Everything You need to know about your M4 ATX

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Originally Posted by marc5

Can i use the 12v accesories plug in my trunk to connect to the earth and ignition point of the m4?

Another thing, is there a polarity for the motherboard switch on jumper?

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Yes, if all you're using it for is to turn it on.

No, there's a small analog switch on the m4 that acts like a relay and just shorts those two contacts together to simulate the switch.

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Originally Posted by kibble

Yes, if all you're using it for is to turn it on.

No, there's a small analog switch on the m4 that acts like a relay and just shorts those two contacts together to simulate the switch.

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much appreciated.

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Originally Posted by Fox_Mulder

How do I reprogram my M4 ATX?

This requires a bit of soldering and electrical know how, if in doubt just send it back to mini-box for them to upgrade the firmware.

Things you need:
New Firmware (v1.1 attached to this post)
WinPic here

an ICSP (In circuit serial programmer) for the 18F2450 microcontroller, if one of these is not available you will have to build one.

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ICSP, can i use my brainstem for this? http://www.acroname.com/robotics/par...-INT-CONN.html
http://store.mp3car.com/Brainstem_TT..._p/com-021.htm

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Originally Posted by rijk

ICSP, can i use my brainstem for this?

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You wouldn't be able to use that because it's a serial level converter not a programmer.

Anyone having problems with their M4 turning the computer back on after it tells it to shut down?

I've set my PC to shutdown when I turn the car off. No hibernate, no standby. The M4 will shut it down and approximately 1 minute later, it turns it on again. To be sure it doesn't do this, I have to turn the power off to the PC itself.

Anybody experienced this issue? The M4 is a giant hunk O' junk for me. I"m going to go back to my Carnetix regulator and P120 if I can't figure it out. That combination has worked flawlessly for years.

Make sure nothing is shorting your Acc line

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Originally Posted by Bugbyte

Anyone having problems with their M4 turning the computer back on after it tells it to shut down?

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Reset it, maybe?

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Originally Posted by kibble

Reset it, maybe?

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I did reset it with no change in results. However, Enforcer's suggestion to check the accessory line is a good one. For reasons that I will not delve into here, I have two computers in the car, both triggered by the same accessory line, which means I have two PSU's in the car.

The PSU for one of the computers seems to have failed (it's buried in the dash and I have to dig it out) and that may have caused a short.

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Originally Posted by kibble

You wouldn't be able to use that because it's a serial level converter not a programmer.

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oke, thanks

is there a way to make the m4 switch on the mobo quicker. when it is set to hardoff and the 5 volt rail is gone, it takes 5 sec before the fan starts to spin.

When i use an regular powersupply and unpluged from the 220 volt (us 110 volt) plug it in and directly press the on switch it spins up within a second.

Is there setting in the usb controle sett to speed things up?