# Double-left hand keyboard?

**URL:** <https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887>\
**Category:** Hardware hacking\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [December 20, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887 "2017-12-20T13:31:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![merlin](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.keyboard.io/merlin/32/3416_2.png) [@merlin](https://community.keyboard.io/u/merlin)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/1 "2017-12-20T13:31:20Z")

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Just out of silly curiosity, what happens if someone with two Model01’s connects two left-half keyboards together with an RJ45 cable? With just one of them plugged in via USB? With both plugged in?

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**Author:** ![cal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@cal](https://community.keyboard.io/u/cal)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 10:45am UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/2 "2017-12-21T10:45:25Z")

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Likewise, what happens when both halves, instead of being plugged into each other, are instead plugged into an old 10Base-T router?  
(Note: _not_ switch, as that would be guaranteed to not work; we’re looking for something that blindly rebroadcasts input to all other connections.)

And if that works, what happens when multiple halves are plugged into the same router?

🤔

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**Author:** ![jesse](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.keyboard.io/jesse/32/361_2.png) [@jesse](https://community.keyboard.io/u/jesse)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/3 "2017-12-21T20:07:25Z")

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I’ll make this easy: **Don’t do that.**

Among other things, the hardware is _not_ designed to be plugged into an ethernet hub or router.

It’s also not designed to be plugged into itself.

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**Author:** ![danielcavanagh](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.keyboard.io/danielcavanagh/32/903_2.png) [@danielcavanagh](https://community.keyboard.io/u/danielcavanagh)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 4:09am UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/4 "2017-12-22T04:09:56Z")

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> I’ll make this easy: Don’t do that.

someone’s guaranteed to do it now! 😃

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**Author:** ![cal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@cal](https://community.keyboard.io/u/cal)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 10:42am UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/5 "2017-12-22T10:42:48Z")

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> [@danielcavanagh](#):
>
> > [@jesse](#):
> >
> > I’ll make this easy: **Don’t do that.**
> 
> someone’s guaranteed to do it now! 😃

Indeed. And it will be something along the lines of: “Hey this connector looks like it will fit in this other thing. What happens when I link them together… Whoops!”

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**Author:** ![jesse](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.keyboard.io/jesse/32/361_2.png) [@jesse](https://community.keyboard.io/u/jesse)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/6 "2017-12-22T20:43:54Z")

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That is, unfortunately, the danger of using a commodity connector.

At some point, I ought to test these scenarios again, up to and including seeing what happens if you plug in a Power Over Ethernet cable.

Nobody else should try this. Seriously.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![merlin](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.keyboard.io/merlin/32/3416_2.png) [@merlin](https://community.keyboard.io/u/merlin)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/7 "2017-12-22T20:53:18Z")

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I’m feeling a bit guilty for posting this in the first place. I certainly hope nobody tries it.

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**Author:** ![jesse](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex031/user_avatar/community.keyboard.io/jesse/32/361_2.png) [@jesse](https://community.keyboard.io/u/jesse)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://community.keyboard.io/t/double-left-hand-keyboard/887/8 "2017-12-22T20:54:44Z")

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Nah. It’s much better to talk about it in public.

And it’s a legit question. And a legit issue with designing with commodity connectors.