Vchat20
Landing is the REAL challenge
join:2003-09-16
Warren, OH
| Extending range of 25mhz wireless keyboard?
Very simple question here. Got this wireless keyboard/mouse set here that runs off a run-of-the-mill 25mhz encoder, no bluetooth or any digitally based transmission. Real cheapo grade.
Currently I can hardly get more than 2ft line of sight before keys on the keyboard start going wonky and this is with fresh batteries.
Any idea where I could start to possibly extend the range of this thing? They keyboard seems to have a simple wire running around the perimeter of the inside of the case as an antenna and the receiver I think just has traces on the circuit board (though I forget. It's been a while since I opened it up.). I've been hoping to have it stretch across my bedroom by about 8ft line of sight to my bed, but I can't even get past 2ft before it starts acting up.
P.S. The mouse isn't a concern, I use a tried and true logitech wired optical mouse instead. Zero issues.
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I swear, some people should have pace-makers installed to free up the resources. Breathing and heart beat taxes their whole system, all of their brain cells wasted on life support.-two bit brains, and the second bit is wasted on parity! ~head_spaz |
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Camelot One
Premium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Sarasota, FL
clubs:
 ·VoicePulse
| I don't know if the modern versions are the same, but the older wireless sets used the cable from the receiver to the PC as an antenna. A lot of people would coil it up to make it look nice, which in turn cut the range to almost nothing. I would start by experimenting with that cable placement.
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Intel Q6600 @3400Mhz/GA-EP35-DS3P/2x 2048Mb G.Skill/Seagate 750.10/EVGA 8800GT's SLI/Silverstone 850W/Custom water cooler |
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aurgathor
join:2002-12-01
Lynnwood, WA | reply to Vchat20
You could try to make the antenna longer, or increase the voltage of the batteries. For example, if it runs on 2xAA, hook up an external holder and use three Ni-Cads for 3.6V vs 3.0V originally.
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Stick a lip on a pig! |
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Vchat20
Landing is the REAL challenge
join:2003-09-16
Warren, OH
| I actually did this and hooked the keyboard up to a 4.5V NiCd battery out of an old cordless phone handset. I also took the receive apart and found the trace on the board acting as an antenna and found a resistor running to it and looped a simple 2ft long wire underneath the lead and ran it out of the case.
So far I've had no trouble going across the room and few missed buttons. Though at the frequency this thing's running, interference is gonna be a mess anyway.
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I swear, some people should have pace-makers installed to free up the resources. Breathing and heart beat taxes their whole system, all of their brain cells wasted on life support.-two bit brains, and the second bit is wasted on parity! ~head_spaz |
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aurgathor
join:2002-12-01
Lynnwood, WA | I guess that's pretty much as far as you can go without $eriou$ mods.
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Stick a lip on a pig! |
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