gmed

I just finished my system in my Lancer Evo. The system consist of a G4 iBook, Xenarc 7" LCD, Iomega 160 gig external HD, Apple remote, IR receiver for the remote, and Powermate. I have figuredd out a way to disable the iBook sleep magnet by glueing a metal washer right over it, so that I can close the lid. I have connected the LCD power and the charger directly to the ignition wire where the stereo used to be.

Last night i put the computer to sleep and next morning the battery was drained. Ive realized the powermate LED stays on while the computer is asleep. Also i had connected the charger directly to the constant battery so it just kept draining the battery until it was completely out, so I changed it to the ignition so that it only charges the computer while the car is on.

My question is, how can i disable the LEd while the computer is asleep? The current software will not allow this and the older software will not allow me to put the computer to sleep.

Any hints?

mr2mac

Hi,

Pics?

You could hack the cable to the powermate. Isolate the 5v and 0v usb power wires and then wire it through a mini relay running under control of the ignition. Or do the same with a powered usb hub.

How are you powering the ibook?, an inverter i suppose?

You really need an intelligent PSU to control sleep, and power to LCD,hub and ibook.

Carnetix.

Hope that made sense,

nick

Bugbyte

I thought you could use the control panel to turn the LED off.

My powermate LED doesn't glow when the Mac is turned off. Plus, that shouldn't have drained your battery anyhow.

What are you using to power the iBook?

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gmed

I bought the car charger for the ibook and hooked it up to the 12 volt constant, but then I changed it to the 12 volt ignition wire, so now it only charges while the car is on, but because the computer still powers the HD and the USB router while asleep, it still drains the computer battery, even though the car battery is ok .

The other big issue I have now is that sometimes the powermate does not respond while the computer is asleep, and sometimes, even if I wake up the computer, the powermate doesnt work, so I have to disconnect and reconnect. I can fix the battery issue by getting a bigger battery for the iBook, but Powermate really sucks! Im thinking of getting the Nulooq.

Sometimes, I cant even put the computer to asleep even with the apple remote! It may be the iBook.

I may have to eventually get a mac mini.

Bugbyte

This is one of the main challenges in using a laptop for automotive applications. The auto start/shutdown is a challenge. However, others have solved this issue before you. It usually involves hacking the power button on the iBook so it gets an on/off signal. Search around a bit and you should find some solutions.

One option for you is to set your Energy Saver options to shut the iBook down after a period of inactivity, such as an hour. That will prevent battery drain and keep it running for times when you are out of the car briefly.

As for trouble with the Powermate, I've only heard of issues with it on Windows, not OSX. I both sleep and start/shutdown with my Mini via a non-powered hub and have never had any difficulty with it at all.

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-Find out about theiBug
-Attention Newbies! Have you seen the FAQ Emporium?
-No time to figure it out? Take 5 minutes to view the Car PC 101 video

gmed

With OS X, you don't have the option to shut off the computer after certain length of time of inactivity. you can only put the computer to sleep, unless there are other utilities out there that I don't know of. As far as i know, you cant shut off the computer using the powermate, just put it to sleep.