ctsoccer13

I have an old laptop that I'm wanting to switch into my car. I currently have an Opus 250W DC PSU. I previously had a computer that has been having some trouble, so I'm wanting to switch the laptop into it.

I have soldered on leads to override my laptop's power button. Can I attached these to the wires previously used to turn on my previous PC (it's the two jumper style cord)?

I bought a car adapter for my laptop, which amps 12V into 19V for the laptop to run off of. Could I hack off the cigarette lighter portion and splice it into the ATX 12V and GND rails for the ATX connector?

Also, I was wanting to install a valet switch. I read about using relays with a switch, but can't I use a switch in line with my ACC line to the Opus 250? i.e. when it's on, it sends the ACC line to the PSU otherwise it's off and disables the PC? I'm unsure about how the ACC line affects the PSU in that manner...

I would prefer to not go cutting wires, testing connections, and guess and checking my setup, so any input is appreciated!

Thanks!
CT

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turbocad6

you can definatley do that. the opus can turn on the laptop, but then the opus needs to know that the laptop is actually on, or it'll repeatedly try to start it, causing it to shut down soon after starting. the startup shutdown controller portion of the opus needs to know when the pc is on & when it's not for it to function correctly. an atx style board does this through the atx connector, you can do this with a 5v relay tapped into one of your usb leads, then use this to trigger the opus to stay on.

the 19v stand alone ps can be triggered from a relay off the opus 12v supply rail but to actually power it from the rail is unecissary & a waste of good clean regulated 12v, the 19v ps doesn't need a regulated input as it does it's own regulation, so straight battery power is good enough for it. you could power it from the 12v rail since you've got an excess of power available there in your setup anyway really, but I'd keep it just relay triggered to battery power.

you can make your valet switch to the ign trigger. you can use a 3 way setup too, 1)switched off & the opus never sees the start signal, it does nothing,2) on it will work normal controlled w ign & 3) override, to keep the pc on even with the ign off... it'll still ultimatley shut the pc down when the battery voltage drops below a threashold, but allow extended run time as an option if you wanted...


I had a thread on this a long time ago, here

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ctsoccer13

I'm so glad you happened upon this thread. That's exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!

One question though...

Could you explain your valet switch setup a bit more thoroughly? I like what you did with it, both preventing startup and overriding the ignition. How did you go about doing the overriding? Correct me if I'm wrong, but my previous idea should take care of preventing startup, just not sure where you got the 5V (i think?) for the ACC line when the car's off.

Thanks again!
CT

ctsoccer13

Oh, also, if I relay trigger the 12V power from the battery, I use the ACC line as the trigger, correct? So I would need a 5V relay? Or would I use the pulse from the opus as the trigger?

FusionFanatic

to turn the 19v laptop PSU on you need a 12v relay. I would use the opus 12v output as the trigger, but you cold use either one (the car's ACC line is also ~12v)... either way you need a 12v relay, not a 5v relay.

turbo suggested a 5v relay for a different purpose. the trigger for the 5v relay is a USB port. the relay will act as a 'jumper' to connect two pins on the main 20/24 pin ATX power connector to trick the PSU into thinking that the motherboard is on. you need to do it this way because the opus is operating independently of the latop's PSU.....

good luck

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turbocad6

yeah, thanks bro

as far as the valet switch... the easiest way to do it is actually with 2 switches... one to interupt the ign as an overide & then another to send power full time to the ign sense...

this can be done with one 3 way switch but it can get more complicated & the wiring itself would be dependant on the switch you use really... radio shack has I think a 3 way switch with multiple poles that can be used as one switch but I would have to see the switch diagram to give a wiring diagram for it really...

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MY NEWEST INSTALL:modded infiniti fx with big screen - "If my typing sucks it's probably because I'm driving....................."

first windows carpc install........my liquid cooled LVDS screen :D

FusionFanatic

I just drew up some diagrams to help another member last week. I knew they would come in handy again. the PSU in the diagrams is an M2ATX, but the wiring is the same for any PSU.

all you need is a simple SPDT center off switch. the wiring is very simple:


if you want add an LED to indicate when the switch is in 'override' mode then you should buy a DPDT switch instead and hook it up like this:

turbocad6

that diagram it also looks like the led will be lit in pos 1 also, when the ign is on...

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MY NEWEST INSTALL:modded infiniti fx with big screen - "If my typing sucks it's probably because I'm driving....................."

first windows carpc install........my liquid cooled LVDS screen :D

FusionFanatic

no, it will only light up in position#3

to make it a bit easier, the switch leads in the diagram above are laid out exactly as you see them when looking at the bottom of an DPDT toggle switch.

the left and right sides are independent circuits, controlled by a single toggle. the left side controls the PSU override circuit and the right side controls the LED indicator circuit. the switch leads at position#2 are the common leads (they connect to #1 or #3 depending on which way the toggle is thrown). since no power is connected to the top right lead, the LED will ONLY light up when in position#3

again, in those diagrams I used the bottom of the switch instead of standard schematic symbols to make it easier for people to understand how to hook it up. the diagram below is the same thing but uses schematic switch symbols instead. it may make it a little clearer for people who are used to schematics

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turbocad6

ah, got it now. those are cool diagrams, what software is that made with?

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MY NEWEST INSTALL:modded infiniti fx with big screen - "If my typing sucks it's probably because I'm driving....................."

first windows carpc install........my liquid cooled LVDS screen :D

FusionFanatic

... they are simple diagrams, so good old (and free) Micro$oft Paint is all you need

those particular diagrams are actually a combination of other diagrams I have made before with GNUpaint and G.I.M.P., but they are simple enough that everything can be made with M$ Paint

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