I have 3 mac minis set up for various uses and would like to share one monitor due to space. Each has it's own mouse and keyboard. Any ideas. I've looked at KVM switches. Is there anything that would only switch the Video?
A 3-port HDMI video switch should do the trick. Here is one example from Eaton Tripp Lite. This model includes a remote control.
Check the specs carefully of whatever device you choose to make sure the switch is compatible with all three of your minis as well as the display.
A 3-port HDMI video switch should do the trick. Here is one example from Eaton Tripp Lite. This model includes a remote control.
Check the specs carefully of whatever device you choose to make sure the switch is compatible with all three of your minis as well as the display.
tvrrproto48 wrote:
It's a HPw2007 I've had forever. It fits the space in my computer roll top desk perfectly. It has vga and dmi.
Do yourself a favor and get a new display that has 3 HDMI inputs.
With 3 minis & the HPw2007 the only common interface would be DVI requiring multiple adapters and/or HDMI/DVI gender changers plus a switch. And the HPW2007 is only 1680x1050. That is a lot of complexity. You are probably having the problem you already have because of something like that.
OTOH, have you considered getting 1 decent monitor, probably connected to your 2018 mini, and then use Screen Sharing to see the displays of and operate the other 2 minis? You would only need 1 keyboard & mouse, connected to the mini that has the display attached. No switches involved but you would need an HDMI dummy plug for each of the headless minis.
pretty sure most monitors today support what you wish out of the box at least all mine does.
had a 27" monitor connected to
desktop windows computer (hdmi 1)
mac mini (DVI)
xbox one (hdmi2)
work laptop (hdmi3)
a physical butten on the monitor to switch between which if the inport ports are the active input source
sort of like if you have a tv with more external boxes connected to it.
What make and model is the external Display..?
If the external display has multiple selectable video inputs (for example: 2 HDMI inputs and DisplayPort input) then you could hook up a Mac mini to each of those inputs without the need for a video switch.
"Video-only switch for Mac mini and single monitor: I have 3 mac minis set up for various uses and would like to share one monitor due to space. Each has its own mouse and keyboard. Any ideas. I've looked at KVM switches. Is there anything that would only switch the Video?"
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Try Screen Mirroring with the Keyboard:
If you were to screen mirror it with all of these connected to one port, it might split the screen, or it might just takeover what is currently shown.
It's a HPw2007 I've had forever. It fits the space in my computer roll top desk perfectly. It has vga and dmi. I have a HDMI splitter right now but when I switch to the other computer it just "snows". I have to reboot the computer to get it to connect and then if I switch back to the other one it won't connect without a reboot. What would happen if both are running and both connected to the monitor directly?
I have a 2012 that is used for email and browsing. I'm trying to set up the 2014 as a server (Linux) and a 2018 that runs fusion 360 for 3d design and printing. I'm not really certain on the server. Once it's set up I guess I would not need a monitor for it? I'll play around with adapters I have and get both the 2012 and 2018 connected and see what happens.
The old HP is not really the idea display for the later Mac mini's or 3d design and printing.
However if I was stuck with the old display... I would setup the 2012 Mac mini using a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter and the 2018 Mac mini using USB-C to DVI or HDMI to DVI adapter. Then setup the 2014 with macOS as a file server using Screen Sharing and access it from the other two Mac mini's. Or optionally reverse the 2012 and 2014 rolls and use the 2012 Mac mini as the server the 2014 Mac mini for web surfing.
I hadn't heard of screen sharing. I may give that a try. Thanks
ps: I'm still discovering Mac. I've never bought a PC. Been building my computers from components and running Linux Mint. My brother gave me his old Macbook pro with Windows bootcamp on it. When my latest incarnation became outdated my brother told me to try a Mac Mini. I started with the 2012 for under $50 and loved it,so I picked up the 2014 for $65. Needing more power for Fusion I just got the 2018. Other than photography and 3d design I don't use a computer for much more then email, browsing and paying bills. I know they are old but serve my purposes. But heck I still drive my pickup I bought new in 1983.
tvrrproto48 wrote:
I started with the 2012 for under $50 and loved it,so I picked up the 2014 for $65. Needing more power for Fusion I just got the 2018. Other than photography and 3d design I don't use a computer for much more then email, browsing and paying bills. I know they are old but serve my purposes. But heck I still drive my pickup I bought new in 1983.
So, now that you have the 2018 mini, why do you need the older two minis?
The system resources needed for email, browsing & pay bills is miniscule compared to whatever you may be doing for photography. And AFAIK, Fusion is cloud-based so even it wouldn't require a whole lot of system resource. Just sayin' you can probably get away fine with just the 2018 Mac mini.
I have to agree with Martin. I would also use the 2018 Mac mini for design, e-mail, surfing, paying bills, etc...
Then just use the 2012 or 2014 Mac mini with the larger drive as a media and file server via Screen Sharing.
I probable would use just the 2018. But with the ssd soldered in I don't want to wear it out doing other things with it. That's why I started with the 2012. Based on my experience I have never lost memory on any computer build I did so I picked up a 2014. I have lost three times as many ssd vs hdd. That is why I did not consider the 2018 until I found I could not run fusion on the 2014. I'm old school, if it's broke I fix it. But if it's not designed to be repaired I try to avoid. My 83 Mazda has never seen the inside of a shop other then mine. My newest vehicle is a 2001. I won't buy anything newer. If I can't fix it I don't want it.
It is highly unlikely that you will ware-out that 2018 Mac mini's SSD.
For example: I have a 2018 Mac mini that has been in continuous service every day for over 7 years. It only gets shut down when we are away for more than a day, it only occasionally gets restarted for a macOS upgrade/update and it shows no sigh of a failing internal SSD. Beside if it goes caput tomorrow, the I can migrate from one of my backups to a new M4 Mac mini and keep right on going.
tvrrproto48 wrote:
I probable would use just the 2018. But with the ssd soldered in I don't want to wear it out doing other things with it.
There is no reason to believe you would "wear it out" through use. There are no moving parts in the SSD, the Mac does TRIM and wear leveling on the SSD and Apple uses high quality components.
In my own experience have 2 Intel iMacs and a 2018 Intel Mac mini all 8+ years old, all purchased used. No idea how much they may have been used previously and in my situation they are in daily use. All run perfectly well ... actually better than all previous machines. I also have 15+ external SSDs that I purchased over the last 10 years and none have failed.
The point being that it is very unlikely you would "wear out" the SSD in your 2018 mini.
Like I said my failure rate with ssd's is much higher than hdd. I've read that ssd have so many read/write cycles before they quit running. I've got WD hdd drives going back 16 years. I just had another WD ssd failure (just over a year old) which prompted the switch to Mac. And I would probable never go beyond 2018 unless (not likely) Apple goes back to user friendly drives and memory.
Video-only switch for Mac mini and single monitor
