MPEGBOX shutdown controller

**zootjeff** · 10-23-2001, 02:27 PM

http://skylab.org/~chugga/mpegbox/shutdown/shutdown.jpg

Here is what the shutdown controller is going to look like.

If you want one, send me an email and I'll put on the list for the first batch. I am going to ask 20 bucks plus 3 shipping to the US and I don't know what to ask for inernational stuff. We'll work something out.

This thing takes 12 volts from the battery, and the ignition line, (the same one that powers the radio.) It then feeds power to the DC-DC converter. One wire will also run to the power switch on the atx motherboard.

The board will have the following settings:
Time to pulse (0-10 minutes)
Atx pulse length (.5-5 seconds)
Time to Kill (0-2 minutes)

So you turn off your car, it waits "time to pulse" sends the "ATX pluse length" then waits "time to kill" and shuts off all power to the computer. It acts like you think it would if you turn the car back on or whatever. Also, there is an optional kill switch that sets time to pulse to zero. so it will send the pulse and do the kill.
You can adjust all the values so that you get it where you want it. That way it waits just as long as it has to.

People who want to leave their computer in suspend to ram mode will not want to use this because they just push the power or API button or whatever and it does just that. But mosts systems will kill the battery in a day or to in that mode.

Jeff

**santantj** · 10-24-2001, 03:10 PM

You probably already have all the parts ready to assembly these bad larrys. But it would be a kinda nice feature to avoid shutdown completely. So if you know your gonna be in the supermarket for longer than 10 minutes but not long enough to drain your battery, you just hit some switch to keep the power line live.

Is there an easy way to add this feature with the controllers your building? Or is it complicated and us peons that didnt pay attention, or at least only remembered what we had to to pass tests, in circuits classes will have trouble doing on our own?

**zootjeff** · 10-24-2001, 03:44 PM

Originally posted by Tim0tay:

Is there an easy way to add this feature with the controllers your building?

Well that is what it is basically for. When you turn off the car, that is the default. To stay on for X minutes. If you know you aren't going to come back. there is a button you can hit that will initiate shutdown right away.

**PaulzY** · 10-25-2001, 01:02 PM

u might have mentioned this, but to clear it up if you turn off and say have it to go off in 8min, and you switch car back on b4 8min is up, it wont shutdown? (this sounds really stupid now i have written it) and then im guessing if is allready past that and is in the "time to kill" time then you cant stop it shutting down ?

**zootjeff** · 10-25-2001, 04:42 PM

Originally posted by PaulzY:
u might have mentioned this, but to clear it up if you turn off and say have it to go off in 8min, and you switch car back on b4 8min is up, it wont shutdown? (this sounds really stupid now i have written it) and then im guessing if is allready past that and is in the "time to kill" time then you cant stop it shutting down ?

Yes It won't shutdown. It will ignore the request to shutdown if the car comes back on.

Jeff_

**zootjeff** · 10-25-2001, 04:51 PM

Originally posted by PaulzY:
that and is in the "time to kill" time then you cant stop it shutting down ?

Hmm, not to sure. I think I put the diodes in the right place for this too, moahdib, have you tried this? I think if you already sent to pulse to shutdown you have to either reboot or send another atx pulse. That is why you will set time to kill pretty short anyway (after the atx pulse is sent). You would just have to send another atx pulse if you just happened to restart the car after the controller sent the atx pulse to shutdown.
Jeff_

**zootjeff** · 10-25-2001, 05:01 PM

Wow! my boardhouse is fast. I got boards back today, I'm just waiting on digikey. So far 3? of the controllers are spoken for. By friday (next week) I should be able to ship all 12 that I am building for this batch.

Let me know who else is interested.

PS, power supplys are still on hold, waiting for parts. I should have three more of them by next week.

[ 10-25-2001: Message edited by: Jeff Mucha ]

**moahdib** · 10-25-2001, 06:09 PM

are you using diff parts than the ones you mentioned earlier Jeff? I'm glad you are mass producing these for everyone to enjoy...it's an awesome addon.