Many of you will know I have a Mac Mini connected to my TV, to provide internet TV (via [Miro][Miro]) and a PVR for broadcast TV (via [Elgato’s eyeTV][eyeTV]). Several people I know have similar set ups, and there seem to be three schools of thought for controlling it from the sofa:
* Use the apple remote.
* Use a bluetooth Apple keyboard and mouse.
* Use some non-apple keyboard/trackpad combo.
Of the three, I like the last – there are too many times when a keyboard is needed on OSX to make the first work for me, and trying to find a flat surface for the mouse means the second drives me mad.
So when I set my mini up, I tried to source a suitable keyboard. Here in the UK that seems to be a hit-and-miss affair, with stockists varying each time I looked. When I noticed a wireless USB keyboard intended for a PS3, I snapped it up. It’s by Logitech, and called the Y-RAN77 (snappy!). They don’t seem to make it any more, but amazon lists something [similar][ps3].
The only remaining problem is that some of the keycaps weren’t resulting in the right character when pressed. Some people prefer that – relying on their typing ‘muscle memory’ to get the right character. I use so many different keyboards, I don’t really have a subconscious recollection of them all, so I used [this tool][wordherd] to remap the defaults the mac used to the correct items.
If you also need such a thing (unlikely), the file is [here][keymap]. Just copy it to /Library/Keyboard Layouts, and then pick ‘Logitech Y-RAN77’ from the list of ‘Input Menu’ options in the international prefs pane.
[ps3]: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Cordless-Mediaboard-pro-Bluetooth/dp/B000W9N7JU
[Miro]: http://getmiro.com/
[eyeTV]: http://www.elgato.com/elgato/int/mainmenu/home.en.html
[keymap]: /downloads/osx/Logitech%20Y-RAN77.keylayout
[wordherd]: http://wordherd.com/keyboards/
