linking into laptop power button

**corsamel** · 08-01-2003, 05:36 PM

alrighty,

I have an IBM Thinkpad T20 laptop which i'm going to be installing in the boot of my car. I was hoping I could simply solder a wire to the terminals that the power button connects on the laptop. However the main power button is connected to a circuit on a rubbery type material. So Im not going to be able to trigger the main power button using wires.

Any ideas on how I can turn the laptop on in the front of my car?

My thinkpad has a socket underneath used for the port replicator (docking station). On this docking station there is a power button, so i was thinking 2 of the terminals on this socket should trigger the laptop to turn on?

How has anyone else triggered the power button on a laptop?

cheers for any help.

**captain_jim1** · 08-01-2003, 09:33 PM

I soldered 2 wires to my laptop to power it on. On the base of the power button were 4 metal connectors. I figured out what two needed to be bridged, soldered the wires on, attached a momentary switch from Radio Shack and viola! Power button.

Unfortunaltey, all the moving around of the laptop I did, the power button wires pulled off and my resolder job .. was not a success and I burned up some small chip on the mobo .. the laptop died shortly there after. I'm thinking maybe about glueing the wires onto my new laptop motherboard..

-Brad
83 mp320i 285k

**corsamel** · 08-02-2003, 04:20 AM

thats what I was planning on doing. Unfortunately my powerbutton doesn't have any connectors to solder onto

**Ricky327** · 08-02-2003, 09:10 AM

There must be another joint somewhere, you should be able to trace it. Unless you are talking about one of those multiplexed switches wheres the connections are in row and columns.

You can wake up your laptop from serial port, and shut it down too....this all depend if your laptop supports it.

The wake-on-ring pin on serial port can wake up the laptop when the modem rings on that port.

You can then shutdown by setting up a fake UPS connected to the serial port.

You obviously not gonna connect a real modem and UPS on the comport, just wires applying a "high" or "low" on thoses pins...and yes they do take 12V. Just be sure to put a protection diode and resistor in series.

**zPilott** · 08-19-2004, 06:05 PM

get a multimeter and look at the connections, you can probably find the right tabs to solder to.

You can also look at the lid switch, and try to solder something there. It took me forever to find the lid mechanism on my laptop, because it is controlled by a magnet. I have the power switch wired to an oem switch, and I plan to hook up the lid switch to a relay controlled by the alarm system

**gutterslide** · 08-19-2004, 06:56 PM

post a pic of the button on the board, both sides of the board.

i extended the power switch on a tablet. it was a 3-pin single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) slide switch.

if the port replicator has a power switch, just buy a port replicator and extend the button on it, if it's easier. if you can get hold of the tech specs for the laptop/replicator then you can see the pinouts and find the proper pins for power switching.

but, post pics.

**Big Zack** · 08-19-2004, 07:01 PM

On an old Dell laptop I owned the docking station power button just shorted two connectors on the bottom of the laptop... I soldered a lead to each connector and ran them to a momentary switch mounted in my center console. (Also put in a quick-disconnect plug for use outside the vehicle.) Then I set Windows to "do nothing" when I closed my screen. (Control Panel -> Display -> Screen Saver -> Power -> Advanced -> When I close the lid...)

I had also set the power setting to shut down after 5 mins on battery. Since I was powering the unit from a switched accessory outlet it would shut down on it's own after the vehicle was turned off. If only I could have figured out that wake on ring...

-BZ

**Stooboy** · 08-29-2005, 06:22 PM

Hi, I also have the same problem with the T20, did you ever resolve your issues??

I had hoped there would be a large easy to solder connector but alas not, also tracing the wires back is nigh on imposible as its jumbled up in the keyboard keys, and is all in a ribbon. Im not going to be using the onboard keyboard, so I might just butcher it and see what happens. I dont want to buy a dock to find I end up with the same problem, also I dont want the extra space that a dock would take up. I ll put my thinking cap on with this one....

3 Images attached, one for the front, back of keyboard, and one of the keys I atacked to see how it works.

**Felipebras** · 08-29-2005, 09:36 PM

I think your best solution will be a docking station. There is a guy in here that did this to a IBM laptop I believe he had a white BMW. There is also a simple circuit that will power the laptop on and off using a resistor, capacitor and a relay.

good luck