Remote laptop startup

**moahdib** · 11-18-2004, 09:25 AM

wow i didnt know you port replicators had PCI card. =\ Never seen one like that.

**Scouse Monkey** · 11-19-2004, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by moahdib

wow i didnt know you port replicators had PCI card. =\ Never seen one like that.

Yeah it is the IBM Docking port II - has 2 extra PCMCIA slots (with separate controllers), AC-DC PSU, slot for DVD drive and PCI slot. Had a soundblaster running in it but i was thinking about using another graphics card in it. They cost over £300 new but i got it for £20 - bargain or what!!! Gonna use the smaller replicator though as i dont want to use an invertor as i don't want to put too much load on my alternator and the onboard sound will be ok for now. (plus i had problems with one of the channels being noisy on my sounblaster but i am not sure if it is a bad earth or of the card is just a bit old and knackered - been taken in and out of my desktop for 5 years).

**BMW DZYN** · 01-15-2005, 01:56 AM

could someone put thie conclusion of this post in laymans terms..?
How to make the diagram circuit, etc.?

**phita23** · 01-27-2005, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by BMW DZYN

could someone put thie conclusion of this post in laymans terms..?
How to make the diagram circuit, etc.?

AMEN!

**turbocad6** · 01-27-2005, 08:29 PM

depending on the design of the switch & whether you are willing to remove the top lcd section or not, you can actually have it be mechanically activated by an electrical solinoid, sometimes the simplest way is the best way, i did a panasonic toughbook install where the switch was on the right side & needed to be slid back. Just attached a small hook through a small pinhole & had a door lock actuator pull the switch back.if your laptop has a push button it would probably be activated by a cam setup to push it. I opted for a electrical button on my dash to operate it on that install, but you could easily integrate one of the many controllers avail. there are variations that are as ghetto as a bicycle cable & lever, but you can be more creative than that & get it to work perfectly if you are creative........

I do understand the desire to have it all electricaly & not mechanical, but in the end it's the functionality your'e after, & this really isn't a bad option in my opinion.

I'm planning on installing a centrino laptop soon & I will atempt a wake on lan or wake on ring, but if it becomes a huge frustraiting pain in the *** then I will fall back on mechanical activation or soldering to the swich board.........

**cyjad** · 01-28-2005, 02:47 AM

I have tried the mechanical approach too.

I had a carputer which was an old laptop and I noticed that if I pressed and held the power button down that the laptop would power up just fine and not reset like some other laptops do. So, I just devised a way to have the power button always pressed in. When I started the car, the power adapter would get power, and the laptop would just start.

I noticed that some ibm thinkpads work this way too.

**whatever** · 02-08-2005, 04:36 PM

I'm using the mechanical approach. The old camera shutter release is a very ghetto way of doing things, but it does turn the pc on and off, just need to make a bracket to hold it next to the power button.
anyone have more detail on tone generator mention in eugenen's post?

**eugenen** · 02-08-2005, 07:10 PM

A 555 timer is a basic and popular small IC, its used in many circuits and is available most anywhere. You can pick them up at rat shack and a little book full f example circuits. It just takes a couple external capacitors to make its output stay on for a certain length of time or pulse at different frequencies. A telephone ringer puts out a 30Hz roughly 90v signal but phones were built really failsafe and will ring with just about any pulsing signal. You take your little 555 timer IC and find the frequency formula and select a couple capacitors to make it pulse at about 30Hz then find a small transformer say a 120v to 9v and connect the output pin of the 555 timer chip to one of the 9v leads on the transformer and connect the other 9v transformer lead to ground. Power your 555 timer circuit up from anything from 5-12v and it will pulse that voltage into the the low side (9v in this example) and the transformer will step that voltage up to around 100v which will simulate the telephone ring voltage. Some phones/modems are sensitive enough you don't even need the transformer, pulsing 12v is enough to trigger the ring detect.

**blackflux** · 02-08-2005, 10:12 PM

Let me ask what everyone else including myself wants to know. Is there something that I can buy where I don’t have to do any soldering or anything else that will work with a laptop/notebook?