About this manual LINDY CPU Switch - Installation and Use Second Edition (May 1998) LINDY CPU 2 Switch – Part No. 32 252 LINDY CPU 4 Switch – Part No. 32 253 LINDY CPU 4 OSD Switch – Part No. 32 259 LINDY CPU 8 OSD Switch – Part No. 32 257 LINDY CPU 16 OSD Switch – Part No. 32 258 © 1998 LINDY Electronics Ltd. All rights reserved. Whilst every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, LINDY Electronics Ltd assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Radio Frequency Energy Shielded cables must be used with this equipment to maintain compliance with radio frequency energy emission regulations and ensure a suitably high level of immunity to electromagnetic disturbances. European EMC directive 89/336/EEC This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in the European standard EN55022.
Contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Key features ......................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Package contents................................................................................................. 4 1.3 Product information ............................................................................................. 5 2. Installation 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 3. Using the LINDY CPU Switch 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.
1. Introduction Thank you for purchasing the LINDY CPU Switch. Your LINDY CPU Switch is a high performance keyboard, monitor and mouse sharing device which supports a wide range of PC hardware and software platforms. 1.1 Key Features Key Features of LINDY CPU Switch CPU CPU 2 4 CPU CPU CPU 4 8 16 OSD OSD OSD Control multiple PCs from a single keyboard, monitor and mouse. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Control multiple PCs from a local and remote keyboard, monitor and mouse.
1.
Figure 3 – LINDY CPU 4 OSD Switch Front & Rear views (4 port version supporting 4 PCs) Page 6 Installation & Use – English Guide LINDY ELECTRONICS LTD
Figure 4 – LINDY CPU 8 OSD Switch Front & Rear views (8 port version supporting 8 PCs) Figure 5 - Remote control pad / display (Optional accessory not for use with the LINDY CPU 2 or LINDY CPU 16 OSD Switches) LINDY ELECTRONICS LTD Installation & Use – English Guide Page 7
Figure 6 – LINDY CPU 16 OSD Switch Front & Rear views (16 port version supporting 16 PCs) Page 8 Installation & Use – English Guide LINDY ELECTRONICS LTD
2. Installation 2.1 What you will need • Cables to connect the LINDY CPU Switch to each of your PC keyboard, video and mouse ports. Cable specifications are given in appendix B. (You do not need to connect a mouse cable if you are not using the mouse). • A monitor with a standard VGA/SVGA (15 pin) connector that will work when connected directly to each of your PCs. LINDY CPU Switch supports low and high resolution monitors. • A standard AT or PS/2 style keyboard.
2.2 Mounting the LINDY CPU Switch LINDY CPU 2 & 4 Switches The LINDY CPU Switch has been designed to be used either on a desktop or mounted close to the computer system boxes which it is serving. If the LINDY CPU Switch is mounted away from the desktop, you may find the optional remote control keypad/display unit a useful accessory (not for use with 2 port version) 2.
The LINDY CPU Switch is now ready for connection to the mains using the mains power adapter supplied. It is important to apply power to the LINDY CPU Switch first, then power on the monitor and each of the computers in turn. Failure to switch the LINDY CPU Switch and computers on in the correct order can lead to the mouse and/or keyboard not being recognised by the computers when they are switched on. 2.
Mouse characteristics - do not unplug a PS/2 mouse connection from a PC whilst the PC is on. Due to the design of PS/2 mice communications the mouse function on the PC will be lost and you will have to re-boot the PC to regain normal operation. Unplugging the mouse from the LINDY CPU Switch will also cause it to stop operating when it is plugged back in. RS232 mice can usually be unplugged and plugged back in provided that a mouse was connected when the operating system initially booted.
2.7 Hot plugging the LINDY CPU Switch into running systems and re-enabling disconnected CPU PS/2 mouse connections It is advisable to switch off the systems that are going to be connected to the LINDY CPU Switch before installation. However if this is not possible then most systems can be hot plugged by using the LINDY CPU Switch’s mouse restoration functions. The keyboard connection will normally restore itself automatically.
To restore lost mouse movement on a CPU connected to the LINDY CPU Switch: 1) Select the CPU that has lost its mouse movement 2) Press the select key on the front of the LINDY CPU Switch for 5 seconds until ‘C’ is displayed. You are now in configure mode. 3) To restore a PS/2 mouse connection press ) Or, to restore an IntelliMouse connection press ) 4) Exit from configure mode by typing ( 5) Test the mouse movement by moving the mouse a short distance.
3. Using the LINDY CPU Switch This section explains the general operation of the LINDY CPU Switch. We recommend that you read this section before starting to use the product. 3.1 Power on status At power on the LINDY CPU Switch selects PC number 1 and displays '1'. If a password has been set then ‘P’ will be displayed and the LINDY CPU Switch will remain locked until a valid password is entered. The 16 port model is also fitted with a power indicator. 3.
3.3 Front panel keys and remote controller KEY SELECT key LINDY LINDY LINDY LINDY LINDY CPU 2 CPU 4 CPU 4 OSD CPU 8 OSD CPU 16 OSD The SELECT key is used to select which channel is currently controlled by the shared keyboard, mouse and monitor ports. It is also used to enter configuration mode (see section 4). Pressing the key during normal operation will cause the next channel to be selected.
3.4 Status display The status display usually shows the currently selected port. If autoscan mode is selected, the segments will illuminate in sequence in a clockwise direction interspersed with a display of the currently selected channel. If LINDY CPU Switch has been locked, ‘P’ will be displayed until a valid password has been typed to unlock the unit. Data flow from the mouse or keyboard causes the dot to flash. 3.
3.6 Keyboard hotkey control LINDY CPU Switch can be conveniently controlled by selecting channel, autoscan mode or security locking from the keyboard. All of the hotkey control commands are invoked by holding down the two hotkeys and then pressing a command key. By default, the two hotkeys are t and s, although other combinations can be selected by reconfiguring the hotkeys (see section 4.7).
Hotkey Sequence CPU 4 OSD, 8 OSD and 16 OSD Only ‘HOTKEYs’ & 0 Displays the on screen menu for selecting computers by name ‘HOTKEYs’ & $ Selects autoscan mode where each channel is displayed for the selected time (see section 4.4). To cancel autoscan mode simply select any fixed channel either by hotkey or using the LINDY CPU Switch button. ‘HOTKEYs’ & / Disables the LINDY CPU Switch 's shared keyboard and mouse and displays 0. The video signal is switched off.
3.7 On Screen Menu control IMPORTANT NOTE This next section dealing with the On Screen Menu control is a feature only supported on the LINDY CPU 4 OSD, 8 OSD & 16 OSD versions.
digits on the CPU 16 OSD model (adding a leading 0 if necessary). ). If you are using cascaded LINDY CPU Switches, the cascade routing will need to be entered (see section 3.10 for more details). To specify port 5 on a LINDY CPU Switch that is cascaded off port 3 you would enter port number 35 (CPU 4 OSD & CPU 8 OSD models) or 0305 (CPU 16 OSD model). Units can be cascaded three levels deep. Now press again to complete the entry and store it in the menu memory.
3.8 Mouse control The channels can conveniently be changed on the LINDY CPU Switch by using a three button mouse or IntelliMouse. In order to switch to the next channel simply hold down the central mouse button or wheel button and click on the left hand mouse button. The channel will then change. 3.9 RS232 control IMPORTANT NOTE RS232 control is supported on all LINDY CPU Switches except the LINDY CPU 2 Switch LINDY CPU Switch can be controlled by a remote RS232 device.
For example, consider a situation where two LINDY CPU Switch units are connected together (as shown in figures 7 and 8). To connect to the computer attached to port 3 on LINDY CPU Switch B the user would hold down the hotkey keys then press followed by , whilst keeping the hotkey keys pressed. This will have the effect of connecting to port ‘3’ of the LINDY CPU Switch which is connected into port ‘2’ of the first LINDY CPU Switch unit A.
Figure 7 - A typical cascade of two LINDY CPU Switches (CPU 4 versions) Figure 8 - A typical cascade of two LINDY CPU Switches (CPU 8 OSD versions) Page 24 Installation & Use – English Guide LINDY ELECTRONICS LTD
4. LINDY CPU Switch configuration options The LINDY CPU Switch is supplied pre-configured with factory defaults which are suitable for most applications. There are a number of more advanced features and functions which can be set by the user. These are stored in the LINDY CPU Switch's EEPROM memory and are retained when the power is disconnected. The options may be changed whilst the LINDY CPU Switch is in configure mode.
4.2 Display options The LINDY CPU Switch display has a flashing dot which will activate whenever the keyboard or mouse are used. Certain users may prefer to disable this flashing dot by setting the D2, D4 or D6 options. The remote control pad / display is designed to fit on the left or right hand side of the keyboard or monitor. Select the mode required so that the port number appears in the correct orientation.
4.4 Autoscan ‘lock on’ mode and delay time LINDY CPU Switch can be set to select each channel in turn for a period of time set by the Autoscan delay time. Autoscan mode is entered by typing the hotkey keys together with $. By default, only those channels which have a powered up computer connected to them will be scanned. Sometimes it may be desirable to scan all channels, even if the attached computer is switched off (this will simply show a blank screen when it is selected).
4.5 Timeout setting for switching between the local and remote keyboard/mouse ports (A and B) If you are controlling the LINDY CPU Switch from two locations then you will have connected keyboards, monitors and mice to the local and remote ports (A and B). The LINDY CPU Switch will accept keyboard and mouse data from either location and the video is duplicated on both monitors. Only one of the ports may be used at a time.
Standard PS/2 and IntelliMouse compatible mice can be connected to control ports A and B in any combination. You may configure your CPUs using Microsoft PS/2 or IntelliMouse drivers in any combination as required. The IntelliMouse features are supported on both PS/2 and RS232 CPU connections. When using PS/2 CPU connections, the LINDY CPU Switch will automatically configure itself to the type of mouse requested by the driver.
4.8 Firmware functions (version query, mouse restore and reset) For technical support purposes, it may be necessary to find the firmware release version for the control software in your LINDY CPU Switch. For example, if the release version is v1.02 the response shown to ) will be a brief display of the digit ‘1’, then ) will be a brief display of the digit ‘0’, then ) will be a brief display of the digit ‘2’.
4.9 Setting a security password There are many situations where unrestricted access to corporate file servers or sensitive information needs to be controlled. In such circumstances, the LINDY CPU Switch can be locked away in a room or secure cabinet and controlled remotely. In this mode typing the keyboard hotkeys together with 0 will blank the screen, disconnect the keyboard and mouse from all of the computers and display ‘P’ on the LINDY CPU Switch display.
Appendix A.
KEYS CONFIGURATION DESCRIPTION CPU CPU CPU CPU CPU 2 4 4 OSD 8 OSD 16 OSD / / / / 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 LINDY CPU Switch locks on to active ports only during autoscanning (default) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes LINDY CPU Switch locks on to every port during autoscanning Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes LINDY CPU Switch powers on in autoscan mode & locks on to active ports only Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes LINDY CPU Switch powers on in autoscan mode and locks
Appendix B. Cable and connector specifications IMPORTANT NOTE The maximum cable lengths supported vary widely between devices and cables. It may be possible to use cables that are longer than those specified below with certain PCs and peripherals but this cannot be guaranteed. If you experience problems try using shorter cables.
CABLE CONNECTION LINDY CPU Switch to PCs 1 to 16 RS232 serial mice Expansion port pin assignments CABLE SPECIFICATION These require a special converter to connect the RS232 lines present on the LINDY CPU Switch mouse ports to the RS232 port on a PC. The wiring is identical to that used by Microsoft for their autosensing mouse adapter and is shown below: Cables should be no longer than 30 metres.
Appendix C. Problem Solving PROBLEM Poor video quality with smearing fuzziness or ripple. ACTION Use screened coaxial video cables to connect your devices to the LINDY CPU Switch. Mouse does not move cursor on screen Ensure that the mouse and computer are both connected to LINDY CPU Switch before power is connected and ensure LINDY CPU Switch is powered on before the attached computer.
PROBLEM Mouse causes channel to change. Mouse jumps around the screen after disconnecting the mouse cable or powering down the LINDY CPU Switch. LINDY CPU Switch does not power on correctly (display is blank or stuck after power on). Mouse consistently fails to boot when using a Compaq integrated keyboard / mouse model MX11800 with the LINDY CPU Switch, Windows NT 4.0 and a PS/2 connection to some types of PCs.
Notes Page 38 Installation & Use – English Guide LINDY ELECTRONICS LTD
