Something wrong with my CNX-P1900 v2.2

**f1anatic** · 02-17-2007, 07:46 PM

Or maybe I am doing something wrong...!

Hi people. Please help a brother out. I would like to think I am doing something wrong (not blaming the device)... but I do not know what.

I have a Toshiba laptop. Takes 19 V and some 3 amps.

And the Xenarc 700TSV which takes 12 V and a couple of amps.

And I got the Carnetix model P1900 PSU.

I set up the jumpers per user manual - primary 19V, secondary 12 V. Soldered things around to be able to power the PC and the Xenarc off the PSU...and at the other end soldered a common cigarette lighter plug. As a matter of fact that is how I plan on powering my setup - steal "juice" from behind the cig. lighter in my car. I wanted to to a "dry run" in the house before I install everything in the car.

I happen to have an AC-DC converter that takes in 120 AC and outputs 12 V DC. It is more like 16V but my cig. lighter outputs like 15V anyways. So I plug my Carnetix PSU in my AC-DC converter, connect the monitor, the PC and...NOTHING is powered on.

The LED on the PSU will blink twice; then there is a 2 sec pause then it blinks again twice and then immediately blinks for another 5 times, now faster. I am not sure what is going on...but I hope this PSU can take 16 V rather than 12 V.

The same pattern of LED blinking will apply under load, and without load or with partial load. I thought I was drawing more current than my DC-AC transformer was allowing for...but I tried with either device separately... and nothing. Useless to say, I am not getting any readings at the output terminals. As a matter of fact, the fan on the PSU doesn't even turn on.

Could you please let me know what is the issue here ? Cause I have ran out of ideas. Thanks...and if I owe you guys a few beers after this... rest assured I can always just FEDEX them.

**f1anatic** · 02-17-2007, 07:49 PM

I forgot to say...I read the user manual for this contraption and I cannot figure out what the errors are based on the manual.

**MobiTekLink** · 02-17-2007, 11:49 PM

Try plugging it to the battery or an ATX PSU so that you can discount the P1900 as your trouble source. I've been using about 20 P1900's for amost 2 years now and I've had no troubles.
Also make sure that your "ACC" and your "Live" are set properly it should turn on automatically with the fan spinning up.

**f1anatic** · 02-18-2007, 08:30 AM

Actually I tried at the battery as well. Not happening. I wonder if I need to use the yellow "ignition" wire for anything ?

My jumpers are set as follows: (and triple checked last night)

JP1

Pulse Start - not activated
Dead Man - not activated
Hibernate - Activated
15 min shutdown

JP2 - secondary output @ 12V
JP3 - not used
JP4 - follow PRI-OUT
JP5 - both jumpers moved and set for 12/13V
JP6 - primary output @ 19V

One of the two. I am doing something wrong. Or the unit is bad.

**MobiTekLink** · 02-18-2007, 09:55 AM

Excuse me??!! If you're not using the yellow "ACC" wire how is the PSU supposed to know the car is on!
I hope you didnt miss that "little" detail man...
First use the jumpers in default, it should start fine off the box if you're wiring is correct.

**DarquePervert** · 02-18-2007, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by f1anatic

I forgot to say...I read the user manual for this contraption and I cannot figure out what the errors are based on the manual.

Originally Posted by f1anatic

Actually I tried at the battery as well. Not happening. I wonder if I need to use the yellow "ignition" wire for anything ?

I think I sense a contradiction.....

One of the two. I am doing something wrong. Or the unit is bad.

It's the first one, I'm certain.

**f1anatic** · 02-18-2007, 03:05 PM

I do not want to wire it at the battery ! And I do not want to tap into ignition. My car has an immobilizer linked to the ignition...I do not want to mess with that. I have a friend that tried to play by the rules with an Opus (I believe), wire at the battery and such, and ended up having to tow the car (same as mine) to the closest dealership (which is the least friendly to modded cars) as it wouldn't start after things got out of hand at the ignition. That's the whole point. Why should I risk having my car towed to the dealership and have warranty voided on any number of things when they will investigate the cause of my startup issues ?

I would like to power it from "behind" the cigarette lighter. The moment I remove the key from the ignition, there is no current flowing anywhere. It is a laptop so i set it up to just hibernate in 5 min after I go on battery power. I really do not want to make it more complicated than it really is.

Now...how do I fool the yellow wire into telling the PSU that the ignition is on ?

Thanks.

**MobiTekLink** · 02-18-2007, 04:53 PM

So merge the ACC and the LIVE wire. This will "fool" the PSU into thinking the car is on.
You really need to do a little homework I think, no offense but there are a lot of posts that deal with this kind of situation.
The dealer shouldnt void anything since you're not doing anything, remember those mechanics at the dealership are a bunch of retards who want to void things out of ignorance. Even if you tap into the battery you're not doing anything that's gonna mess with the car system, the only thing you need to be a bit careful is with the "ACC" and since you say you're not dealing with that then you have nothing to worry about.

**f1anatic** · 02-18-2007, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by MobiTekLink

So merge the ACC and the LIVE wire. This will "fool" the PSU into thinking the car is on.
You really need to do a little homework I think, no offense but there are a lot of posts that deal with this kind of situation.
The dealer shouldnt void anything since you're not doing anything, remember those mechanics at the dealership are a bunch of retards who want to void things out of ignorance. Even if you tap into the battery you're not doing anything that's gonna mess with the car system, the only thing you need to be a bit careful is with the "ACC" and since you say you're not dealing with that then you have nothing to worry about.

Thank you for the info. I will try to merge the 2 wires.

I am pretty sure that after 500 posts and 1.5 years on the boards and 20 CarNetix PSU used, I will be as well versed in the power supply gremlins as you are. Until then, this is a forum where you ask and discuss ? What are you gonna do ? Hang me at high noon like Saddam for asking a question that has been asked before?

I am a n00b and I learn. But you can't learn w/o asking and w/o mistakes.

The other thing I was going to say is that you are not really aware of how the Subaru dealerships operate. It is not the mechanics who voi the warranty - it is the service managers...and they will eagerly do it for any car that seems even remotely modified. I am not quite sure what performance mods one does to Yukon Denalis...but I can reassure you few turbo Subarus are stock. And simply having different aftermarket rims with winter tires is reason enough for an overzealous service manager to make a note in your profile that any subsequent powertrain - suspension claims to be scrutinized carefully. Been there...done that. I know all about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and how Chicagoland dealerships respect that. Go to the track on any summer week-end and look carefully. You will see people taking pictures of every license plate of every EVO, WRX, STi, S2000 etc over there.

**DarquePervert** · 02-18-2007, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by f1anatic

I do not want to wire it at the battery ! And I do not want to tap into ignition. My car has an immobilizer linked to the ignition...I do not want to mess with that. I have a friend that tried to play by the rules with an Opus (I believe), wire at the battery and such, and ended up having to tow the car (same as mine) to the closest dealership (which is the least friendly to modded cars) as it wouldn't start after things got out of hand at the ignition. That's the whole point. Why should I risk having my car towed to the dealership and have warranty voided on any number of things when they will investigate the cause of my startup issues ?

1. Wiring it at the battery is the proper way to get power. Drawing power for a PC should not alter your immobilizer in any way, if you wire your additional hardware properly.

2. Nothing needs to be wired into the ignition. Perhaps that's what your friend witht he Opus did, and that's where he created some problems. The ACC or IGN line is simply a sense line. If your cigarette lighter only works when the car's ignition key is in a certain position, then this is a perfect source for the IGN terminal on your power supply.

I would like to power it from "behind" the cigarette lighter. The moment I remove the key from the ignition, there is no current flowing anywhere. It is a laptop so i set it up to just hibernate in 5 min after I go on battery power. I really do not want to make it more complicated than it really is.

Now...how do I fool the yellow wire into telling the PSU that the ignition is on ?

I think that what I described is exactly what you want to do. Basically, you just have to provide 12v on that line from any device in the car that only gets power when the car's ignition is on. The headunit and cigarette lighter ports are all likely candidates.
A cigarette lighter is nto recommended as a source for primary power for the PC, as most cigarette lighters aren't wired to support the amperage a PC would draw.