Twin screens are a slippery slope and earlier than you already know it, you’ll need two utterly unbiased computer systems working on the identical time. Perhaps one has Linux put in and the opposite runs Home windows, or one is for work duties whereas the opposite is for private stuff. Regardless of the case, you most likely don’t need to have two keyboard and two mice sitting in your desk — that’d be needlessly redundant and the positions can be uncomfortable. Der-B needed a Planck keyboard that might simply change between computer systems, so he designed this sleek beauty.
Customers that need to change between computer systems can, in fact, use KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switches — that’s their complete goal. There may be additionally software program that may obtain the identical consequence nearly if the computer systems are related to a shared community. However a KVM change is another gadget with messy cables to setup and the software program isn’t at all times an possibility. Der-B’s mechanical USB-multiplexing Planck keyboard retains every part very tidy and doesn’t want any particular software program in any respect. Simply join USB cables from the keyboard to the computer systems and it could change between them as mandatory.
The Planck structure isn’t essentially the most ergonomic possibility, however it’s the most compact. Der-B’s design has simply 48 keys organized in an ortholinear grid. It makes use of low-profile Cherry MX mechanical key switches, with 3D-printed key caps to match the 3D-printed body. It actually isn’t attainable to make a mechanical keyboard like this a lot smaller whereas nonetheless using full-size keys.
A customized PCB comprises two essential elements: a Microchip ATmega32U4 microcontroller and an Onsemi FSUSB63 3:1 USB 2.0 multiplexing change IC. That chip bodily switches USB connections between the one enter (coming from the AVR chip) and the three outputs (going to the computer systems). So far as the computer systems know, the person is unplugging the USB cable from one and plugging it into the opposite.
Der-B did discover some issues with this design, resembling the form of the important thing caps making it troublesome to kind precisely. And the 48-key Planck structure generally is troublesome to study. However this keyboard does work and does resolve the issue it was meant to.
