Power button extention on a laptop

**oafdawg** · 05-17-2004, 09:06 PM

First let me say I love the site. It is great to see that other people are as crazy as I am about there cars and computers. I want to extend the power button from my laptop to the housing for the screen. I removed the screen, and extended it about a foot with some CAT 5E cable. When I tested it it booted but the resolution was kind of poor. That is when I decided to solder the wires instead of customizing the existing plug. Anyhow I am mounting the screen about 10 inches away and want to extend the power button to mount near the screen so I can hit it when I enter the car. Other than that I would have to cut a hole in the side of the housing and reach around to the passengers side to hit the button. If you have any other ideas I would love to hear them. Thanks for the help.

Equipment :
12.1 LCD screen extended a foot away from the laptop
IBM A22M laptop
256MB RAM
800MHZ processor
DVD/CD-R drive

**Altimat** · 05-17-2004, 10:30 PM

When I was using a laptop, I used a very small 2-pin mini connector by Deans to remote my power switch. I didn't want a wire dangling from my case if I ever removed it (which I did only a few months later). I also used a 3 conductor servo extension ribbon cable (with the third wire removed) as the wire for the switch. Small and neat. All stuff from the R/C Hobby Shop.

**kandyman676** · 05-17-2004, 10:47 PM

That is so kick ***! I only just suck *** at soldering though :-(

where did you find the switch? I know in dell's there is the regular power switch, and then another switch in the laptop screen.

my problem is that when i close the screen in the docking station, the in-dash touchscreen gets all messed up...but outside the dock, its fine.

also, what type of switch are you using for the external switch?

**Altimat** · 05-17-2004, 10:55 PM

You can set the laptop to do nothing when you close the screen, but I forgot exactly where... Any momentary switch will work.

**kandyman676** · 05-17-2004, 10:57 PM

the odd part is the laptop *IS* set to do nothing when the screen closes. when out of the dock, i can close it with no problems. but in the dock, different story. its wacky. i'm at the point where I just want to disable the switch period, yah know?

**Altimat** · 05-17-2004, 11:00 PM

I'd disable the switch then too. It must override that setting when docked???

**oafdawg** · 05-18-2004, 08:33 PM

I am not docking the laptop, I am totally taking it apart and spliceing things together to mount in the car. It is a spare that my dad broke the case on instead of putting a screw in the screen to stop it from flexing. The bad part is though is that the power button is incorporated in to the keyboard. That means that I would have to solder it to the board, and that kind of scares me concidering it won't work if I screw that up. The screen was easy to extend, the power button is a pain. If it was easy though why bother doing it.