4.2 KiB
GZVich (广正维创) 4-port HDMI USB KVM Switch
This KVM seems only selling in China (On Taobao and JD). It can control by the buttons on panel, by remote control (IR or RF), and a RS232 port in a 3.5mm headphone Jack
!!! warning Audio was not tested, it is assumed to be non-functional
Connections
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Make a custom RS232 cable with a 3.5mm headphone jack. See the pin definition at below table
Pin Definition (From host prospective) Top RX Middle TX Bottom GND -
Connect the HDMI out from the KVM switch to the Raspberry Pi CSI-2 to HDMI input.
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Connect host USB and HDMI cables from the KVM switch to the machines to be managed per the switch instructions.
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Connect the RS232 port to Raspberry Pi via USB to serial bridge or TTL to RS232 Converter
Serial port control protocol
!!! info This KVM switch does not have serial command to query active port. Also, it does not send notify message to serial when switching port by using panel button or IR remote. So the LED in Web UI will not sync if the port was switched in these 2 ways.
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Switch to port 1 | 0xfe 0x00 0x33 0x31 0xaa |
| Switch to port 2 | 0xfe 0x00 0x33 0x32 0xaa |
| Switch to port 3 | 0xfe 0x00 0x33 0x33 0xaa |
| Switch to port 4 | 0xfe 0x00 0x33 0x34 0xaa |
Adding UI elements to control the KVM switch
The UI can be updated to add buttons to switch between KVM inputs and indicators for which input is currently selected. The instructions below will make these available in the PiKVM UI after clicking the "GPIO" menu button in the KVM view.
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SSH into PiKVM
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Enable read-write mode on the sd card via
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Edit the
/etc/kvmd/override.yamlfile and include the following.Method Device USB to RS232 Bridge /dev/ttyUSB0TTL to RS232 Converter /dev/ttyAMA0kvmd: gpio: drivers: hk: type: gz_hk401x device: /dev/ttyUSB0 scheme: ch0_led: driver: hk pin: 0 mode: input ch1_led: driver: hk pin: 1 mode: input ch2_led: driver: hk pin: 2 mode: input ch3_led: driver: hk pin: 3 mode: input ch0_button: driver: hk pin: 0 mode: output switch: false ch1_button: driver: hk pin: 1 mode: output switch: false ch2_button: driver: hk pin: 2 mode: output switch: false ch3_button: driver: hk pin: 3 mode: output switch: false view: table: - ["#Input 1", ch0_led, ch0_button] - ["#Input 2", ch1_led, ch1_button] - ["#Input 3", ch2_led, ch2_button] - ["#Input 4", ch3_led, ch3_button] -
Return to read-only mode for the sd card via
ro -
Restart the kvmd service:
systemctl restart kvmd
Switching between hosts in the UI
To switch between hosts, enter the KVM UI and click the "GPIO" menu. You should see 4 inputs, one of which will have a green circle indicating it is currently selected. Click the other inputs to change the selected host.
Regarding HDMI Backpower
This KVM switch have the HDMI backpower issue. You can use either the solutions in Multiport KVM over IP. Or use the below solution (Need a hot air rework station).
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Remove the diode marked below.

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Use USB to DC Cable to power the KVM switch by using the USB port on the Pi