Remote power on

[SFX Group]

Hi

So heres the question....

Is there a way to make this "remote power on" and "remote power off".

Now i dont care how its done however it somehow needs to be remote, some ideas i have used in the past...

1. Strip the system, find the power button, extend 2 physical wires with a button outside (basics here is extending the system power button contacts outside).

2. Have soft power down via a USB system which sends the item to sleep, however same system then wakes with the USB command.

Main problem with 2 is the system needs to repower back up in "sleep mode" to allow this to work when it looses power.

The best answer is the remote power lead, i bet this wil void warranty, however will be better than buying others at a higher price and doing the same thing.

Also what voltage is the unit needing (at the unit not the brick PSU)?

This will be installed in a vehicle (hence the remote powerdown will be controled by a relay and no access to the box can be had).

[cebru]

Remote power on... I don't see how this is possible. Someone please prove me wrong, would be a great feature.

As for remote power off, that is quite easy. I am using my Fit PC2 as a server and instead of plugging in a screen when I need to change something, I simply make an ssh tunnel to it. Simple command lines can make the computer reboot or shut down.

[jeremys]

Does the HW support WakeOnLan?
If so, use your mobile device (wlan phone or similar) to wake fit-pc.

[irads]

I believe the most reliable mechanism would be to extend the power switch circuit.

Another option is to purechase an instant-on unit and switch on/off the power supply.

fit-PC2 is power is 12V (8V-15V tolerant).

[jeremys]

well... I presume there is WakeOnLan capabilities with the HW, atleast Win LAN (realtek) drives have those under device management (magic packet & pattern).

I can turn this HW on with my Wlan phone (midlet solution, JwakeME 1.2).
Shutting down is you own choise, there are a lot of Win soft for remote shutdown...

[irads]

The Ethernet controller is not powered when fit-PC2 is in standby, so wake-on-LAN cannot work.

[jeremys]

really? odd and somewhat shame.

[Louk]

Here is what I use (in my car):

Because the power in a car is very unstable, I use a M4-ATX PSU from Minibox. This PSU is especially designed for automotive use. Apart from stabilizing the power, it also can shutdown the unit through USB.

OK, it a bit of overkill (the PSU in case is at least 4 times the volume of the FIT-PC2 and you will only need the 12V and ground leads of the 24 pin ATX power connector), but it does not need to be installed next to the FIT-PC and it works great.

The only problem occurs when you switch on the ignition very fast after switching off, before the PSU switches off the main power (low power mode). In this case the FIT-PC does not starts up again and you have to switch off the ignition off again for at least a view minutes (not very handy while driving) or switch on the FIT-PC manually. This power down delay of the PSU is programmable, but needs to set at least to the time the OS needs to shutdown or go into hibernate mode.

This problem is caused by the absence of a power down signal from the FIT-PC, so the PSU does not know the power state off the FIT-PC. My first attempt using the USB power lead failed, because the FIT-PC does not switch this power off when it powers off or goes into hibernate mode. But now I read somewhere else in this forum, that the Ethernet controller is not powered when the FIT-PC is powered off, so maybe some signal at the Ethernet port can be used to generate the required ATX !PSON signal.

Louk.

[pforson]

1. Strip the system, find the power button, extend 2 physical wires with a button outside (basics here is extending the system power button contacts outside).

Hi,

I'm interested in this as well but have no idea how to find this connection? Can anyone help and maybe post pictures? (is there a guide somewhere online that shows how to safetly open the Fit-PC2?)

Technically, would this thing work?



It says it conncects internally straight to the motherboard.

Thanks,
Pete

[billyzelsnack]

You could mount a micro hobby servo on the case and have it toggle the button mechanically.