My Computer Help

I have been using the Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro on the Raspberry Pi and Desktop computer. I like that the cable also has a PS/2 plug which I use to plug it into my Windows 8 and Lubuntu Linux dual boot desktop computer, and I use the keyboards USB plug to plug it into the Raspberry Pi’s USB port by using a short USB extension cable which I got from a USB flash drive which came with a USB extension cable.  This keyboard having both a USB, and PS/2 plug on the cable makes it possible for me to share the keyboard between my Raspberry Pi which uses a USB port for the keyboard, and my desktop computer which uses a PS/2 port for connecting a keyboard.

There are also 2 USB ports on the keyboard which I can use on the keyboard. I plug in my USB mouse into the keyboard, and sometimes use the other USB port on the cable to plug in a USB flash drive. Using this keyboard with 2 USB port is great for the Pi because I am now only using 1 USB port on the Pi instead of 2 because the keyboard is also connected to my mouse via USB, so I can use the 1 empty free USB port on my Pi to plug in a USB hard drive, or Wi-Fi adapter. I now don’t need to plug in a USB hub to use a USB keyboard, mouse, and storage drive because the keyboard has a built-in USB hub with 2 USB ports. The USB ports are USB 1.0 ports, so they are fast enough for devices like USB mouse, and USB flash drives which are used to open music files, documents, and photos, but the USB 1.0 port is not fast enough for playing HD video off a USB 2.0 flash drive.  I usually use the Raspberry Pi’s USB port to open video files on a USB 2.0 flash drive. I also have a 4 port USB 2.0 hub which I use to connect my Pi to a USB Flash drive, USB external hard drive and USB Wi-Fi adapter.

The Keyboard cable with both the USB and PS/2 cable attach to it feels very well made, and thick, so it is unlikely to break. The USB plug and PS/2 keyboard plug also looks pretty durable.

I like the simple white design of the keyboard with the gray multimedia, and web browser buttons on top.  The Microsoft Logo is also not very distracting, and blends well with the keyboard. The keyboard does not look overly modern, and manly like many keyboards which are on sale these days.

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I have been using the HP Pavilion F1903 19″ LCD Monitor as a cheap monitor for Raspberry Pi by buying a cheap  $8 HDMI to DVI cable to connect the Pi’s HDMI video to the f1903’s DVI video port. I also setup the monitor to auto-detect video from my DVI port or VGA port, so it will automatically switch between the VGA and DVI port when it detects a video signal on either ports.

I can buy it online for under $50 on sites like Craigslist, Amazon, and eBay because this is an older monitor, so it is cheaper compared to newer monitors with HDMI ports, built-in speakers, and more video connections. [continue reading…]