Dell SX270 Info

BimmaDrew · 05-08-2006, 12:16 PM

This post is just FYI if you own the computer in the subject line. I sliced open the power cable between the power brick and the computer and did some testing...

The Brown and Red wires are for 12v and can be tied together.

The White and Black wires are ground (so is the shielding around all the wires) and can all be tied together.

The yellow wire is not used (it's the "For Future Use" wire).

The green wire is only used by the power brick (NOT the computer). The power brick will not give the computer power unless the green wire is connected. But I found that you can tie the green wire to the ground and fool the power brick into giving the computer power.

Keep in mind I have a 2.4GHz P4, a 60GB 2.5" HDD (4200rpm), and a 24x CD-rom (not sure if it's a burner...haven't checked yet).

The volts are a pretty constant 12.8v. The lowest I saw it drop was to 12.23v during bootup. Before I cut the green wire, I saw that the volts were about .4mV to .5mV while the computer was running...not sure what it was doing there. But now it's tied to ground.

The Amps are fairly high for this computer. During normal ops, it was running from 4 to 7amps fairly consistently. But during bootup or opening decent stuff like Visio or a CD, things would jump to just over 12amps for a second. As for the green wire, there was virtually NO amps being sent across it the whole time (which is why i tried grounding it in the first place).

Hope this helps someone out. I'll let you know how things works when I get my DSATX in the mail at the end of the week!

V6Stang · 05-08-2006, 04:22 PM

Hey few questions, thats the same computer I'm going to be using for my project, the optiplex if im not mistaken...where do you plan on mounting it? or did you manage to fit it into a smaller case? how did you even open the case cuz i can;t figure out how...i feel ashamed

Sorry to steal the thread...

BAHitman · 05-09-2006, 10:14 AM

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/ug/index.htm

Click on Removing the cover to get directions on how to do that...

on the wiring, all you need is the RED and BLACK wires. you can just tape up the others. Use a 15A fuse and you are good to go...

on my truck, I have the BIOS set to power the machine up after power loss. simply cranking the engine drops the power enough to cause the PC to think it has lost it's power, and it turns on. I plan to use the fakeups method to shut the PC down.

V6Stang · 05-09-2006, 11:09 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by BAHitman

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/ug/index.htm

Click on Removing the cover to get directions on how to do that...

on the wiring, all you need is the RED and BLACK wires. you can just tape up the others. Use a 15A fuse and you are good to go...

on my truck, I have the BIOS set to power the machine up after power loss. simply cranking the engine drops the power enough to cause the PC to think it has lost it's power, and it turns on. I plan to use the fakeups method to shut the PC down.

I actually figured it out but useful site none thhe less so thank you for that.
I understand some of what your saying but I know nothing in this field and dont know what the BIOS is or the "fakeups method" is...

BimmaDrew · 05-09-2006, 05:29 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by BAHitman

on my truck, I have the BIOS set to power the machine up after power loss. simply cranking the engine drops the power enough to cause the PC to think it has lost it's power, and it turns on. I plan to use the fakeups method to shut the PC down.

Are you using a power supply or startup/shutdown controller, or do you have it wired directly to the car?

I'm soldering some wires to the main power button so the DSATX will simulate the button press for me (you just need to short the leads for a second for it to turn on or off).

The DSATX should be here tomorrow...so I'll let you know how it goes on Thurs.

BAHitman · 05-09-2006, 08:59 PM

Sorry...

BIOS = System Setup (F2 at the DELL screen) there's a section called AC power state, set it to ON.

The FakeUPS method is using the serial port and a small electronic circuit to simulate a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). When you turn your key off, the Serial port stops recieving a signal and signals the PC to shut down...

That makes soldering un-necessary. I'm still working on the fakeups part, but the rest of it works great!

BAHitman · 05-09-2006, 09:40 PM

Sorry BimmaDrew... I didn't answer your question...

it's hooked directly to the battery of my car through a 15A Fuse. as far as I could tell, the only thing that 12V was doing in the box was connecting to the regulators. and the box has operated fine in that condition for over 100 hours in my F-250.

kickercivic1 · 05-09-2006, 09:58 PM

I just bought two of this pc's.. And i am going to order m2-atx tonight. I will to figure out how to fit that PS in there. Any suggestion?>

BimmaDrew · 05-09-2006, 11:07 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by BAHitman

Sorry BimmaDrew... I didn't answer your question...

it's hooked directly to the battery of my car through a 15A Fuse. as far as I could tell, the only thing that 12V was doing in the box was connecting to the regulators. and the box has operated fine in that condition for over 100 hours in my F-250.

Wow, It must have a higher tolerance than i thought! But that's ok, cause with my stereo system, I would probably manage to make it shut off with the large amounts of flucuations my sub causes.

You're actually the second person I have heard that wired it directly into the vehicle with no problems.

BimmaDrew · 05-09-2006, 11:12 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kickercivic1

I just bought two of this pc's.. And i am going to order m2-atx tonight. I will to figure out how to fit that PS in there. Any suggestion?>

Here's a pic of the case open when i opened things to solder the wires to the button. You can see there isn't room for power. The CD bay and the 2.5" HDD are on the other side of the board.

V6Stang · 05-09-2006, 11:14 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by BimmaDrew

Here's a pic of the case open when i opened things to solder the wires to the button. You can see there isn't room for power. The CD bay and the 2.5" HDD are on the other side of the board.

can you post everything you do w/pics cuz im using the same setup and have no clue where to start lol would be very appreciated

BimmaDrew · 05-10-2006, 12:30 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by V6Stang

can you post everything you do w/pics cuz im using the same setup and have no clue where to start lol would be very appreciated

lol...don't worry, I'm nearly finished with my install. All i need is the power supply so I can turn it all on for the first time! I've been taking some decent pictures so I can post them when I "show off my project".

Once I get my power supply in the next day or 2, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm hoping it'll all work the first time...but I'm holding my breath and the wait is killing me!

But if you have any q's right now, go ahead and I'll see if I have a pic that's worth a thousand words.

V6Stang · 05-10-2006, 08:41 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by BimmaDrew

lol...don't worry, I'm nearly finished with my install. All i need is the power supply so I can turn it all on for the first time! I've been taking some decent pictures so I can post them when I "show off my project".

Once I get my power supply in the next day or 2, I'll let you know how it goes. I'm hoping it'll all work the first time...but I'm holding my breath and the wait is killing me!

But if you have any q's right now, go ahead and I'll see if I have a pic that's worth a thousand words.

1.Well i just got that computer for free so its what im using as well...are you planning on putting it into a smaller case? getting new hardware? or just leaving it how it is basically?

2.What kind of car do you have and where do you plan on mounting it in the car?

3.What are you doing to keep it cool? I heard alot of ppl mention these getting really hot which will be an issue for me if it gets too hot and its already sitting in my trunk where it can get to like 100 degress F so that concerns me a lil.

4.What software will you be using?

5.How do you plan on hooking it to your car stereo?

Thanks to the great write ups

so far I know how i can wire it for power straight to the battery just have to learn how to wire it with a fuse. Sorry for all the questions, just came to mind when I thought of what i had left to do with it.

BimmaDrew · 05-10-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by V6Stang

1.Well i just got that computer for free so its what im using as well...are you planning on putting it into a smaller case? getting new hardware? or just leaving it how it is basically?

2.What kind of car do you have and where do you plan on mounting it in the car?

3.What are you doing to keep it cool? I heard alot of ppl mention these getting really hot which will be an issue for me if it gets too hot and its already sitting in my trunk where it can get to like 100 degress F so that concerns me a lil.

4.What software will you be using?

5.How do you plan on hooking it to your car stereo?

Thanks to the great write ups

so far I know how i can wire it for power straight to the battery just have to learn how to wire it with a fuse. Sorry for all the questions, just came to mind when I thought of what i had left to do with it.

1. I'm leaving it in the original case. The case is really small as it is...you won't find too many smaller ones that are using a P4.

2. 01 BMW 325Ci. I acatually have a medium sized sub box in the trunk already, so it'll got in a gap between it and the rear strut. (I'll post pics later).

3. The operating temp is my only concern still. as long as you leave some room on the bottom and top (if you have it standing vertically), it should be ok. There are 2 fans that pull the air through the bottom and out the top...so make sure they can breath and you should be ok. But we'll see how it handles the summers.

4. I'll be using Roadrunner as my frontend. I've already been tinkering with it. But I went with it because there are people who've made my GPS software work with it.

5. I'm not using the stock stuff at all. I'm doing what most people have been doing in here...using an external soundcard (Audigy 2 NX). you need to get RCA to 3.5mm adapters since the Audigy doesn't have RCA outputs...but it's a really good card that is relatively inexpensive. But you can get sound processors that are far better and cost a pretty penny if you really care about SQ.

V6Stang · 05-10-2006, 09:13 PM

Yea alot of people use roadrunner it must be pretty good it seems to be really popular. What GPS program are you going to use, thats the only thing I can't decide on. I read the Faq but its still hard to choose, I was considering that Garmin one that other guy was talking about but I want something that will be interfaced with the frontend so I dont have to leave Roadrunner to access it ya know.

How much did that soundcard run you? I honestly wasn't planning on touching any of the stock hardware, I figured even with the stock stuff it should still be equal to if not better than my stock stereo system. I already have to run the computer to an amplifier anyway in order to power it through all of my speakers. Do you think a different soundcard is neccessary?

User Name		Remember Me?
Password