well, physically feels substantial, and the ATX power add-on makes remote management as good as any IPMI solution. I also have a sipeed NanoKVM and that works well, but I don't use it much at this point, just use the JetKVMs instead.
For usb KVM I'm trying to find something that works as a KVM so that I can use the nice display on my home computer but also control my work laptop. This is purely a convenience thing. I'm not trying to use the work laptop remotely or fool my employer. I just prefer my 4k oled display on my personal thinkpad over the crap 1080p dell display on the work laptop.
So I've tried two usb USB kvms.
Cytrence Kiwi - this is the one I settle on to use. The software works well and has had regular updates. It does keyboard capture which I never could get to work with the NanoKVM. The video quality is much better. Except for the inability to capture alt-tab is my only real complaint. :( However, they just (yesterday?) released a new software build that can map another set of keys to alt-tab. Maybe I can train my fingers to do windows-tab or something similar.
NanoKVM-USB - This one has some good ideas. I like the form factor. I like the USB port you can easily switch between host and target to copy images or whatever. As a crash cart type thingie, this is probably just fine. However, as stated above. Trying to use it full time with my work laptop was simply too frustrating. Video quality and lack of keyboard capture (maybe I just couldn't find it) just made it impossible.
So, in summary: JetKVM for ipkvm, cytrence kiwi for usbkvm.
I'm thinking a better solution for console would be an SSH to serial bridge using just a spare ESP32 and something like ESP32SerialSSHProxy[0]. Haven't tried myself yet, and there is suspiciously few stars on that repo, but that would be a nice lights out-ish management system for some hidden away home automation server.
> A niche thing, but it shouldn't be expensive to implement, and the ports are already here (usb-c, hdmi).
A Display Controller Board for driving a laptop screen from an external input is going to add at least $20 to the price of the laptop. Considerably more expensive than the $6 USB-HDMI capture devices which do the job (and have more utility).
The HDMI output port on your laptop (if you even have one, many only offer miniDP) can't just be run in reverse. The board would need to be updated to allow switching it between output and input, at considerable extra cost.
I owned an Alienware laptop (M17X R4) many years ago that had a dedicated HDMI input.
It was a strange laptop. MXM socketed GPU, 120Hz screen that came with Nvidia 3DVision shutter glasses, and the worst battery life I've ever experienced.
I too own no external monitors and do my dev/CAD/photography stuff on one of three laptops (macOS, linux, windows 11) [0] depending on where I am, and as much of my writing/planning on my now quite old iPad Pro away from said devices as possible.
So I use one of those cheap HDMI capture devices that flooded eBay about three months into the pandemic to watch Raspberry Pi boot logs or function as ad-hoc console monitor, either with my MBP or with the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro functions usefully as an occasional second monitor for the MBP more directly with USB-C/wifi, of course, so it all works out rather well.
[0] mostly macOS, though I am finally building up a desktop linux escape strategy, 31 years after I first ran X on linux, which might get finally kicked up a notch depending on what happens with Affinity at the end of the month
> However, sometimes direct physical access to the SBC with a monitor and keyboard is useful for initial configuration, maintenance operations, or workloads that have a visual component
Shouldn't this be possible with a single direct ethernet link between laptop and device?
I'm not actually sure on the specifics. Or would this require a router? I know you can forward graphical programs with X11 as well
This is one of those rough edges that I wish a Linux distro got right. It's rare, but once in a blue moon you do want to hook up two laptop (say one broken and one working one) and control one from the other (without the ability to configure stuff)
I use this approach with a long-throw HDMI microscope, cheap ones are available on Aliexpress. I put one over my desk, and I get the output with reasonably low latency through a HDMI capture adapter on my computer screen. Very useful for electronics work or taking a closer look at stuff.
Those USB-C display outputs are real raw GPU output patched through electronically, not like image over USB protocol. They just use the connector, and they can't be captured as USB data.
not really. The video stuff needs explicit hardware support, so the laptop would need to include what's essentially a capture card already. It'd be awesome if vendors did that, but to my knowledge nobody does.
[+] [-] belthesar|5 months ago|reply
[0] https://wiki.sipeed.com/hardware/en/kvm/NanoKVM_USB/introduc...
[1] https://www.cytrence.com/product-page/cytrence-kiwi
[+] [-] yuvadam|5 months ago|reply
[1] - https://openterface.com/
[+] [-] rahimnathwani|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] crimsontech|5 months ago|reply
I also have a PiKVM with the switch for network level access which works really well too.
[+] [-] EvanAnderson|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] craftkiller|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] mwpmaybe|5 months ago|reply
I keep one in my tool bag and I've been meaning to buy a second one for a dedicated crash cart.
I can't speak to the Kiwi or the Openterface as I haven't tried those.
0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAbyQcpR-yQ
[+] [-] thesandlord|5 months ago|reply
https://orion.tube/
[+] [-] rahimnathwani|5 months ago|reply
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genki-studio/id6466343285
I don't know how Orion compares.
The home page says the one-time IAP unlocks 'AI-powered 4k upscaling', which sounds useful.
[+] [-] MBCook|5 months ago|reply
Worked great!
I’ve used the app for other things too. It’s a great solution if you already have an iPad.
[+] [-] hasperdi|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] jmmv|5 months ago|reply
This has annoyed me many times as well with the headless computers I run... until recently, when I bought a USB-powered 7-inch HDMI monitor for an embedded project that didn't go anywhere. But now I have a spare little monitor that I can easily use in these situations and even carry it around if necessary.
[+] [-] bombcar|5 months ago|reply
I like https://feelworld.ltd/collections/5-6-inch-camera-monitor/pr... or similar, $100.
I use it for projection - then I can run the projector as a second monitor through this thing (or similar) and not have to use binoculars to see what's on the screen from the back of the room.
Larger ones can be used as portable second monitors, too.
[+] [-] wzdd|5 months ago|reply
USB capture devices introduce latency, get surprisingly hot, can have frame rate issues, and streaming video from them seems much more CPU-intensive than, for example, playing an equivalent-sized h.264 video (I don't know why but presume it's because they encode using something basic like MJPEG). A portable display has none of these problems.
[+] [-] blensor|5 months ago|reply
Or now that I think of it, just use the glasses with a regular hdmi adapter ( but no 3dof tracking then )
[+] [-] dgfitz|5 months ago|reply
I now carry a little HDMI screen and not one but two portable keyboards with me for all work travel. One of the keyboards is a larger but rolls up, the other is tiny but also has a mouse built into a touchpad.
These devices have saved my bacon more than a few times. Highly recommend.
[+] [-] Lerc|5 months ago|reply
I have several old laptops that still have good screens and keyboards, It would be nice to repurpose some of them. They are certainly large enough to house a compute module with plenty of extras.
[+] [-] fmj|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] frankus|5 months ago|reply
I'm sure we could have improved on that setup but we were an inexperienced skeleton crew on a shoestring budget and not the best management.
I always thought it would be great to have a "laptop without a motherboard" to manage these, and this is close enough given the price of the redundant hardware now.
[+] [-] axiolite|5 months ago|reply
That's basically what a rack console is. At 1U it was skinnier than laptops from prior decades. They're not exactly a laptop form factor, but to get them smaller you would have had to accept a much lower screen resolution, which would risk some systems not being able to display (e.g. your server may have booted-up to 1280x1024 while your laptop could only do 800x600), or would have needed to be quite expensive to add an ultra-high DPI screen.
Still, at various times there were briefly devices like that available for purchase at closeout prices... like the failed "Motorola ATRIX lapdock":
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/motorola-laptop-dock-review/
https://www.amazon.com/AT-Laptop-Dock-Motorola-ATRIX/dp/B004...
I'd say the USB-HDMI capture card is a better solution all-around. I even prefer it to USB "crash carts" because you aren't dependent on the manufacturer keeping their proprietary software software updated for each subsequent Windows/Linux/Mac release.
[+] [-] bombcar|5 months ago|reply
Advantage - battery still somewhat worked so you could get a few minutes (often all you needed) with just that.
[+] [-] ius|5 months ago|reply
You'll want to look up the flags/settings for low latency playback to make it more usable, e.g. for mpv: https://mpv.io/manual/stable/#low-latency-playback
[+] [-] rupas|5 months ago|reply
ipkvm, I really like my 2 JetKVMs. It works very well, physically feels substantial, and the ATX power add-on makes remote management as good as any IPMI solution. I also have a sipeed NanoKVM and that works well, but I don't use it much at this point, just use the JetKVMs instead.
For usb KVM I'm trying to find something that works as a KVM so that I can use the nice display on my home computer but also control my work laptop. This is purely a convenience thing. I'm not trying to use the work laptop remotely or fool my employer. I just prefer my 4k oled display on my personal thinkpad over the crap 1080p dell display on the work laptop.
So I've tried two usb USB kvms.
Cytrence Kiwi - this is the one I settle on to use. The software works well and has had regular updates. It does keyboard capture which I never could get to work with the NanoKVM. The video quality is much better. Except for the inability to capture alt-tab is my only real complaint. :( However, they just (yesterday?) released a new software build that can map another set of keys to alt-tab. Maybe I can train my fingers to do windows-tab or something similar.
NanoKVM-USB - This one has some good ideas. I like the form factor. I like the USB port you can easily switch between host and target to copy images or whatever. As a crash cart type thingie, this is probably just fine. However, as stated above. Trying to use it full time with my work laptop was simply too frustrating. Video quality and lack of keyboard capture (maybe I just couldn't find it) just made it impossible.
So, in summary: JetKVM for ipkvm, cytrence kiwi for usbkvm.
[+] [-] 05|5 months ago|reply
[0] https://github.com/programminghoch10/ESP32SerialSSHProxy
[+] [-] hasheddan|5 months ago|reply
[0] https://euer.krebsco.de/a-software-kvm-switch.html
[+] [-] zoobab|5 months ago|reply
http://www.zoobab.com/esp8266-serial2wifi-bridge
[+] [-] jonathanberi|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] Saris|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] GuB-42|5 months ago|reply
No software, just a built-in hardware kvm exposing the screen, keyboard and pointing device to an external port.
A niche thing, but it shouldn't be expensive to implement, and the ports are already here (usb-c, hdmi).
[+] [-] axiolite|5 months ago|reply
A Display Controller Board for driving a laptop screen from an external input is going to add at least $20 to the price of the laptop. Considerably more expensive than the $6 USB-HDMI capture devices which do the job (and have more utility).
The HDMI output port on your laptop (if you even have one, many only offer miniDP) can't just be run in reverse. The board would need to be updated to allow switching it between output and input, at considerable extra cost.
[+] [-] Cyykratahk|5 months ago|reply
It was a strange laptop. MXM socketed GPU, 120Hz screen that came with Nvidia 3DVision shutter glasses, and the worst battery life I've ever experienced.
[+] [-] m463|5 months ago|reply
I think this might be it?
https://gpdstore.net/blog/gpd-pocket-4-kvm-module-explained/
or there is a similar one. It was a tiny laptop, the kind that a devops/sysadmin would carry around in a server room.
[+] [-] voidUpdate|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] PaulHoule|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] thesandlord|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] exasperaited|5 months ago|reply
So I use one of those cheap HDMI capture devices that flooded eBay about three months into the pandemic to watch Raspberry Pi boot logs or function as ad-hoc console monitor, either with my MBP or with the iPad Pro. The iPad Pro functions usefully as an occasional second monitor for the MBP more directly with USB-C/wifi, of course, so it all works out rather well.
[0] mostly macOS, though I am finally building up a desktop linux escape strategy, 31 years after I first ran X on linux, which might get finally kicked up a notch depending on what happens with Affinity at the end of the month
[+] [-] geokon|5 months ago|reply
Shouldn't this be possible with a single direct ethernet link between laptop and device? I'm not actually sure on the specifics. Or would this require a router? I know you can forward graphical programs with X11 as well
This is one of those rough edges that I wish a Linux distro got right. It's rare, but once in a blue moon you do want to hook up two laptop (say one broken and one working one) and control one from the other (without the ability to configure stuff)
[+] [-] unknown|5 months ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] password4321|5 months ago|reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45317527#45318263
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41138701#41140193
[+] [-] jacquesm|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] crumpled|5 months ago|reply
https://github.com/moononournation/T-Deck/blob/main/ArduinoV...
[+] [-] jwr|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] Thev00d00|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] CYR1X|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] dlcarrier|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] RamRodification|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] netsharc|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] kevmo314|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] numpad0|5 months ago|reply
[+] [-] detaro|5 months ago|reply