Timeline for What would it take to make a PS/2 keyboard interface hot-swap?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Mar 8, 2021 at 16:41 | comment | added | Greenonline | ADB was never designed to be hot-pluggable and the documentation that accompanied devices usually warned not to hot-plug. Most of the time no harm came of hot-plugging, but I distinctly remember frying at least one Mac's motherboard (an expensive lesson). However, the main downside to hot-plugging an ADB mouse was that it would track really really slowly, until the Mac was rebooted. | |
| Mar 8, 2021 at 9:52 | comment | added | Chris H | @MacGuffin Ah, the useful sort rather than the common sort. Fair enough. The abominations came with mice years ago (I've seen them both ways round, but the more common sort was the opposite to what you've got) | |
| Mar 8, 2021 at 9:48 | comment | added | MacGuffin | @ChrisH The USB-PS/2 adapters I have are active, they have two PS/2 inputs. I was quite certain nobody made a passive adapter for a PS/2 mouse to plug into a USB port but I did a quick search to verify this, and sure 'nuff someone made such an abomination. That doesn't really solve any PS/2 hot plug issues since it's really a USB mouse with a different connector. Maybe this could help with a PS/2 KVM switch that doesn't handle PS/2 switching well but then so would an active adapter. That brings to mind that if someone needs to hot plug PS/2 then a KVM switch could allow that. | |
| Mar 8, 2021 at 9:24 | comment | added | Chris H | Many of those USB-PS/2 adaptors were passive and just told a USB- and PS/2-compatible mouse which mode to use. | |
| Mar 8, 2021 at 7:23 | comment | added | MacGuffin | @CodyGray It's more quite likely my memory fails me. I do recall being warned on not hot plugging ADB devices, perhaps this was merely from an abundance of caution than any real hazards of harm. | |
| Mar 8, 2021 at 7:13 | comment | added | Cody Gray | I've never seen or heard of any issue on any Apple computers regarding hot-plugging ADB keyboards or mice, including the earliest (Macintosh SE and Apple IIgs). Nor have I seen or heard of any issues with hot-plugging the Apple GeoPort. | |
| Mar 8, 2021 at 6:09 | history | answered | MacGuffin | CC BY-SA 4.0 |