Carpc refuses to start automatically after 2 weeks

**bleachigo** · 05-26-2009, 08:05 PM

First,i am still a newbie at this that is why i posted my problem here.I just got my carputer installed and wired 2 weeks ago.I have an M4 PSU and i got it wired as + battery to + terminal on M4 with an 8 gauge and a 30A fuse, negative terminal of M4 to metal chassis on the car(also with 8 gauge wire), and a 20 gauge wire on the IGN terminal of M4 to a tapped + on cigarette lighter.This has been working out since the beginning.Dip switch is also set as P1 mode,which is,on-off-off-off on the four switches.But yesterday while driving,carputer just shut down by itself after 10 minutes.So i stopped and turned off the car and restarted but it didn't boot up.Drove again at night and the same thing happened but this time, after being off for about 20 minutes,it booted back up again.I drove around for about an hour to see if it would shut down but it didn't.First i thought i might have some loose wiring and the M4 being busted but since it booted back up,i kinda ruled that out.Do you guys think it's my car battery not having enough power to turn on carpc?But if the car battery is bad,wouldn't the car not start too?Any advice and suggestions will be much appreciated.Thanks.

**CMOS1138** · 05-26-2009, 08:12 PM

Sounds like a heat issue to me. Cooling your pc can be more chalenging in the closed confines of a car than in an airconditioned building.

**bleachigo** · 05-26-2009, 08:42 PM

Carpc is actually open without a case.I took out my glove box assembly and it is mounted vertically like you would see on a regular atx see-through case.

**jpinkerton** · 05-26-2009, 09:04 PM

That doesn't mean you couldn't have an overheating problem. Check your CPU temps in the BIOS. Try taking the CarPC inside, and setting it up on your workbench to verify no issues with heat.

**HiJackZX1** · 05-26-2009, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by bleachigo

First,i am still a newbie at this that is why i posted my problem here.I just got my carputer installed and wired 2 weeks ago.I have an M4 PSU and i got it wired as + battery to + terminal on M4 with an 8 gauge and a 30A fuse, negative terminal of M4 to metal chassis on the car(also with 8 gauge wire), and a 20 gauge wire on the IGN terminal of M4 to a tapped + on cigarette lighter.This has been working out since the beginning.Dip switch is also set as P1 mode,which is,on-off-off-off on the four switches.But yesterday while driving,carputer just shut down by itself after 10 minutes.So i stopped and turned off the car and restarted but it didn't boot up.Drove again at night and the same thing happened but this time, after being off for about 20 minutes,it booted back up again.I drove around for about an hour to see if it would shut down but it didn't.First i thought i might have some loose wiring and the M4 being busted but since it booted back up,i kinda ruled that out.Do you guys think it's my car battery not having enough power to turn on carpc?But if the car battery is bad,wouldn't the car not start too?Any advice and suggestions will be much appreciated.Thanks.

You also have to remember that maybe the battery is low, but not dead. The M4-ATX is designed to keep your PC from draining the battery, so that your car will always start. My system eats up alot of power so alot of times I have to rev the engine to get my PC to start when it comes to my OPUS 320. Im going to upgrade the alternator when I have the chance. This should fix that issue. That is what it sounds like to me. Could also be a heat issue.... what are the specs on your system. What type of cooling, also how does the MoBo sit? Also how long is your ground? Remember the ground must be as short as possible. Should not exceed 6ft. I was so picky that I didnt let it pass one foot. I drilled a new ground point, made sure all paint was sanded away (bare metal) and it worked perfectly. On install 1 the ground ran under the car and one day it came loose. The PC ran so bad until I figured out what it was. So now I run them inside the car.

**bleachigo** · 05-27-2009, 01:33 AM

For heat issues,i will install Everest to monitor components.Specs of carpc are:
M4-ATX PSU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+(Windsor)
ECS GeForce6100SM-M mobo
PQI DDR2 667(2Gigs)
WD 40G IDE connected to an IDE to SATA adapter
Creative Audigy 2 soundcard
LG Blu-ray/DVD writer
Windows XP Pro SP3
TS LCD powered by 2nd cigarette lighter adapter

CPU is cooled by stock AMD heatsink/fan.Ground wire is about 6 feet. also.Before all this happened though,i have had lots of issues with carpc booting properly.I've tried putting carpc in hibernate by changing power option on control panel to:
hibernate tab:enable hibernate (checkmarked)
advanced tab:"when i press power button"(hibernate)

Everytime i turn the car off and restart to reboot,it always hangs up and never goes to windows.I always had to reset it, and when i do,it gives me 2 choices and it says:
1:delete restoration data and proceed to system boot menu
2:continue with system restart

Choice 1 always gets me to windows.If i choose #2,carpc hangs up again.So i've change the option to:
hibernate tab:enable hibernate
advanced tab:"when i press power button"(hibernate)

These options have always managed to boot into windows,BUT then lots of times, carpc would freeze up on me and then i have to reset again.I have also enabled S1+S3,or S1 only,or S3 only and all the different combinations.This really has been a "challenge" for me.I'm beginning to think that my M4 can't handle all the components that i have.

**rizaydog** · 05-27-2009, 05:35 AM

I have the m4 and had the same exact problem. It ended up being a heating problem. I wired up two fans to my acc line. As soon as I start my car, the fans turn on even before the m4 sends the signal to the mb. Also, I have a switch on the acc line to the m4. On sunny days, when its like 150 degrees in my car, I turn the m4 off before I start my car. That gives me time to get the temp down in the car first.