Comment by IgorPartola
1 year ago
See I do have a use for this kind of thing, but not exactly. I have a few desktop towers and Raspberry Pi devices that sometimes due to upgrades or random acts of Zeus absolutely fail to boot up. I want some ability to connect a keyboard and a screen to these so I can see the actual boot screen. Normally for me this involves lugging the device to my office and connecting it to my office monitor and keyboard which is highly inconvenient given that some are in the attic. Instead I want a small screen and keyboard in one device I can hook up to an HDMI or VGA or mini HDMI or just a serial port + USB for keyboard. Something lightweight I can carry anywhere.
And no that doesn’t need its own computer but it might be nice to have one to be able to hook it up to the network and download and transfer files to the broken machine or be able to download and quickly boot off a rescue image or some such.
These are rare enough problems that I don’t actually bother building a device like that but every time they do happen I wish I did.
I too have this use case troubleshooting headless computers around the house. I saw an ad for https://amzn.com/dp/B00I5SW8MC
This looks quite interesting, thanks for the link. It does seem to require a native viewer instead of having a web interface. I would really prefer just a website like the PiKVM. Might still get it.
I have to do an off-topic rant though. The marketing page you linked to does not really state what this device does. It has a nice look into the case and a lot of buzzwords, but nothing like a small section with "HDMI Input" or "USB keyboard emulation". Even the shop page is somewhat light on details, but it at least shows (in GIFs only) that it works as a display and has a USB port. If I wasn't given your comment as context, I would likely not have gotten the use case and closed the tab. Based on the form factor being similar to a Fire TV stick etc. I would have assumed you plug it into a Hotel TV or similar to work on that.
EDIT: Saw your edit now and I think it is kind of funny that the old HN thread is also mentioning the marketing.
Looks like those mini keyboards are available on AliExpress quite cheap!
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804879544433.html
If you don't want to spend a lot of money on this:
1) Get a Bluetooth adapter.
2) One of those cheap Chinese keyboard/mouse combinations like the one you linked (the are many more).
3) Get a cheap Chinese portable monitor with HDMI/USB-C.
4) Optionally, a powerbank for the monitor. Or get one with a battery.
You'll be done with a similar price as this 'Aurga'. Back in the Nokia days, you could use Nokia Linux device as a remote keyboard/monitor/mouse, too. So e.g. Nokia N800/Nokia N810 a better cyberdeck than a Sharp Zaurus.
Logitech has similar devices. This isn't the one I own, but it's close.
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-P...
I have that keyboard and gifted one to my parents. Our use case is the odd chance you need to input text or use a browser on a Smart TV. Works so much faster than the on screen keyboard. With many Smart TVs just being Android under the hood, it just works.
I find for server troubleshooting, I usually have no problem grabbing a random USB keyboard. The bigger problem is finding a screen at a convenient location and connecting that one. It often was easier to carry my server to the screen instead of the other way.
On the topic of niche input methods, I also have an "air mouse" [1] with a full keyboard on the back for my Kodi system or when connecting my desktop to the TV. I essentially never need to use it, but it has come in handy.
[1] https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0B1HKWFQV
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I have one of these and it's great for this sort of thing. The whole keyboard runs off one AA battery which lasts forever, and it even has a storage spot for the USB dongle.
Those combo devices are incredibly useful in a pinch -- I keep one in my backpack. I've used it countless times while working on interactive installations and also while messing around with Pis at home.
On the other end of the spectrum, searching https://gpd.hk/gpdpocket3
iPad + HDMI input dongle can be an HDMI monitor. iPad + GetConsole app + Redpark [1] USB-serial cable = serial console. The missing piece is USB keyboard emulation, but serial->arduino [2] might work.
iPad + $40 RISC-V piKVM-alike [3] is another option.
I have this exact same problem. I wonder how they solve this issue in datacenters and if that solution could apply to the home setting.
From what I understand, KVM setup is what is used. In the olden days it used to be a keyboard and monitor in every rack with a switch to connect to all the machines in the rack. Nowadays I’m sure it is more software than hardware but same principle. A home setup would be a laptop form factor device that can take in different video inputs and has a keyboard. A mouse wouldn’t even be required but I guess wouldn’t be hard to add. It would need a battery for the monitor but really would need no brains at all.
Another option would be a computer that can do video in and act as a USB HID for the keyboard/mouse but then allow you to connect to it via VNC. This really could be amazing if you could just plug in two cables and then go to your laptop to connect to it.
$40 RISC-V networked KVM for remote 1080p 60fps video, keyboard and power control, 2" cube, https://sipeed.com/nanokvm
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They make USB KVM devices. Run an application on your computer to send input / receive output. Then you can use whatever laptop you want. That said, I've only used them on Windows, so drivers might be an issue.
Would that work with a BIOS? Boot loader?
Yes, the pikvm (or nanokvm) devices are cheap KVM over IP and they take input from the HDMI output of the server/pc, so you see just the same as you would if you were stood in front of the physical monitor plugged into the HDMI. They also come with the motherboard connector so you can do a power-off/power-on remotely. You can change BIOS settings and even do a full OS install remotely.
Probably just intel chips slowly frying themselves like everyone else. Don’t bring Zeus into this.
I picked up a used 7 inch “dslr monitor” with hdmi input for about $99 I keep it in a cheap harbor freight pelican style case.
I _think_ you are describing (minus the screen) what a PiKVM and similar would give you.
I can confirm that getting a PiKVM has very much eliminated lugging around my server or a screen. Having some form of display input would be the one feature I would wish to add if given the choice. Not having HDMI-In, e.g. via capture card, makes sense in this form factor and power budget, but would make this an instant buy for me. I would really enjoy having a small, very portable device to debug things with.
I recently got linked to a CCTV tester [1] that at least handles the display part. Sadly it does not seem to have keyboard emulation. It might be possible to hack this in as this is an Android tablet at its core and the USB controller might support gadget mode.
[1] https://www.rsrteng.com/products/ipc-9800movtadhs-pro
take a look at the gpd pocket 3, with kvm module. sounds exactly like what you're looking for